Four taiko performers, in a symmetrical formation, are facing the crowd, as their drum sticks are raised above their heads. A pair of drummers are facing each other.

Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Seiichi Tanaka is a Grand Master of the ancient Japanese form of ritual drumming known as taiko. This art-form involves physically demanding choreographic movement in tandem with percussive sound. Tanaka arrived to the U.S. in 1967, and he founded the first taiko dojo in North America in 1968. Practicing taiko for nearly five decades, Tanaka's first student at the dojo, Nosuke Akiyama, is also a master lion dancer and led the group's performance in the Lowell Folk Festival (2014).

• Keywords: Lion; Taiko; San Francisco; Dojo; dance; Seiichi; Festival; Tanaka; Drum