In the Spring of 2005, a small but extremely committed group of students pooled what resources they could and began UC Berkeley's first Taiko group. During the first year of their existence, they practiced in a fraternity basement and on the campus' Sproul Plaza, playing on tires and chairs. One year later, after many nights of hauling equipment from apartment to practice, and an innumerable number of Saturdays spent making drums, Cal Taiko had their inaugural performance at Cal Day on April 22, 2006. The group has since come a long way in establishing itself as a performing group on campus and is now officially Raijin Taiko. Raijin Taiko practices two to three times a week, writes its own original repertoire, and makes frequent performances throughout the year. The group is happy to have become a regular part of campus activities and has great fun sharing the joy and energy of drumming with the students of Cal.