Taiko in Japanese Culture

J. Larry Stockton

Taiko is a drum with a wooden body and heads made of stretched cow or horse skin, struck with

sticks

2,000-year(plus) history in Japan

ôdaiko

shime-daiko

Heritage of Craftsmanship

Keyaki elm family single piece taiko & shimedaiko

Tochi horse chestnut

single piece taiko

Sen ??? single piece taiko & shimedaiko

Matsu pine Ôdaiko sticks

Kashi evergreen oak sticks and stands

Kaede maple special sticks

kiri paulownia sticks

*

Shinto Festival Drum1/5

Variety of Shapes & Sizes

and settings

Bachi

5/5

Shime-daiko

Miya daiko

Wadaiko

Nagadô Daiko

(taiko between 18 to 24 inches, that can be played flat or on a slanted stand)

Ôdaiko

(diameter exceeds 100 cm)

World’s Largest Ôdaiko

7 ½ feet in diameter / 4 tons

World’s Largest Ôdaiko

shell carved from a a single tree, estimated to be 900 years old

Taiko in Cultural Context

Gagaku

kakko, san-no-tsuzumi, dadaiko, tsuri-daiko, ninai-daiko, ikko, furitsuzumi, kaiko

Nô Theater

Buddhism

Shinto

Rituals, Processionals, Festivals

Matsuri

1/2

Y

A

T

A

I

2/2

Signal Drum

Takeda Shingen (1521-1573)

Feudal warfare, rural villages, Sumo

Kabuki Theater

Kumidaiko

Modern Taiko Groups (kumidaiko)

Beginning of kumidaiko movement

Daihachi Oguchi

1924-2008

Sukeroku Daiko

Edo-bayashi rhythms – First Tokyo Group

(dynamic performing style & choreography)

1959

Tagayasu Den founded Za Ondekoza on Sado Island(communal spirit & physicality)

1969

The original members of Za Ondekoza formed Kodô in 1981 after splitting with Den

1981

Yamato Wadaiko1993

Aesthetic Concepts

Concepts

(KI)

SPIRIT

POWERENERGY

1/7

Concepts

(Kokyû)

GROUP DYNAMICS

Mitsu tomoe

2/7

Concepts

(MA)

Space & Time3/7

Concepts

(KATA)

Form/Choreography4/7

Concepts

(KAKEGOE)

Rhythmic Shouts 5/7

Concepts

(KUCHI SHOWA)

Rote Learning (mnemonics)

Don Don Do – Ko Don Ka-ra-ra Don

6/7

Karada: Discipline of body strength, power, and stamina

Kokoro: Discipline of mind, self control, and spirit

Waza: Musical skills, physical expression, and rhythmic expression

Rei: Communication, manners, courtesy, respect, harmony, language, and unity of spirit

The Zen of Taiko

---Seiichi Tanaka

ENTERTAINMENT

7/7

Instruments in Kumidaiko

Ôdaiko

Shimedaiko

1/8

Okedô

2/8

Okedô

Ka kai e style3/8

Uchiwadaiko

4/8

Chappa

5/8

Atarigane

6/8

Takebue (Shinobue)

7/8

(Rakuen)

Paradise !!!

The End