Takeru Arakawa was born in Saitama, Japan, in 1969. He studied civil engineering at Nihon University. In 1992, he became a member of the Shumei Ensemble in which he plays the chu-daiko. He also is a skilled karate artist and an avid soccer fan.

"One day, while running I felt something weighing on my mind. I turned back a few meters and touched the earth, and there I found a small piece of gold. About five centimeters next to it was another and there was a third piece next to the second. The words of our elders flew swiftly through my head and the phrase 'a mound of constant efforts' came to mind."

Takeru Arakawa

 

For the full text of Takeru Akakawa’s thoughts on the art of taiko, click here.