Editor’s note:Due to a large number of complaints, the headline for this story has been changed.

Today at noon, in the University Union Redwood Room, the thunderous sounds of Japanese Taiko drumming will fill the University Union’s Redwood Room as Sacramento Taiko Dan performs in celebration of International Women’s Day.

Since 1998, the Sacramento Taiko Dan performers have come to share their ancient tradition of Japanese drumming at least once a year at Sacramento State. The performances include women who carry on the custom of Japanese drumming in a contemporary style. The event will last about one hour and is free.

Women’s Day is celebrated all over the world and is a national holiday on March 8 in the United States.. This tradition of celebrating women through Taiko Dan performances, specifically focusing on the women’s talent in Japanese drumming, has been a long one at Sac State. Around the world, International Women’s Day has been celebrated for almost 100 years. The tradition celebrates the progress of women all around the world and the struggles women have to face and have already faced in the past.

UNIQUE Programs adviser Zenia Diokno said that the Taiko Dan performance is much more than banging on drums. “It’s an educational experience, but it’s also entertaining.”

In past years, the performers included rain sticks and chimes, said UNIQUE Programs assistant Carmy Preston. “It’s very involved. It’s very loud. You can hear it echoing throughout the building,” Preston said.

Sacramento Taiko Dan performs nationally and internationally to preserve a tradition that has been in existence since 1609, according to its website.

Tiffany Tamaribuchi, 39, is the founder of Sacramento Taiko Dan, which began in 1989. After Tamaribuchi graduated from Sac State with a degree in psychology, she began working to provide Sacramento with Taiko Dan classes. Tamaribuchi’s first performance at Sac State was in 1988 in celebration of International Women’s Day. Tamaribuchi is not only a teacher of Taiko Dan, but a professional Taiko player who travels all over the world to perform. “Not only is it something you hear, it’s something you feel in your whole body,” Tamaribuchi said, referring to her Taiko Dan career.

Only women will be performing during Wednesday’s Nooner. Sacramento Taiko Dan is a diverse group that includes men, but is predominately female. Tamaribuchi said that the musical group has been made up of mostly women from the very beginning. For the women who perform with Sacramento Taiko Dan, it is an “empowering” spiritual activity.

“Most people don’t get a chance to be loud and so physical,” Tamaribuchi said.

In between Tamaribuchi’s performances and teaching workshops in Sacramento, she travels to Japan at least twice a year and to other countries such as Russia. Many of the performers in the Sacramento Taiko Dan group have been with the nonprofit organization from between two and 10 years.

Tamaribuchi bases her performances on Japanese drumming and dance and transforms it into a modern combination of influences from all over the world.

“It’s movement of sound. …It’s a thunderous sound,” Tamaribuchi said.

Preston said it is more than just music. The performance provides the story behind the Japanese tradition of Taiko drumming.

It has been a long tradition for the Japanese Taiko drummers to perform using drums up to the size of 800 pounds. This is one of Diokno’s favorite aspects of the performance, she said.

“They have these huge drums and then some are smaller than others,” Diokno said. She is expecting a good turnout because in previous years, this UNIQUE event has always had a crowd.

Camilla Aceves can be reached at [email protected]