What are taiko and ohayashi?

Wadaiko, commonly known around the world simply as taiko, refers to Japanese drumming, an art form consisting of drums, percussion, and movement. When most people think of wadaiko, they envision three main types of drums, nagadō daiko, okedō daiko, and shime daiko, each of which comes in a variety of sizes.

Odaiko Performance
Naname Style Drumming

Ohayashi generally refers to musical accompaniment in Japanese performing arts associated with festival traditions, matsuri bayashi, and classical or traditional arts, hōgaku bayashi. These instruments, mainly specialized drums, percussion, and various flutes, support the main performers of different genres including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Noh Theatre: actors wearing intricate masks perform mai in very reserved, precise movements.
  • Nagauta: shamisen players and singers tell stories rooted in Japanese mythology and history.
  • Nihon Buyo: dancers dressed in simple kimonos or elaborate costumes perform against a backdrop of melodic instruments and ohayashi.
  • Kabuki Theatre: a “new” art form that fuses music, acting, and dance from all of the above genres.
Matsuri Bayashi Festival Music

There are a plethora of instruments that are a part of hōgaku bayashi including the following:

Hogaku (Hougaku) Kotsuzumikotsuzumi
Hogaku Otsuzumiōtsuzumi
Hogaku Taikotaiko
Noh-kannoh-kan
Shinobueshinobue
Hogaku Odaikoōdaiko
Gonggong