Yaruzo Taiko

We have hand-made practice drums for sale - our very own "Yaruzo Taiko", developed by Mugenkyo members during the lockdown months to enable our Dojo members to continue rehearsing at home. "Yaruzo" is Japanese slang for "I'm gonna do it!" or "Let's do it!" and reflects the "can do" attitude in developing these drums for our players, and the "Let's do it together" attitude of all our Dojo members devotedly and passionately continuing with their Taiko practice through the pandemic, lifting all of our spirits collectively.

"During the lockdown last year, Mugenkyo was hit hard by the pandemic and all of the players were unable to gather to play taiko together or perform. During this time, we did not want to give up this dream and wanted to stay connected with the spirit and joy of playing taiko even when we were apart. So, we started to build drums to play in our own homes. We then started to build more drums so that our students were also able to play together with us during our online classes. Building taiko drums has given us a new motivation during this pandemic and it has been a learning curve. Instead of letting this lockdown stop you from doing what you love most, just do it! Anything is possible."

- Stella & Edina, Members of Mugenkyo & developers of "Yaruzo Taiko"

The drums are made from plastic barrels and canvas skins, and are quieter than cowhide taiko drums, so they're ideal for home practice. We have a range of drums: wee shime drums, silent katsugi drums, small barrel drum and large barrel drum, with the large barrel drum being the best choice for most types of taiko practice at home. Prices range from £40 - £140, with special prices for those signing up for the Virtual Dojo. The cost covers materials, labour, and a small percentage towards the Dojo maintenance fund, to help towards securing our Dojo base for the future.

All these drums are hand-made by Mugenkyo performers Stella and Edina with great care and love, from cutting materials, to punching eyelets, to hand-stitching the skins, to building wooden stands from scratch. All the art work has been painted by Stella and the katsugi straps are embroidered by Edina. You can choose to have the main Mugen Taiko Logo - the circular calligraphy that represents a taiko drum, painted for us by the Oshosan monk at the Daianzenji Buddhist temple in Fukui - or you can ask to customise the art work with something you want or with your group's logo for a small additional cost.

Contact us on info (at) taiko.co.uk to find out more.

 

Large Barrel Drum

The barrel drums are ideal for home practice, the skins are quieter than normal cowhide skins, but still have a good bounce. They are made with plastic barrel bodies and canvas skins. The drums can be played "fuse daiko", on a stand playing standing up, or carried as "katsugi drums".

 

Small Barrel Drum

These drums are similar in construction to the larger version above, but are more compact.

 

Shime Tin Drum

These are very small shime drums where the body is metal rather than plastic. They can be played with small thin bachi that are included. These are mainly for "tapping out" quieter faster rhythms, or for decoration or for kids.

 

Silent Katsugi Drum

Being a drummer doesn't make you the most popular neighbour, especially when everyone is working from home these days! This drum enables you to practice katsugi quietly. These drums are made from mdf wood and a tube. The "skins" are made with foam and practice pads.

 

 

Custom painted drums & Embroidered Katsugi strap

Customised designs are hand-painted by Stella and Katsugi straps are sewn by Edina & embroidered with the "Tomoe" symbol.