RYUKYUKOKU MATSURI DAIKO LOS ANGELES
琉球國祭り太鼓
We don't just perform Okinawan culture. We live it.
RMDLA is a nonprofit using Eisa Taiko to build community, educate, and carry Uchinanchu identity forward.
What is Eisa?
Eisa is Okinawan drum, dance, and song, carried through the streets at Obon to honor ancestors. RMDLA dances Matsuri Daiko, and what holds it together is yuimaru: Uchinanchu showing up for one another.
- Uchinanchu
- A person of Okinawan descent. The word carries identity, not just geography.
- Yuimaru
- Mutual aid. Support offered before it is asked for.
- Matsuri Daiko
- Festival drumming: the contemporary Eisa style RMDLA performs.
What We Do
RMDLA performs, teaches, and trains across Los Angeles, bringing Eisa Taiko to festivals and community gatherings.
We build youth leaders and welcome anyone curious about Okinawan culture, because yuimaru means no one carries it alone.
- Culture
- We preserve Eisa Taiko, music, dance, language, and history, and share the Okinawan spirit with anyone ready to learn it.
- Community
- We create gatherings, workshops, and events where people find a second home, not just a group to join.
- Education
- We teach in schools and communities, so Okinawan culture is known, not forgotten.
- Youth & Leadership
- We train the next generation, so leadership, not just tradition, gets passed down.
- Performance & Artistry
- We perform at festivals, concerts, and stages across Los Angeles, elevating Eisa as an art form.
Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko · Los Angeles
Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Los Angeles
From Okinawa to Los Angeles.
The organization was founded in 1982 in Okinawa. It also has chapters in mainland Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Hawaii. The Los Angeles chapter was established in 1995, and has performed at such venues as The Grove, Nisei Week Parade, Taiko Gathering, and Coronation Ball, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Monterey Park, the U.S. Japan Expo, Los Angeles, and the L.A. County Fair.
Get Involved
You do not have to be Okinawan, or a drummer, to have a place in this.
RMDLA is a nonprofit built on yuimaru, and no one carries it alone. Turn up, watch, or help build a vibrant, welcoming community, a second home, where the Okinawan spirit is known and celebrated.
Donate
Drums, travel, uniforms, and youth programming are funded by people who want this to keep going.