Taiko Drum Ensemble

We were treated to a truly once in a lifetime opportunity when a Japanese Taiko Drum master and his team visited our base and performed. In Japan the word Taiko means drum. But outside of Japan taiko is known for its powerful performance and the tremendous energy it exudes. Taiko is more than just playing a large powerful drum. It is a group of organized movements that tell stores of ancient Japanese legends. It is such a moving experience because that drum beat is mesmerizing. It touches your soul and pulls you into the performance. Even if you don’t understand the legend.

So why was it such a big deal to have a Japanese Master visit and work with our small taiko troop of Americans on the base? Well like many things in the Japanese culture it has guarded secrets that should only be passed onto those Japanese who are worthy and have trained in the art since birth. So when this master came onto the base and worked with our troop he was taking a huge risk of rejection from his fellow masters. His reason for sharing his art form with us was to help the history and purpose of taiko to spread around the world. He was so happy to work with a group of enthuastic Americans who were eager to learn. We were honored to be witness the performance.

A little Taiko history…In feudal Japan, taiko were often used to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements.

I added some Taiko Drum links for "You Tube." They are on the right side of the page. This is not the performance we saw but some that I found on “You Tube”. I wanted to include this clip so that you can see how cool Taiko is. At our performance they wore costumes and sang as well.