What is the actual name for taiko drumming?

In Japanese, taiko literally means “drum,” though the term has also come to refer to the art of Japanese drumming, also known as kumi-daiko. Taiko has been a part of the Japanese culture for centuries.

Is Bayashi Japanese?

Yatai-bayashi (屋台囃子, lit. festival cart orchestra) is a traditional taiko piece inspired by an annual festival in Chichibu, Japan. The piece been performed by many taiko ensembles, and became well-known through dramatic variations of the piece developed by Ondekoza and Kodo.

What does taiko drumming represent?

In feudal Japan, taiko were often used to motivate troops, call out orders or announcements, and set a marching pace; marches were usually set to six paces per beat of the drum. During the 16th-century Warring States period, specific drum calls were used to communicate orders for retreating and advancing.

Can females play taiko drums or only males?

As one of the uncommon cases in Japanese society where women have successfully taken a previously male-dominated field as their own, investigating taiko as a possible tool of female emancipation has the potential to shed light into why women have been taking up taiko, and have been able to successfully do so.

What are the big Japanese drums called?

o-daiko
The best-known Japanese taiko drum is the nagado-daiko (long-body drum), made from hollowed-out log with both ends capped with cowhide. The largest taiko drums are called o-daiko, some of which are greater than one meter in diameter. Wadaiko are played using wooden sticks known as bachi.

What are the two main taiko drums?

There are many kinds of taiko drums, but they are roughly divided into two types. One is taiko with nailed heads, called byo uchi daiko. The other is taiko with heads stretched over steel ring and tensioned by ropes or bolts, called shime daiko.

What does Bayashi mean?

In Shintō: Shintō religious arts. Matsuri-bayashi is a gay, lively music with flutes and drums to accompany divine processions.

Why the taiko drum is unique?

When hit hard with bachi, taiko can produce sounds topping 130 decibels, a sound level that is on a par with the noise produced by jet airplanes. Outside, such sounds can be heard over a distance of several kilometers. In fact, in ancient Japan, such taiko drumming was even used to signal soldiers on the battlefield.

What does taiko mean in Japanese?

drum
“Taiko” is a Japanese word, which means a Japanese drumming style, a drum group, drum music and a drum itself.

Is gender in taiko or other traditional forms of music important?

The involvement of women in North Amer- ican taiko drumming has played an important role in the development of identity for Japanese American women; gender has therefore been an important articulating factor for the continued success of taiko groups.

What are the names of the different size taiko drums?

For Nagado daiko, hirado daiko, okedo daiko, and eisa daiko, diameter of head represents the size. Shaku and sun , Japanese traditional measures, are used for measuring the size of taiko. 1 shaku is about 30cm (about 11.8in) and 1 sun is about 3cm (about 1.18in).