Wadaiko

Music is an inherent part of most any culture in existence and the Japanese culture is not exempt from this. One of the significant aspects of Japanese music is their unique art of drumming, called wadaiko or traditional Japanese drumming in English. Wadaiko makes use of traditional drums called taiko. In some cases, wadaiko is also used to refer to the drums themselves.

Though largely considered Japanese today, the origins of wadaiko can actually be traced back to China. These large drums were carried over about 1000 years ago. The original drums from China were made of wooden slats. The innovative Japanese noticed the inferior sound resulting from the wooden slats so they worked on a new way to produce the wooden frame. Instead of using wooden slats which were joined together, the new waidako was made from a single piece of wood.

Japanese drumming was used early on in relation to martial arts activities. Today, however, wadaiko ensembles are well known in many parts of the world for leisure purposes. Daihachi Oguchi is considered to be the father of modern taiko and the popularity of taiko performances has been attributed to him. Since then, there have been many individuals and groups who have emerged to introduce taiko performances to the rest of the world.

Today, taiko performances have evolved to include flashy choreography. The music itself has also evolved to incorporate modern music elements such as pop. If you want to find out more about wadaiko by experiencing a performance live, try to check out your local Japanese embassy or cultural office. The chances are that there will be at least one event showcasing wadaiko.

Posted April 18th, 2008 by Maki | Comment (0)

Sakuran

Sakuran, a film by renowned photographer, Mika Ninagawa, made waves in Japan. Sakuran revolves around the lives of women called oiran.

The oiran were women that existed during the Edo era. The oiran lived in self-contained “Pleasure Quarters” and like geishas were required to be well-versed with the arts of dance, music, poetry and calligraphy, and conversation. However, unlike geishas, the oiran were prostitutes, although they were considered to be elite prostitutes. Also unlike the movie, Memoirs of a Geisha, the movie about the oiran had a good reception Japan.

This could have been due to the more unsentimental approach of the film wherein the main character, a tayu (one of the highest ranking courtesans), had no silly day dreams of a prince in a shining armor but only wished to escape her life. It showed a far stronger breed of women, which is something modern women can relate to more easily.

Posted May 4th, 2007 by geisha | Comments Off

Japan’s Geishas - Living Art

Geishas are the subject of much speculation from any other world outside Japan. Despite their fame the western world and even other eastern cultures do not completely understand the mystique that surrounds geishas. According to Liza Dalby, an American anthropologist who did research on geishas, the misunderstandings are probably due to the fact that there is no comparable group to them in other societies and so people have no basis on which to compare them to. Geishas are often mistaken by people as some kind of elite prostitutes, which is definitely not the case. In fact the word geisha comes from gei, meaning art, and sha, meaning a person.

To be a geisha one has to be well-trained in the traditional manner, etiquette, and various arts. One will need to master not only the intricacies of wearing a kimono but seemingly mundane stuff such as how to greet customers properly, how to serve a meal, and how to make conversation. Geishas aim to entertain but are at the same time a living piece of art.

Posted April 22nd, 2007 by geisha | Comments Off