Taiko Masters

"Taiko got a boost in the 1970's when the Japanese Government authorized funds to help preserve the intangible cultural assets that were slowly vanishing in the post-war era."
Source: Taiko overview, history.


Taiko is the Japanese word for drum, though in my experience, English-speakers have used the phrase "taiko drumming" to refer to the activity pictured above. The International Beer Summit was held in Umeda this past weekend, featuring various multicultural samples of beer, food, and music/dance. The taiko were used to represent Japanese culture, just as the bagpipes were used to represent Scotland and smiling women in sequined dresses were used to represent Thailand.
Taiko is a significant part of Japanese history, used in battle and religious ceremonies, but--as the website says--its use changed and became more popular in "modern" (post-WWII) Japan. The taiko performance at the Beer Summit seemed as though it was meant to showcase traditional Japan, however.



This may be a more obvious image of "modern" Japan, however. At major arcades anywhere in Japan, Taiko Drum Master is a favorite. The idea is that the player "reads" the music onscreen and hits the taiko accordingly. The song options available range from the Mario Brothers theme song to karaoke hit "Linda Linda". The video game acts as though it is reconciling the traditional and contemporary sides of Japanese culture. Are the intangible cultural assets of Japan truly vanishing? Is the presence of taiko at beer summits and arcades evidence for or against that idea?
I say it is effective, because a large part of many cultures involves proving that the past is still important.