Townsville schoolchildren welcome (from left to right) Matthew Doyle, Riley Lee, Eitetsu Hayashi and Ian Cleworth (Taikoz).

Why hold the major opening event of this significant year in Townsville? Townsville is in fact a place of important historical significance in relations between Japan and Australia, as the site of Japan’s first consulate in Australia from 1896 – 1908. The consulate was set up to oversee Japanese migrant workers in the area, two-thirds of whom worked on local sugar plantations and one-third in the pearling industry on Thursday Island. Beginning this tour in Townsville acknowledges its important role in the early history of the Australia-Japan relationship.

It is a warm, tropical night when the Japanese spirit returns to Townsville; a night not unlike the Japanese summer evenings when many festivals at which taiko are traditionally played are held. A full house at the Townsville Civic Theatre holds its collective breath as a lone man strides silently and gracefully onto the stage. He ascends the steps to the huge o-daiko (grand drum). With measured movement he kneels and takes two bachi (drumsticks) in his hands. Legs spread wide, knees bent, he rises, and boom! ... Boom! Two beats reverberate through the silence. Off stage a second drum answers. Our drummer responds. Boom, boom! From the opposite wing comes another answer. Boom! ...

Then, comes the sound of Japanese chants as drummers enter from either side of the stage, carrying okedo-daiko from slings round their necks. If you close your eyes, you could believe you are in a small Japanese village preparing for a festival. And yet, with our modern, cosmopolitan perspective, you can see and hear a resemblance to the percussion traditions of the world – to African drumming, for example, or even a marching band. The rhythms of the drum cut across cultures, while at the same time retaining their unique aspects.

For the piece Yamagoe, ‘Crossing the Mountain’, Japanese taiko master Eitetsu Hayashi stands at the centre of an eclectic drum kit combining a variety of traditional Japanese taiko and other instruments. Bird-like whistles, the tinkle of gongs and bells, the plucked strings of the koto, and the haunting sound of the shakuhachi flute overlay the beat of the drums. Even the ‘plumbing’ sound of a cupped hand on the mouth of a porcelain vase is used to evoke the echoes of mountain and valley. Perhaps the wind chimes are waterdrops, a vocal chant the voice of a pilgrim or woodcutter? The rhythm and melody sound distinctly Japanese, yet somehow familiar even to foreign ears.

Then subtly, a new sound enters the mix – the didgeridoo. Strangely, it fuses well with the Japanese drums, creating something uniquely timeless, borderless – an artistic expression of the ultimate essence of intercultural exchange.

Herein lies the mastery of these musicians and their compositions, particularly of Eitetsu Hayashi himself. In Japan, the taiko is primarily a festival instrument, played by amateurs. In Western music, percussion instruments are rarely at the centre of attention. Yet Eitetsu has forged a solo career, creating a style of performance and composition he dubs ‘modern-traditional’, that has brought Japanese taiko into the limelight, inspiring musicians and thrilling audiences around the world.

Eitestsu Hayashi’s composition Mitsu-mai – Sydney Town Hall (Photo: Mayu Kanamori)

The depth and breadth of rhythm and timbre Eitetsu elicits from the taiko in his masterpiece Jakuchu ’06 / The Wings of Flightless Birds belies the fact that it is created with only one instrument and one musician. The entire auditorium pulsates with tangible vibrations in multi-coloured cadences, said to be able to bring tears to the eyes of adults and to lull small children to sleep. The emotional intensity of his performance is visible in Eitetsu’s expression, completely rapt from head to toe in a percussive harmony that spellbinds his audience.

The visual element of the performance also deserves mention as a work of art. The whirling drumsticks produce kaleidoscopic shadows on the backdrop, and the athletic, almost acrobatic movements of the drummers create a series of split-second tableaux. One can only marvel at the amazing stamina, strength and grace required to create this mesmerising display. The breathtaking speed and skill of the drummers captivates the audience just as much as the music created.

From the patter of rain or the hoof beats of a galloping horse, to the flapping of a thousand birds’ wings or a thumping crescendo like thunder breaking overhead, the sound sensations created by the taiko speak to the very core of our being. Evoking this fundamental essence of life, Nature’s Rhythm swept up audiences from Townsville to Perth in an astonishing whirlwind that blew away barriers between cultures, traditions and time, ushering in this special year with gusto.