May 19, 2009
Taiko Videos from Around the 'Net
Continuing the filling of space until the travels begin, I thought that I’d share some videos that I’ve come across on some of the video-sharing sites that are out there.
Taiko Channel (太鼓ちゃんねる)
Produced by the Japan Taiko Association, this 15 minute show airs weekly on Sundays on BS11. It was preceded by a show called Taiko-chan ga Iku!! (たいこちゃんが行く！！ – “Taiko-chan will go!!”), which aired on a local network in Saitama. Typically, a brief clip about a local group or performer is featured, followed by a brief lesson. It’s not much, but still the fact that there’s a weekly show about taiko is great.
Every episode of both programs are available on DailyMotion. It’s also available on YouTube, but they divide each episode into two parts for upload there (due to YouTube length limits, probably).
Taiko videos from YouTube
Of course, there are too many taiko-related videos on YouTube to name, but I thought I’d point out a few noteworthy ones:
A user by the name of irohanihoteton has posted a bunch of videos (34 in all) taken at the Kokura Gion Festival (小倉祇園祭) from Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, which heavily features drums. I’m quite interested in local drumming traditions across Japan, particularly since they’ve inspired pieces like Yatai-bayashi and Miyake that have been popularized by groups like Kodo and Ondekoza (thus having a huge impact on what people across the world think of as “taiko”). You can imagine my excitement, then, when I found these videos.
The user has also posted a bunch of other videos from various festivals as well.
Mifune Toshiro in “The Rickshaw Man” (Muhomatsu no issho 無法松の一生 )
The great Mifune plays taiko in a 1958 movie. This was supposed to have taken place at the Kokura GIon Festival. The movie is said to have been a big influence on the founder of Ondekoza, among others.
—-
Of course, there’s a wealth of taiko-related videos out there – these are just some that I’ve found that I wanted to share with you all.
The Road Goes Ever On and On... 