YAMATO, the drummers of Japan
World Tour 2009 – 2010
Matsuri – Fiesta!
The Drum at the Centre of the Gathering
Festivals and Drums
The word Matsuri (“traditional Japanese festival”) comes from Matsuru, which means “praying to the higher spirits”. The ritual of the festival — from giving thanks for a bountiful harvest to praying for good health and peace — were called Matsuri. And at the heart of every Matsuri gathering, you would always find the traditional Japanese drum, the Wadaiko.
The Wadaiko is a primitive instrument made of animal skin and ancient trees (some several hundred years old). An instrument created entirely from once-living creatures. Which is why its presence is more commanding than other instruments. Above all, its sound: how loud and deep a sound this hollow tree and cattle skin can make, thanks to the hands of a skilled craftsman! An ancient tree, deep in the forest, is reborn as a Wadaiko, several hundred years after its birth. A drummer strikes the hide with a long, heavy stick called Bachi. The drum thunders. Tree and hide vibrate together. Immense sounds resonate throughout the space. The sound of Wadaiko enters your body—through your skin, not your ears.
When drum and drummer become one, the sound becomes Oto-dama, “the soul of sound”. Oto-dama — a sound made up of souls and their aspirations — defies language and roars up to the sky. As it descends, it envelops all people on the Earth. The world starts to vibrate gently, and everyone along with it. The sound of the drum unifies the people with the Universe — the place where sky and earth, spirit and human, everything and every creature exist.
