Visit a festival in Japan and you are bound to hear and feel the rhythmic beating of a taiko drum, whether it is during Obon festivities in the summer or Oshōgatsu New Year celebrations in the dead of winter. Be prepared to marvel at the physical stamina, musical skill and teamwork on display as you feel the primal beat of the drums in your chest and stomach. Wadaiko (Japanese-style drumming) must be one of the few forms of music that is a physical and emotional experience for the audience as well as the performers.
 Taiko (meaning ‘big drum’ or ‘fat drum’) are believed to have existed in Japan from as early as the Jōmon period, over 4000 years ago. The early drums were most likely introduced from or influenced by other Asian cultures such as India, China and Korea before evolving and developing to suit the distinct needs of Japanese culture. Like many other ancient cultures, drums were an important part of Japanese village life, each village had its own distinct rhythm patterns which were used to celebrate harvests, ward off evil spirits or guide local fishermen back to shore. Historic picture scrolls also depict taiko at war, samurai used taiko both to intimidate enemies and as an effective tool to issue commands and coordinate troop movements on the battlefield.
On the spiritual side, taiko became an integral part of religious rites, used as an accompaniment to kagura, a form of theatrical dance in the Shinto religion, as well as in Buddhism to accompany chanting, the Nichiren sect is credited with inventing the handheld uchiwa-daiko which is still used in performances today.
In royal circles, beautifully decorated taiko were used in traditional Japanese court music called gagaku. Although the main component of gagaku consists of wind instruments, hand drums and other drums of various sizes play a vital role providing percussion accompaniment.
Although early Japanese performing arts such as gagaku were heavily influenced by outside cultural influences from China and Korea, native Japanese art forms began to develop from the 10th century, starting with travelling ensembles entertaining the masses with song and dance and developing into highly stylised musical drama such as Noh theatre from the 14th century. Nogaku music acts as a soundtrack to the action occurring onstage, using an ensemble of three drums of varying sizes as well as a flute-like instrument and high-pitched calls. Kabuki theatre was established in the 17th century and catered more to the common people with colourful costumes and thrilling storylines all accompanied by taiko drums, flute and shamisen.
While taiko has a long history as a solo or accompanying instrument, the modern form of taiko ensembles or kumidaiko is a surprisingly recent phenomenon. Daihachi Oguchi is the man credited with creating the modern kumidaiko style of drumming in the early 1950s. Originally a jazz drummer, Oguchi took a traditional solo taiko score and added new rhythms, creating a western-style drum ‘kit’ using various sizes of taiko, the large o-daiko as a kick-drum, a medium-sized nagado-daiko for the melody and the small shime-daiko for the background rhythm. Oguchi became the leader of the Osuwa Daiko group and continued his innovations, creating original scores and inventing new instruments.
 Taiko groups began to spring up around Japan and after taiko drumming demonstrations at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics the popularity of taiko exploded across Japan. One of the most famous groups formed in this era was Za Ondekoza. Founded by Tagayasu Den in 1969, the group lived on Sado Island off the coast of Niigata and immersed themselves in the world of taiko through rigorous musical practice, daily running and communal living. Za Ondekoza took taiko drumming to the world stage in spectacular fashion when they debuted in the United States in 1975, performing a full set immediately after completing the Boston marathon. The group later went on to complete a 3 year ‘marathon’ running tour of the United States, starting and finishing with performances at Carnegie Hall in New York. The drummers split with Den in 1981, forming a new group called Kodo which remained on Sado Island, continuing the tradition of intense musical and physical training. Kodo are now arguably one of the most famous taiko groups in the world, touring around Japan and abroad, and hosting the Earth Celebration music festival on Sado Island every summer.
Outside of Japan taiko has had the most impact in North America with estimates of two hundred taiko groups performing today. Originally brought to the United States with Japanese immigrants in the late 19th century, kumidaiko groups began to form in the late 1960s as Japanese-Americans sought to reconnect with the Japanese traditions that were lost during years of assimilation after the Second World War. San Francisco Taiko Dojo was formed in 1968 by Seiichi Tanaka, as a reaction to the lack of taiko drumming at the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival. Tanaka had studied under Daihachi Oguchi and coupled with his martial arts training, advocated a traditional approach to taiko drumming.
In 1969 Kinnara Taiko was formed by Masao Kodani, minister of a Buddhist temple in Los Angeles, and George Abe. Kinnara Taiko was the first taiko group to emerge directly from the Japanese-American community and was influential in developing taiko drum production in the USA. Due to the prohibitive costs of buying Japanese-made drums, Kinnara Taiko pioneered the use of oak wine barrels to make taiko drums, sharing their knowledge with other groups around the country. Thanks to these grassroots groups and later tours of Japanese taiko ensembles, the popularity of taiko has grown in North America to include performers from all ages and backgrounds. The phenomenon has also spread to other nations with taiko groups to be found around the world from the UK to Russia, Brazil and Australia.
More than just entertainment, the physical and spiritual benefits of taiko drumming have been recognised with the use of ‘taiko therapy’ programs in both Japan and the USA in mental health facilities, prisons and in the deaf community. Advocates cite the beneficial effects of playing taiko for stress relief, connecting with others and building self-esteem.
Taiko is often referred to as ‘the heartbeat of Japan’, and a kumidaiko group in full flight is an experience not to be missed, along with the physical strength and musical prowess on display, the sheer joy on the faces of performers and audience alike will stay with you long after the performance has ended.
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