Thoughts on the Art of Taiko
Atsushi Hasebe

After doing two years of hoshi at Misono, I began to think of what direction I would take in a career and, for twenty days, prayed for guidance at Meishusama Hall. Suddenly, a vivid dream that I had in childhood came to me. I wanted to play taiko. At the time, the Shumei Taiko Ensemble was very small, only three players. I spoke with them and they accepted me as a new member.

At first, the practice and training were very difficult, as I didn't have much physical strength. There is a type of drum called a shime-daiko, which is tuned by stretching cords that cross its body very tightly until the drum makes a metallic sound. It is hard work and left me so exhausted that afterwards I felt as if I had just put in a full day of labor. Yet, right after tuning the shime-daiko our practice began! Our training was harsh. We hauled large drums through the cold winter snow. We took grueling runs with no other thought but to shorten our lap time.

I felt that all the energy that we devoted to training would be felt by the people who heard us play. At the time, I thought only of training my body and wondered how I could improve physically so that I would be able to inspire people spiritually. I believed that pushing the body to surpass its physical benchmarks was spiritual training as well, and that my body would work as hard as I wanted it too solely by force of will.

But during the last four or five years, my ideas have grown a bit. I have begun to understand that I could not make a good sound through physical training alone. I began to enjoy taiko more when I came in tune with playing while the tension of my physical strength was more relaxed. I think that playing this way makes the sound louder and clearer, even though there is less physical force involved. Also, my competitiveness with other players has ceased and my heart has gained a deeper understanding of my fellow taiko players. After joining the Ensemble, I found that there are occasional misunderstandings between members and some hardships but these hardships always have made us grow.

Today, I believe that when trying to do one's best to please God, one must be worthy. And to be worthy, one must neglect nothing in one's training or one's daily life. Our behavior in every aspect of our lives effects what we do on stage. Abundant attention to the way we live is very important. I feel that there is a spiritual basis for this. It is looking at taiko as a service to God. It has to do with a pure spirit. As we do our day-to-day training and practice together, this spirit connects us all.

My wish for our younger members is that they develop new points of view so that they can create something that has not existed before.

If I had not played taiko, I would not have gotten to know all the many people that I have met while being in the Ensemble. Meeting all these different people has taught me how to respect others. Taiko, played for the service of God, has made me who I am. And, the experiences I have gained from playing taiko are very precious.