Kodo (taiko group)
| Kodō | |
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Logo for Kodō
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sado Island, Japan |
| Genres | Taiko |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | Red Ink |
| Website | www |
Kodō (鼓童?) is a professional taiko drumming troupe. Based on Sado Island, Japan, they have had a role in popularizing taiko drumming, both in Japan and abroad. They regularly tour Japan, Europe, and the United States. In Japanese the word "Kodo" conveys two meanings: "heartbeat" the primal source of all rhythm and, read in a different way, the word can mean "children of the drum".
Although taiko are the primary instrument in their performances, other traditional Japanese musical instruments such as fue and shamisen make an appearance on stage as do traditional dance and vocal performance. Kodo's repertoire include pieces based on the traditional rhythms of regional Japan, pieces composed for Kodo by contemporary songwriters, and pieces written by Kodo members themselves. Since their debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981, Kodo has had almost 4,000 performances, spending about a third of the year overseas, a third touring in Japan and a third resting and preparing new material on Sado Island.
Kodo was formed in 1981 and made their debut at the Berliner Philharmonie in the same year. Kodo is sometimes considered to be simply renamed from the taiko group Ondekoza organized in 1971. Indeed, Kodo was formed out of the existing members of Ondekoza, but their leader, Den Tagayasu left the group before the transition and lead performer Eitetsu Hayashi left quickly thereafter. Tagayasu continued to use the name Ondekoza for his new group, and required the group to choose a new name. Hayashi, who departed from the group soon after its founding to begin a solo career, suggested the name "Kodo". Hayashi created the name based on the dual meaning of the word; the first, "drum children," was based on feedback from mothers that their music lulled their children to sleep. The second meaning, "heartbeat" originated from comparing the sound of taiko drums to the sound of a mother's heartbeat on her child in the womb.
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