Taiko

Taiko were barrel-shaped drums. Way of the Crane, p. 63 Useful, by Nancy Sauer They were a military improvement introduced by the Kami Akodo himself. The drummers created a tempo that made easier for a unit to march in unison. Way of the Lion, pp. 98-99
Ikoma Otemi learned taiko before his gempukku. Island in the Mist, Part III, by Rich Wulf
== Types ==
Taiko had head membranes that were stretched extremely taut, resulting in sharp high-pitched drumming sounds. Shako was a small hand-held drum, and odaiko was a massive drum with a diameter up to twice the height of a man. Book of Air, p. 117 In traditional court music a huge laced-head drum known as dadaiko was played. A tsuridaiko was a drum where the head was nailed directly to the body of the drum. The Rokugani also played a laced-head drum called ninaidaiko, carried during processions on a large pole. Game Master's Guide; 2nd Ed, p. 71
== Festivals ==
Taiko were often played during the Bon Festival, with people dancing in large circles. During the rice-planting festival a smaller taiko was hung around the drummer's neck, to accompany dancers to the field where the seeds were planted. Often, the boundaries of a village were determined by the headman as the farthest point to which the taiko could be heard. 
Category:Rokugani Language
Category:Musical Instruments