By: Allison Ballard
It was a handy coincidence that the hira daiko (meaning “flat drum”) we ordered online from the Taiko Center in Kyoto Japan was delivered the same day as our beginning taiko class. I had arrived early to prep for class and was told there was a large box in the office. A really large box. Stamped with Japanese characters. I could feel my whole body smile. It was a handy coincidence that two other performing taiko drummers happened to be in the studio at the time. I rounded them up and we ventured in to see the box. The really heavy box. We hunted down a cart and hauled it into the studio, box cutters in hand.
There are few things as exciting as carefully unveiling a taiko drum that was ordered online. The drum was indeed beautiful. And so was the stand. At least the un-assembled pieces were; we imagined the finished stand would be equally beautiful once it was put together. We looked through the box for instructions, but all we found was what appeared to be shipping information written in Japanese characters and a newspaper used for cushion, also written in Japanese characters–which made sense considering the box was from Japan. All the way from Japan! Pretty amazing!
We started piecing the stand together as beginning taiko students began arriving for class–just in time to share the excitement. Together, we assembled the stand. Together, we hoisted the drum. The bottom sat eye level and the top sat almost higher than our arms could reach fully extended. Our impulse was to start playing, but we hesitated. The drum seemed to be precariously positioned. We walked around, considering how to secure it until someone pulled a large screw hook out of the box.
“Hey, maybe that’s what this is for!” Sure enough, the drum had a ring and the stand had a hole just waiting for that very hook!
With the drum now secure, we walked around marveling at its size, at its beauty, at its journey. Finally, with great ceremony, we gathered sticks and played. One hit at a time. Reveling in the sound and reverberation. Both were big like the drum. The whole experience was big. It took us some time to find our way as we took turns improvising. We’ve continued taking time to claim our space in this new relationship with this powerful entity that holds such large capacity. Taiko drummers experience relationship with the drums they play. We give ourselves to the drum and the drum gives back in a sacred exchange of energy that keeps us coming back for more. Domo arigato!