Modern Taiko

Modern Taiko is recognized as being established until the 1960’s, by Daihachi Oguchi. He is accredited for being the first actual Taiko ensemble referred to as kumi-daiko, and the very beginning of the modern Taiko boom. Daihachi Oguchi was originally known for his jazz drumming performances. As the story goes, he was going to play a drumming piece for one of the local shrines and decided to add somewhat of a jazz style flare to the piece. Coming from a jazz background, Daihachi Oguchi speculated why the Taiko drums had never previously been played as an ensemble before. From this simple idea Daihachi Oguchi put together various Taiko of all different shapes, sizes, and pitches to be included in his ensemble. The drums were also arranged in the same type of manner that a jazz drum set would be expected to look like. Since an actual Taiko ensemble had never really performed together and the people he had playing with him were in no way professional musicians, he based the rhythms of their performance on the simplistic arrangement of the shrine music that had been previously played; which allowed for nearly any person with the interest in Taiko could play along. It was from the foundation of the first Taiko ensemble that Daihachi Oguchi continued on to lead the successful Taiko group named Osuwa Daiko.

Around the same time as Daihachi Oguchi’s Taiko ensemble was beginning to take off, another pioneer in the field emerged. Sukeroku Daiko essentially set the original performing standards of many of the Taiko groups today. Their performances consisted of speed, fluidity, and power. They also brought flashy choreography and solos too. Despite the group’s eventual break up, one it’s members, Seido Kobayashi, went on to form the group Oedo Sukeroku Daiko; which is credited for being the very first professional Taiko group.

Another Taiko ensemble that set the framework for one of the most popular groups began on Sado Island. The group Tagayasu Den was founded in 1969 by a man named Za Ondekoza. He set out to make Taiko more than just entertainment but a way of life. He collected a group of youths from rural areas across Japan so that they would be uninfluenced by the big city way of life. With this mindset, the students practiced a very rigorous training regime that typically consisted of marathon running and communal living. It was from these initial students that they went on to form the Taiko ensemble Kodo, after splitting off from Za.

Kodo has gone on to be one of the worlds most popular and recognized performance ensembles. The group consists of about twenty members who tour all over the world. They typically spend about a third of their year at their headquarters in Sado Island. The other two thirds of their year are spent touring the rest of Japan and the world. Since 1988, the group has also hosted the Earth Celebration International Music Festival, which brings music enthusiasts from all over the world to their headquarters.