Taiko master Eitetsu Hayashi is celebrating his 25th anniversary as a solo artist this year. The Hiroshima native started his drumming career 36 years ago. He was an early member of the taiko group Sado-Ondekoza, which was also known for its adherence to a strict communal lifestyle.
© The Japan Foundation, Sydney 2005
Sado-Ondekoza created a new style of taiko drumming which was dynamic and demanding (technically and physically). Previously, taiko was more of a background instrument used in noh drama and kabuki theater. In the current 2007 Autumn Issue of Kateigaho International Edition (KIE), Hayashi-san said in an interview:
“From the beginning, we weren’t really into following traditional taiko practices. To be honest, the first time we learned traditional taiko on Sado (Island), we felt it was actually quite boring. With the lack of climax in the performance, it was just background sounds. So, first, we needed to create our own music and change the setup to make the taiko more prominent.”
He also spoke about the training necessary for this new style of taiko drumming…especially if they wanted it to be successful overseas:
“We needed the impact of a heavy metal rock band, the kind that whips a crowd into a frenzy for 2 to 3 hours at a time. That’s why we ended up doing marathon training (on Sado): getting up at 4am every day to run a half marathon and then studying drums in the evening.”
Indeed, in 1975, the group performed right after they completed running the Boston Marathon.
In 1981, he and several other members of Sado-Ondekoza left the group to form Kodo. A year later, Hayashi-san started his solo career. This allowed him the freedom to experiment and work in different genres of music. He has performed in Classical Music (with the Boston Symphony and the Berlin Philharmonic), World Music (with Djembe percussionist Mamady Keita), and Jazz (with avant-garde pianist Yosuke Yamashita and the more mainstream Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra).
In addition, Hayashi-san does have an anime connection. He was a composer for the 1985 movie Kamui no Ken (Dagger of Kamui) and the 2004 TV series Samurai 7. He was also the seiyuu for Shinban no Kikuasa in Kamui no Ken.
Even with this busy schedule, Hayashi-san still has time to hold workshops around the world. In the KIE interview, he talked about one visit to a school in Ohio (he was an artist-in-residence in Ohio for 2 years) which made an impression on him:
“The most disadvantaged kids were the most excited about my lessons. You don’t need logic to understand and enjoy the sound of taiko; it doesn’t matter how smart or educated you are. The sound is something that everybody feels at home with; it’s a universal sound that touches everyone’s heart.”
Hayashi-san will be performing in two concerts in December marking his solo career’s 25th Anniversary:
- December 8, 2007 at 4pm
Hyogo Performing Arts Center, Nishinomiya
Century Orchestra Osaka
- December 14, 2007 at 7pm
Suntory Hall, Tokyo
Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
Both venues feature:
- Chikara Iwamura (conductor)
- Takaaki Kondo (timpani)
- Ryuta Suzuki (organ)
- Eitetsu Fuun-no-Kai (Hayashi-san’s current professional ensemble)
For more information, you can visit Hayashi-san’s website (Japanese and English).
KIE interview excerpts are from the 2007 Autumn Issue, Vol. 17 (pp. 116 - 117).