NATC 2025 Phoenix

RINGTARO TATEISHI
Artistic Director of “CHIKIRI”
Principal of “The School of TAIKO”
Co-founder of Japan Creative Arts

Ringtaro is an awardee of the 2022 Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program as a master artist by the Center for Washington Cultural Traditions, Humanities Washington and ArtsWA.

Ringtaro Tateishi is a former member of “ONDEKOZA” and the co-founder of “The School of TAIKO”, a Taiko school in Seattle. “ONDEKOZA” pioneered the art of fusing taiko drumming and traditional dancing and was the first international taiko touring troupe in the world. Ringtaro spent a decade in “ONDEKOZA” learning from Mr. Den who founded the group in 1969. During this time, he immersed himself into Japan learning the origins and true meanings behind Japanese culture. He started a new professional Taiko group “CHIKIRI” in 2014. His partner Asako also established “Japan Creative Arts” to popularize and develop Japanese traditional music and to fuse different cultures. They invited professional Taiko drummers to “Bellevue World Taiko Festival” including Yu Imafuku(2014), Akira Katogi(2016), Miyake Taiko Geino Doshikai(2018) from Japan and Kenny Endo(2017) from Hawaii.

From 1989 to 2000, he joined “ONDEKOZA”. As the artistic director of the group, he visited over 26 countries and held over 1,000 performances including Carnegie Hall in New York.
From 2002 to 2009, he performed daily at Walt Disney World / EPCOT in Florida and held concerts around the US as a member of “MATSURIZA”.
Then, in the fall of 2009, he moved to the Seattle area to establish his own school and a professional group “CHIKIRI.

North American Taiko Conference Instructor (NATC) 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2024
Regional Taiko Gathering Instructor (RTG) 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2018
Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational Instructor (ITI) 2013, 2015 and 2024

For more info: www.japancreativearts.com