Adapted from an article by David Leong for Rolling Thunder (www.taiko.com).
The exact history of Japanese taiko remains shrouded in speculation. The oldest physical evidence of taiko in Japan is a Haniwa clay figure of a drummer that dates from the sixth or seventh century. However, since the first instruments in any society tend to be percussion instruments, it would not be out of the question for taiko (as we know them today) to have been used in Japan for well over 2000 years.
Reputedly, one of the first uses of taiko was as a battlefield instrument, to intimidate and scare the enemy--a use to which drums have been put in many cultures. Taiko were definitely used in battle to issue commands and coordinate movements by the 1500s. According to picture scrolls and painted screens of the time, one soldier would carry the taiko lashed to a backpack-like frame, while two other soldiers would beat the taiko on each side.
In addition to the martial aspect, taiko have always been used in refined cultural settings as well. Gagaku music was introduced to Japan in the Nara period (697-794) along with Buddhism, and was quickly adopted as the imperial court music. The taiko used for Gagaku are some of the most elegant and beautifully decorated of all Japanese instruments.
The rumbling power of the taiko has also been long been associated with the gods, and has been appropriated by the religions of Japan. According to the late taiko Grand Master Daihachi Oguchi, taiko was used about 4000 years ago to communicate various activities in the village. Simple taiko beats would be used to signal that the hunters were setting out or that a storm was coming. While there is no direct physical evidence to support this claim, Megumi Ochi, curator of the Taiko Kan Museum, believes this to be true since other cultures exhibit the same behavior. Because these signals were so important to the flow of daily life, the people were very thankful of the taiko, and began to believe that the taiko was inhabited by a god.
As this belief developed, only the holy men were allowed to beat the taiko, and as the Shinto and Buddhist religions developed in Japan, this custom remained. One consequence of this association of taiko with religion was that taiko were played only on special occasions, and only by men who were granted special permission by the priests. All through this time, taiko were played singly, or in certain instances in pairs. Taiko ensembles were only developed much later.
Taiko has continued to find a place in religious ceremonies today, both Buddhist and Shinto, and it is extremely common to find taiko in both temples and shrines. In addition, many village festivals were (and still are) celebrated with the sound of drumming. Over the years a rich body of traditional taiko festival rhythms has been developed that is now a never-ending source of inspiration to modern players.
