History | What is Taiko? | Taiko in N. America | Taiko Drums

Taiko Drums

Taiko is a drum consisting of an open-ended wooden barrel sealed at both ends with stretched cowhide or horsehide and played with wooden sticks called bachi. There are two major types of taiko, which differ in the way the skins are fitted to the drum. Drums in which the hides are either tacked directly onto the barrel are called byodome-daiko, while drums in which the hides are held in place by tension produced by hemp pulled across the body of the drum and passed through the hides at opposite ends is called tsukeshime-daiko. A third kind of taiko, the okedo-daiko is made from staves of wood with a hide stretched across the ends1.

There are several other types of taiko that differ based on size and function. These include the nagadou-daiko (miya-daiko) used in festivals; the o-daiko, the largest of the taiko drums; the chu-daiko which is a size between that of the nagadou-daiko and the o-daiko; the wa-daiko, which can be flat or on a slanted stand; the eitetsu okedo-daiko, which is a miniature version of the okedo-daiko; the hira-daiko, which is a flat drum hung horizontally on a frame; and the uchiwa-daiko, a “fan” drum that consists of a metal hoop with a hide stretched across it2.

Taiko are traditionally accompanied by a wooden flute and a small hand drum called tsutsumi.

Reference
1. http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/master/taiko/1-his02.html
2. http://users.lmi.net/taikousa/dictionary.html