David Shapshak
The first time I heard daiko (Japanese drums) was at a performance by a group of Kobe elementary school children performing their school’s songs. It sounded like a full-blown adult symphony, not a bunch of 12-year-olds taking turns at the drums because there weren’t enough to go around.
Such is the power of this form of drumming: enchantingly rhythmic and over-poweringly beautiful. Considered a means of staying in touch with nature and used in some religious ceremonies, daiko playing is more than just a musical performance. Performances are as inspirational visually as they are musically. The rolling thunder of the larger drums, pounded by strong-armed men, the springy tones of the smaller ones, the breathtaking symmetry of these percussion sounds combined is awesome.
It may seem like a strangely overt and passionate past-time for the seemingly disciplined and precise Japanese, but in its way daiko is perfectly Japanese.
The drums themselves are highly-crafted musical instruments, some weighing several hundred kilograms. They are imbued with great history – the present style of drum manufacture dates back 800 years – and range from smallish, tinny sounding ones through precisely pitched pieces of timber to the large drums. The drummers are highly skilled, training for numerous years, earning as much prestige as classical orchestras.
South Africans can hear and see the spectacle next week when the famed Fugaku-Taiko drum troupe perform here. Fugaku (meaning Mount Fuji) is one of Japan’s most renowned groups, performing over 100 concerts a year. Founded 20 years ago as a means of rehabilitative therapy for mentally and physically impaired patients, the group’s music, as the name implies, is inspired by the mythical and spiritual nature of the famous mountain near Tokyo.
The Fugaku-Taiko troupe will perform at the State Theatre in Pretoria on November 19 and the Nico Malan in Cape Town on November 21. Details from Carol Badenhorst at (012) 342- 2100