The Music of Taiko - St.Louis Osuwa Taiko

The Music of St. Louis Osuwa Taiko

Our group performs many different pieces. Our original repertoire is three pieces from the original kid's group (Hiryuu San-dan Gaeshi, Isami, and Suwa-ko). We expanded to some more basic pieces such as Hanabi and Matsuri when Joe Kimura reformed the group in 1996.

Things started to get interesting in 1998 when Joe wrote Tenchi, our group's first original piece. Since then we have expanded to new originals like Drive and Tsurugi no Mai. We are now trying new things, such as adding dance, singing, and other instrumentation (such as dijeridoo) to our performances.

If you have any questions, suggestions, feedback, or gushing praise, feel free to contact us or leave a note in our dreambook. (Especially if it's the gushing praise one.)

Ashura Drive Hachijou Hanabi Hiryuu San-dan Gaeshi Isami Goma JuugoYa Kaifuu Kokoro no Koe Matsuri Taiko Miyake Omiyage Ororo Pinne Otemo-yan Rhythm Sandwich Sumo in St. Louis Suwa-Ko Taniec Chasydzki Tenchi Tobihi Tsurugi no Mai Yose Bayashi

Ashura Mas Kodani of Kinnara Taiko		Ashura was ogre God in Indian mythology. The word "Ashura" is derived from the Sanskrit word "asura," which means "God of the Flame." Ashura liked fighting, anger, and a battle, and lived in the bottom of the sea and under the ground. It had three faces, six arms, and a black-and-blue or red body. After Ashura was taken into Buddhism, it was added to the eight kinds of God who keep the teachings of Buddha, and it became the guardian deity of Buddhism. In Japan, it the mythology has been around since the Tenpyo period (710-784).

Drive Michele Tang		.Drive. was written by St. Louis Osuwa Taiko.s own Michelle Tang in 2001. The fast rhythm and repeated pointing motions signify the drive to stay ahead and achieve. Listen

Hachijou Ondekoza		The story of .Hana-Hachijou. is the story of a samurai banished from the Honshu (the main island of Japan) to the Hachijou islands. Until the end of his days, he beat .Hana-Hachijou. on the shores of the island so the people on the mainland could hear him and know he was still there. The version of Hachijou that St. Louis Osuwa Taiko plays was composed in 1986 by Ondekoza, sometimes called .the demon drummers of Japan.. St. Louis Osuwa taiko plays a slightly modified version, including playing Miyake-style; a very low drumming style which requires great power, concentration, and flexibility.

Hanabi Hiroshi Tanaka		.Hanabi. was the first piece written by Hiroshi Tanaka who until recently played with Kenny Endo in Hawaii. .Hanabi. means .fireworks,. and you can feel the fireworks bursting overhead in the festive rhythm and sweeping motions.

Hiryuu San-dan Gaeshi arranged by Osuwa Taiko		.Hiryuu San-dan Gaeshi. means .dragon gods descending to Earth three times.. The main body is played three times; each repetition calls upon the dragon gods to come to earth to bless mankind with peace, prosperity, and good fortune, respectively. This piece was arranged by Daigachi Oguchi, taiko master of the Osuwa Grand Shrine, who took it from an excerpt from one of the shrine's norito, or ancient prayers. The introduction was written by Grandmaster Oguchi and arranged for St. Louis Osuwa Taiko.

Isami Goma Osuwa Taiko		.Isami Goma. means .running horses.. Another Osuwa Taiko original, Isami Goma captures the feeling of horses galloping across the plain. This is another piece adapted from the shrine.s norito.

JuugoYa Andrew Thalheimer		The JuugoYa is the harvest festival of the "fifteenth moon." This piece was named after the festival because it has the number "fifteen" in it. In reality, this piece was written to blend some different styles of music and dance with taiko: from European folk music to tango. Any relation to harvests is purely coincidental.

Kaifuu Andrew Thalheimer		.Kaifuu. means .ocean wind.. It was named that because it sounded like a very Japanese thing to name a wadaiko piece. Kaifuu is still a work in progress, and the group has added additional instrumentation and motions recently. As the piece progresses, Kaifuu itself represents ocean waves in various states of calm and excitement, stirred by the wind. This is conveyed by the strong but steady rhythm and the wave-like motions, arranged tirelessly by Andrew and the rest of the group. Listen

Kokoro no Koe Jaclynn Lett		'Kokoro no Koe', translated into English, means 'voice of the heart'. This song is about reflecting upon the accomplishments, disappointments and aspirations in our lives. Although this is a calm and quiet process, there is also the pressure of time impelling us to make the decisions that affect our future. Listen

Matsuri Taiko Seiichi Tanaka		Masturi Taiko, or .Festival Drumming,. draws its main rhythm from a traditional pack-driver's folksong, Kage Bushi, often sung at festivals in Japan. Matsuri Taiko features individual players performing improvisational solos. The main body of Matsuri was written by Seiichi Tanaka of San Francisco Taiko Dojo and arranged (and re-arranged!) by St. Louis Osuwa Taiko.

