A recent addition to the
show has been a cherished project of Shoji's and
Dorothy's, and brings to the American people some of
Shoji's native Japanese culture . . . the Taiko drums.
The word Taiko refers to the art of Japanese
drumming, but also means the Taiko drums
themselves. The drums are not just instruments, but
rather they recreate "the origin of the spirit of
the Japanese people."
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Reputedly, Taiko
was used originally to intimidate enemies on the
battlefield. Taiko also was once a symbol of the
rural community, and the limits of a village were
defined, not by geography, but by the furthest reach of
the drums' sound. Taiko is still used in
Japanese religious ceremonies and is an important part of
many festivals. Taiko as it is performed today
is a relatively new phenomenon. It started in post-war
Japan as a way to preserve tradition.
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| The
"tomoe" design painted on the head of
the drum is from the Japanese culture, which
gives the scope of the universe. Their belief is
the everything is the breadth of creation. The
spiral comma-shape of the tomoe is the never
ending, all-encompassing spiritual feeling of
everything that is or was.
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There are 25 drums of three different styles
and sizes in our show. The largest, known as Odaiko,
was hand carved by Asano Taiko of Japan. The smallest are called Shime-daiko
and has a high-pitched sound. Our Nagado-daiko,
the mid-size drums, were custom made by David Leong of Rolling
Thunder Taiko.
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| Chosen to instruct our
cast on the art of Taiko technique was Marco Lienhard. Marco is a world-class performer
and instructor of not only Taiko drumming, but also fue
and shakuhachi, which are traditional Japanese flutes. We
feel very fortunate to have him come to Branson to work
with us.
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Animated graphic courtesy of Rolling
Thunder Taiko
Rolling Thunder Taiko Resource
Asano Taiko of Japan
Marco Lienhard's Web Page
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