Introduction: Japanese Drumming in Place and Motion

Abstract

This introductory chapter showcases a brief portrait of taiko performances and their cultural impact both at home and abroad, emphasizing the close connection between taiko drumming and projects of localization. Taiko ensembles arrange barrel-shaped wooden drums (taiko) of various sizes and shapes for stage performance, much like an orchestral percussion section. However, the relatively large size of these drums and their strategic placement on stage encourages much more vigorous use of the body in performance than orchestral drumming would. In creating stage performances that explore both the musicality of the taiko drum and the muscularity of taiko drummers, postwar taiko ensembles broke with centuries of Japanese custom and resist easy classification as musical alone, since the intricately choreographed movement of performers on stage, typically associated with dance, is a distinctive feature of the new genre.