Miyake traditional		On Mikaye-jima, one of the seven volcanic islands of Izu south of Tokyo, there is a festival centered on a unique style of drumming indigenous to the island. During this festival, drummers carry a single chuudaiko (middle drums) from home to home to play for the local villagers, ending up at the shrine where they play a finale in the evening. Historically an island of fishing people, several versions of the basic rhythm patterns are carried on in the villages of Miyake. This version of the Miyake song features a low, wide stance and energetic, large movements reminiscent of the stance and motions of the fishermen of long ago.

Omiyage Shoji Kameda		Omiyage was composed by the incredibly talented taiko artist Shoji Kameda as a gift to taiko groups around the world. .Omiyage. means .souvenir;. it was composed specifically to be taught and passed on to any taiko group who wants to learn it . not only by Shoji but by anyone who knows any version of it. The song.s focus is everything that.s fun and unique to the art of wadaiko.

Ororo Pinne Ainu folk song		This mournful song is a story of a deer being pursued through the woods by a hunter. It is sung in the language of the Ainu . the indigenous people of Japan. The song was taught to our group by Kodo.

Otemo-yan folk song		This is a typical folk song of Kumamoto. There are several opinions about the origin of this song: a love song sung by farmers, an improvisation sung by geisha in Nihongi (a past amusement area in Kumamoto), etc. The scene of the song is the pumpkin fields (bobura) of Kasuga. (Today it is the site of Kumamoto Station.) The features of this song are the Kumamoto dialect and the heroine of this song, who is a typical Hinokuni-Onna (woman of Kumamoto), 'Otemo.' It is a very cheerful song. At 'Otemoyan So-Odori' which is the main event of Hinokuni Festival, everybody dances to the melody of this song. More information can be found here.

Rhythm Sandwich Andrew Thalheimer		The name of this piece puns on .san to ichi,. or .three and one,. which sounds like the Japanese word for sandwich (sandoichi). Since it was never finished, we usually play this one in conjunction with other pieces. It is influenced by the fast syncopation of big-band swing.

Sumo in St. Louis Andrew Thalheimer		Our group briefly studied the traditional taiko intro to a Sumo match when the Botanical Gardens brought two Sumo wrestlers to St. Louis in 2005. The seemingly arrhythmic style inspired the beginnings of this piece, whose changing rhythm grows out of the arrhythmic introduction.

Suwa-Ko Osuwa Taiko		This piece is composed for the fue, or Japanese flute. It describes a day on Suwa-ko, or Lake Suwa between Suwa City and Okaya in Nagano, Japan. St. Louis Osuwa Daiko has slowed the piece down for a peaceful, haunting rendition. The accompanying dance was written by our former director, Wendy Whiteside. We have received additional training from our own expert local dancer, Tomiko Carter.

Taniec Chasydzki Polish/Jewish folk song (as played by Kapela Ze Wsi Warszawa)		We thought this piece, with its violin and cello parts, would be a great way to move our taiko in a new direction. The description of the piece from Kapela follows: This traditional dance is a classic example of the syncretism between Polish and Jewish cultures, which over centuries has managed to create unusual harmony. Music for many nationalities fulfils a useful function as an everyday form of ecstasy and meditation. Both Chassidim and Sufi, as well as Dervish, which are known for their practices of very energetic dancing, celebrate the Creator in song, music, and dance, achieving pure thoughtless awareness.

Tenchi Joe Kimura		.Tenchi. . meaning .heaven and earth. . was composed by Joe Kimura, who was responsible for revitalizing St. Louis Osuwa Taiko in 1996 and leading it from 1996 to 2000. Tenchi, originally inspired by the fast rhythms in San Jose Taiko.s piece \.Free Spirit,\. features drummers playing high pitched shimedaiko and low pitched chuudaiko, thus inspiring the name. This piece features fast hands, precise motions, and improvisational solos; it is one of the group.s favorite pieces. Listen

Tobihi Joe Kimura and Hiroshi Tanaka		.Tobihi. means .leaping fire.. It was composed as a fast, fiery wrapper around powerful solos for two players on the oodaiko, or large taiko. The ending played by St. Louis Osuwa Taiko was rewritten by Joe Kimura in 1998. Note how the fire of this piece leaps from one side of the drum to the other!

Tsurugi no Mai Robin Yang		Tsurugi No Mai depicts a dance or duel between swordsmen. Robin Yang drew her inspiration from her brief exploration of Wu Shu and daydreams conjured from the occasional martial arts film. Listen

Yose Bayashi Dengakuza		This is a bayashi or folk-style song. It was taught to us by Keiji Uesugi of Yoki Daiko at a collegiate taiko invitational. This is a piece written mostly for fue, the Japanese flute, although it also has kakegoe and other fun elements. We weren't taught any movements, so we change them frequently to suit our needs. Listen for this from the dashi at the annual Japanese Festival!