Taiko Drums and Taiko Drum Makers
Taiko Drums and Taiko Drum Makers
This chapter introduces the variety of drums used in Japan and begins a discussion of the “taiko boom” by demonstrating how it has helped bring taiko drums and taiko drum makers closer to the mainstream of Japanese cultural life. Japanese drums are typically differentiated based on their size, shape, and material composition. They are also sounded in distinct ways (by hands, sticks, or mallets) and are employed differently in the three main genres of Japanese performance: music of the imperial court (gagaku), music accompanying the classical stage performing arts (koten geinō), and music used in religious ritual or the folk performing arts (minzoku geinō). Prior to the emergence of ensemble taiko drumming, taiko drums were used most extensively within the folk performing arts. This historical context contributed significantly to the development of taiko in the postwar period.
Keywords: Japanese drums, taiko drums, taiko drum makers, mainstream Japanese culture, folk performing arts, imperial court, stage performing arts
California Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
