Taiko

Since the days of the early emperors, the thunderous heartbeat of the taiko has been a beautiful and sacred sound--a sound of laughter, of celebration, of protection, and power. In ancient times, the deep rumble of the drum drove away evil spirits and other malignant forces that would harm the village's valuable crops. During the harvest, the taiko was beaten in a different way--happier, less terrifying--as a joyful proclamation of a bountiful year. In times of drought, the taiko's thunder would call to the skies to bring clouds and rain. The sounds of the taiko still resound in modern times.

Our village is now global, and instead of crop pests, the drums now seek to drive away forces of hate and dissension that threaten our peace. We harvest a different sort of plenty, that of the love and community that surrounds us. When day to day life threatens to rob our lives of joy, the heartbeat of the taiko calls to the heartbeat within ourselves, reminding us of the wonderful gift of this world and our existence.

Taiko performances are very exhilarating-a dynamic energy stimulant, earth shaking and even called a spiritual experience. Taiko is entertainment enjoyed all over the world.

As the bell resonates in the wind, the poem's essence is carried off into the world. Just like the taiko, the sound and vibration of the bell carries with it the power to awaken and to lift that which it awakens. The bell is the call for us to enter into an action that presents us with a potential to move in some given direction.

A senryu is a structured poem that can depict just about anything – from nature to current events. By embracing such a rigid structure one can realize an overwhelming freedom. The structure defines a 'rule of the game' playing by which we must reach deep within ourselves and far beyond our own worlds in order to create individuality, yet this freedom thrives because of the existence of a structure. In this sense the need for structure and the need for freedom are interdependent.

The spirit of Taiko reaches into a part of us where there are no words, only feeling and pure emotion. In the intense exertion of kumi taiko performance the fritterings of the ego are crumbled away to leave the pulse of the organism. Through vibration, taiko players repeatedly bond with the force of nature that aligns them with their birthright.