The 12th Nippon Taiko Junior Contest is set to take place on 21 March (Sun) in Omiya, Saitama, at Sonic City Hall. The doors open at 10:30 AM and the contest starts at 11 AM. The event is sponsored by the Nippon Taiko Foundation, and supported by The Nippon Foundation.

This nation-wide competition takes place annually and the purpose is to encourage the healthy growth of young people, and to foster the next generation of Taiko players.

Junior performers under the age of 18 are selected from contests at the prefectural level and then perform at this final competition. The result is based on their technical abilities as well as their achievement in the mastery of this exciting musical discipline.

Taiko Youth Groups Set To Compete For National Championship

According to the Nippon Taiko Foundation, Taiko, the Japanese drum, has been found among relics from the Yayoi period, which was 2000 years ago. Throughout its history, Taiko has played an important role as a musical instrument. Recently, in addition to its role as a traditional instrument, new musical scores have been composed and Taiko has established itself as a unique music genre.

Photo: Nippon Taiko Federation

In 1979, Taiko players throughout Japan decided to create a federation to promote Taiko and to foster friendship among Taiko players scattered all over the country. The result was the establishment of the Nippon Taiko Federation. In November 1997, the Nippon Taiko Foundation was officially established, replacing the original Nippon Taiko Federation.

The Nippon Taiko Festival is held every year at different locations throughout Japan with the purpose to introduce Taiko to the general public, and to foster friendship among Taiko groups. The Taiko performers come from many regions of Japan to present performances reflecting their regional uniqueness.

Since its establishment, the Nippon Taiko Federation and Foundation has pursued various activities with the purpose of promoting and preserving Taiko traditions.

The Foundation says the result is a growing recognition and development in local communities to preserve and to promote their traditional Taiko cultural assets. Thus, Taiko has been attracting and expanding its fan base and people interested learning this musical expression.

The number of Taiko groups has increased throughout Japan partly due to the Japanese government's subsidies to encourage the revitalization of small regional communities.

The Taiko beat is thought to enhance good rhythm in everyday living. It is also said to improve both body and mind. Taiko's strong emphasis on the importance of courtesy and team work is also drawing attention to Taiko's role as an important educational instrument.

The Taiko practitioners range from pre-kindergartners to senior citizens. More recently, there has been an increasing number of women’s Taiko groups. It is also important to note the growth of Taiko groups with mentally and/or physically handicapped people. Such new developments are indicative of the popularity and wide acceptance of Taiko in Japan.

Taiko also has an enthusiastic international following with study and performance groups in Europe and North America. Taiko concerts abroad have not only been instrumental in introducing Japanese traditional culture, but have also acted as an instrument to convey heart to heart the spirit of Japan, says the Federation.

The Nippon Taiko Foundation is making strong efforts to further promote Japanese traditional Taiko culture both domestically and internationally. These developments are made possible by generous support from The Nippon Foundation.