Taiko

The word taiko (太鼓) means simply "big drum" in Japanese. Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming (sometimes called more specifically, "kumi-daiko").

Types of taiko

The nagado-daiko (long-body taiko) consists of two cow-skin heads stretched over a single-piece wooden body and tacked to high tension. The heads of the tsukeshime-daiko (often shortened to simply, "shime-daiko") are stretched over iron rings and sandwich a smaller body. The tsukeshime-daiko's rope is pulled tight before each use. Other Japanese taiko include the okedo-daiko, uchiwa-daiko, hira-daiko, o-daiko, and a host of percussion instruments used in Japan's traditional noh, gagaku, and kabuki ensembles.

See also: Musical instruments, Music of Japan

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Taiko no Tatsujin is a Japanese drumming game for the PlayStation 2

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The unrelated word Taikō (太閤) is a title given to a retired Sessho and Kampaku regent in Japan. In a narrow sense, taikō would refer to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a more common usage.