TAIKO!!!!!!

Feel the Soul of Japan

NAGANO TAIKO FESTIVAL

THE DRUM
Matsumoto Castle glowing in the backdrop of a million year old beat, reverberating from the ancient hollows of that massive Japanese drum. Torches lit and glowing with an orange warmness, creating an orb of mystical energy, as each beat was syncopated and timed perfectly to match the story that was being told - an untold million year old story that only a drum beat could tell. That's what I felt when I was there, in Matsumoto, near the castle. An old castle fortress of beauty and protection. We were lucky, my second maza and I, as the timing couldn't have been any more perfect. It was my rst time seeing a live wadaiko performance and will not be my last. Feel the beat of the soul of Japan.

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SAI TOKYO TAIKO

If you ever have a chance to hear Tokyos own Taiko drummers then the group Sai would be the best.

EXCELLENT PRECUSSIONIST

FEMALE DRUMMERS There were more female drummers than male drummers. Rare. And they were good.

NEW STYLES Modern Taiko has incorporated a lot newer styles

OLD TRADITIONS Taiko is probably the rst true instrument ever played by man.

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OSAKA GROUP This Taiko group was by far the most entertaining. Bright red uniforms with a bit of theatrics

PUSH UPS These guys were doing push ups and drumming. This part of the performance sent the crowd into cheers and applause.

PERFORMANCE Although this group wasnt as traditional as the others, were more exciting, which provided 40 minutes of solid fun for all ages.

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Electric Guitar!? No. How about an electric shamisen...? right. Yes. Thats

The traditional guitar with a long history of being associated with the Geisha and tea houses. The ancient court yard performances with kimono clad concubines.

As fate would have it, the modern hands of history would give the shamisen a new voice, and form of expression in the 21st Century.

I was blown away as these beautiful West Japan women played this ancient guitar.

Even the plectrums matched in color. In Japanese its called a bachi and is made from a variety of different things. The tradition plectrum is made from either ivory or tortoiseshell. In the modern age, its either wood or plastic.

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MATSUMOTO TAIKO FESTIVAL

Nagano
SUMMER DRUMMIN

Taiko Summer Festival in Matsumoto, Nagano July 31st 2011

This group was from Sendai. They received an extra ovation for their efforts. They pulled it together and brought amazing energy and focus. I was equally impressed with how well they played and poured their soul out.

Taiko Summer Festival in Matsumoto, Nagano July 31st 2011