A List
9/25/06

JAPANESE 'STORM DRUMS' ENSEMBLE PERFORMING AT ST. LAWRENCE

CANTON - The Arashi Daiko ensemble of Montreal will present a taiko ("storm drums") performance at St. Lawrence University on Friday, October 6, at 8 p.m. in Gulick Theater, in conjunction with the New York Conference of Asian Studies being held at the University October 6 though 8. The performance is open to the public, free of charge.

Originating thousands of years ago in China and Korea, the taiko made its way across the Sea of Japan where it soon became linked to the lives of people in the farming and fishing communities of rural Japan. The taiko signaled the onset of war and was used to implore the gods for a plentiful harvest. It found an important role in gagaku, or court music, and taiko also became a significant part of Buddhist and Shinto ceremonies, often resonating as the voice of Buddha.

Today, the sound of the taiko permeates all of Japan. During matsuri, or festival time, streets are filled with huge crowds carrying the festive omikoshi, or portable shrines, to the thunderous pulse of the great drums. There are thousands of taiko groups in Japan. Arashi Daiko has been in Montreal since 1983, with the mission to be a community-based group sharing this exciting aspect of Japanese culture with the public at large.

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More information: Asian Studies at St. Lawrence