History of Taiko- Music

The Japanese people’s belief is, that human beings can influence their gods by trampling and stomping with their feet, and by beating their drums in different rhythms.

The origin of Taiko drums is deeply rooted in the Shintoism, the traditional Japanese religion, called "The path of the Gods".

For approaching these gods, special rituals and ceremonies were used for every one of them.

The most important creation of "Mother Earth" and "Father Heaven", who also are affirmed to have created both the Japanese Islands and all other gods, is the goddess "Amaterasu Oomikami". She was ordered up to the firmament and called "The Goddess of the Sun".

From there, she sent her descendants down to earth, each one to another island. All these islands together later became the foundation of the "Japanese Empire".

This mythological aspect shows the essential role of the "Goddess of Sun" in the origin of both the Japanese empire and the imperial history. Based on this view, the goddess is appreciated and celebrated in numberless ceremonies.

In nearly any occasion, the Shinto-rituals are accompanied by the sound of drums.

The diameter of the biggest drum "Oo Daiko" is up to 1.80 meter, and it is used as a symbol for the sun. Those big drums are put on high pillars, much higher than the other drums.

Even in the Buddhist religion, which came to Japan in the year 594 a.d., drums play a big role.

Each temple has its own Taiko drums for accompanying the ceremonies and festivities with their music.music always was a kind of common peoples music, at aristocratic places it became popular much later.

The Taiko’s were used to call village inhabitants for getting together on conventions or meetings. The size of a village that time was as large as the area where people could hear the sound of the drums.

In Europe and United States the popularity of Taiko has 5 increased since the beginning of the 70^th. The reason for this popularity was both the sound and the expressiveness of Taiko drums.

Other flavours of traditional Japanese music, such as Koto and even Nou, which is used as background music in the theatres as well as during a Kabuki performance, has been well known and appreciated outside Japan for a long time already.

In the old traditional Japanese way, the Wadaiko music always was played behind a curtain.

The different types of Taiko, as for example Shime-daiko, the small drum, was only used as background music for folk-songs, while the Dou-daiko, the bigger one, was played during religious ceremonies.

The style of these performances, where the Wadaiko is played on the stage and in front of the curtain is as new as the fact that all different Taikos play together.

Presumably because of foreign influence, this form of concerts has been developed and bears a semblance to European "Drum-Concerts".

While the traditional rhythm of Wadaiko easily can be expressed as: Don, Doko Don,
 the repertoire of for example KODO, ONDEKO and the group NANKE SATAKE DAIKO contains many more different sounds, which can’t be expressed by DON, DOKO, DON only.

In the 56^th year of "Showa Aera", the year 1981, the group Nanke Satake Daiko  in Yuzawa, Akita Ken was founded.

The group contains 15 members.

The sponsor and benefactor is the "Kaishu".

The head of Satake Daiko is the "Kaitou". His name is Mr. Daijirou Takahashi.

The musician leader is Mr. Eisuke Shibata.

Lord Satake Yosihiro, the 21^st Lord of the "Satake Nank" family assigned the name "Yuzawa Nanke Satake Daiko" to the group at its establishment.

Nanke Satake Daiko, when founded, put its focus on traditional songs from Yuzawa, as for example Yuzawa Gionbayashi, to hand them over to their descendants as well as to make the already well known songs more popular and liked by the audience.

The Taiko music in the Yuzawa area has been influenced by music from Kyoto. Approximately 300 years ago, this form of music was brought to Yuzawa because Lord Satake’s wife was longing home for Kyoto`

All pieces of music, chosen from Yuzawa-Gionbayashi, Akita folksongs, Sousaku-daiko, Niagari and Kenbayashi are traditional songs, which have been composed and played already 300 years ago.

The composers are unknown.

Niagari and Kenbayashi are usually very slow in their performance and rhythm,
The very typical combination of "Shino-bue", the flute, and the drums can be found in the composition called Kenbayashi, where the drums carefully repeat the rhythm of the flute.

The part of flute music was composed and added by the group of Satake Daiko.

Originally this composition as well as the other songs was composed for drums only.

Katsen is an original Satake Daiko composition, written 15 years ago by Mr. Sasaki Koichi, who was a member of Nanke Satake Daiko. Two years later, Mr. Eisuke Shibata revised this composition.

Tojou was composed by the members Sasaki Koichi, arrenged by Eisuke Shibata.
Ueshima Miyuki and Nao Obara in 1998.

Natsu "A summer song" and also
Akiba-san- "To the mountain Akiba" are Satake Daiko Originals. Mr. Eisuke Shibata composed the latter.

Aki "Autumn" again is an original, composed in the year 2000 by the Satake Saiko group - Mr. Sasaki, Mr. Shibata, Miss. Obara and Miss. Ueshima.

It contents a very special harmony of flutes and drums.

Nanke Satake Daiko’s music can be compareed with their religion - powerful, intensive, sensitive and very traditional.

Their music with its combination of flutes and drums is unique in this form and it is able to bring the sound of the drums into the hearts and bodies of the audiences and spectators.

One has to "see" this music, to be able to assimilate it.

In all their concerts, performed at many Japanese festivals and already several times in Germany, Satake Daiko is able to express their feelings with help of their music, and to fascinate people listening to them.

It is impossible, to resist their charisma--the only possibility is, to accept the effect of their music. 

In June 2001, based on an invitation by "Deutsch-Japanische Gesellschaft Siegburg e.V."
Nanke Satake Daiko visited Siegburg the third time.
During their performances in Siegburg and surroundings in 1996, 1999 and 2001, their music became very popular.

Nanke Satake Daiko as well as the "Deutsch-Japanische Gesellschaft Siegburg" hopes, these visits and impressive concerts will be repeated.
The concert-CDs are in preparation and will be announced as soon as possible by DJG Siegburg.