What? Oh no…
Shawn: Sorry everyone.
Corona had me locked down and I couldn’t fly over to Linfamy to show him who's in charge.
Taiko has been requested and I’ve been sitting with all this info for a while and I’m here to deliver.
Taiko literally means "big drum” in Japanese.
However in modern Japanese, Taiko also refers to the art of drumming.
Though the exact history of taiko is unclear,
some say taiko-style drums may have been used as early as the Jomon Period.
It isn’t impossible that the Japanese created drums themselves,
but you can see a lot of cultural influence from the silk road
as well as similarities in instruments from China, Korea, and India.
This picture here is the oldest known artifact featuring taiko.
This Haniwa or small clay figure used at burial sites shows a man with a drum hung from his shoulder and resting around his hip,
playing a sad beat because he misplaced his head.
Taiko has been a part of Japanese military and religious culture for generations.
Drums are a regular part of festivals and theatre performances.
Drumming was also used to notify neighboring villages of bad weather
or of someone important coming, like those drums in the beginning of the video.
Let’s start with military usage. Like many armies around the world,
drum rhythms were used to inspire and coordinate troops,
and also set a pace for marching.
We know a little bit more about some of the beats and rhythms that were used during the 16th century
thanks to a war chronicle called The Gunji Yoshu.
Inside, the text states that “nine sets of five strikes would call an ally to battle,
while nine groups of three beats means to advance and persecute the enemies.”
And a plain, monotone beat means that a Chainsmokers concert is coming.
There’s a legend that Emperor Keitai brought a big drum from China to boost the spirit of his
men and scare enemies away from his castle.
Taiko drums were sometimes used to mark town borders.
When you could no longer hear the drum, that was where the town ended.
Let’s look at some of the types of taiko.
This first one here is the Nagadō Daiko 長胴太鼓. This is the most common taiko.
A Japanese translation of nagadō would be “long trunk.”
Miya Daiko 宮太鼓. Miya means temple or shrine. The miya daiko are the exact same drums as the nagadō,
with the only distinction being the fancy stands to hold the drums.
Next, Hiratsuri Daiko 平釣太鼓. This drum is close to the nagadō but it has a shallow shell,
which makes for a higher pitch.
In Kabuki theater this drum is called gaku daiko.
It’s supposed to sound like the dadaiko and with that sound it often depicts war scenes in Kabuki Theatre.
Next is the Shime Daiko 締太鼓. Often used in Minyō 民謡, this drum is also called the minyō shime daiko.
“Minyō” translates to “folk song,” so the name becomes the folk song drum.
This is the highest pitch and most piercing drum in the taiko family.
Tsuri Daiko 釣太鼓. The tsuri daiko accompanies a dance known as bugaku.
The performer stands in front of the drum to keep time for the ensemble.
This drum is used a lot in festivals and parades.
Kotsuzumi 小鼓. An hourglass-shaped drum with two drum heads.
It contains two sets of ropes to hold the head in place.
The set of ropes can be tightened with the players hands to change the pitch of the drum when being striked.
The ko-tsuzumi is the smallest of three drums used in Noh and Kabuki theater.
Next, the Otsuzumi 大鼓. This is the large version of the tsuzumi-style drum.
It is used in Noh theater ensemble along with the kotsuzumi.
Lastly, the DADAIKO 鼉太鼓. This is the largest drum found within the Gagaku Imperial Court music.
They are always played in pairs and are highly decorated.
The drum appears quite large because of a facade encircling the entire drum.
These drums are played during bugaku dance to accentuate the movement of the dance.
There are still many other styles of taiko but we don’t have time, Linfamy may escape at any moment.
Linfamy: Mmm! Mmmmm!
Religious usage. Taiko is also a religious and sacred instrument, used in Buddhism and Shinto.
In the shinto world, the taiko is multifaceted but it’s most commonly used in
gagaku performances, ceremonies, and festivals.
The central drum mentioned before, the dadaiko, is one of the most recognizable images of Gagaku.
Let’s take a quick listen to a performance with dadaiko.
For more about Gagaku take a look at the Gagaku video I forced Linfamy to make.
In Shinto, priests as well as lay practitioners use them for ceremonies and festivals.
This performance is part of the great exorcism festival at Izumo Taisho Shrine.
Buddhist services but taiko is special in that it wears many hats.
One of the first types of taiko that you will hear during a service
is a steady beat that follows along with a sutra reading.
This percussive sound allows for all of the members to chant together in harmony.
here’s a performance from an esoteric school, Shingon shu.
As you can see, very very different styles.
Each sect of buddhism will use taiko in a different way.
I recommend digging through Youtube for different sects of Buddhism and their different styles of taiko.
But here is the deep reason behind taiko.
A representative from Daion Taiko, a Taiko group in California, said it really well
with these two big lessons of Taiko.
One. “Learning and playing the taiko is the embodiment of the three treasures
(the buddha, the law, and the sangha).
The taiko itself is the buddha,
the bachi, or sticks used to play the drum, is the player’s connection through the dharma (law) that they receive when striking the taiko,
and the third jewel is the player themselves, the sangha (community).”
Lesson number two. “We all wear masks for different people and different situations.
When one strikes the Taiko, it calls attention to yourself
and you have nowhere to hide. Taiko allows you to be yourself.”
Did someone say Mask?
Noh and Kabuki also utilize taiko as well but let’s save those for their own videos.
Taiko drumming was not performed as a staged ensemble until the 50’s when kumi-daiko was invented.
Here is how the story goes:
there was a jazz drummer by the name of Daihachi Oguchi.
Oguchi was once asked to perform a traditional piece of taiko music.
When studying this ancient music notation, he thought to himself,
“Why was there so little taiko experimentation?”
He had the bright idea of playing multiple types of drums at once.
From there, the rest is history.
Let me give you a quote:
“Your heart is a taiko. All people listen to a taiko rhythm dontsuku-dontsuku
in their mother’s womb. It’s instinct, to be drawn to taiko drumming.”
Modern Taiko groups are widespread and exciting to watch.
Even in America, you have many chances to see a performance.
There are bound to be a few groups in every state.
Do a quick Google search to find the one closest to you.
Per usual, there is so much I wasn’t able to talk about like Eisa Daiko, Hachi-jo daiko
and the many other styles.
But I hope this video has inspired you to research more about Taiko on your own!
Or maybe even start playing it?
So what musical tradition would you like to hear about next?
Well that is it for today. Linfamy, you are free to go.
Linfamy: Somebody stop that guy please.
You can find him at his YouTube channel Renzoh Flutes where he gives shakuhachi lessons and talks about music.
Tell him to stop tying me up. I usually charge for that type of thing.
Okay we have a new Emperor patron on Patreon:
Dragon Bud the friendliest dragon.
We also have some other new people:
Whiskey Pete
Richárd Nagyfi,
Kay okay,
and Nigemasu.
Thanks so much guys.
Alright I love you, and spread the knowledge.