Hotta Shingoro Shoten is a long-standing taiko builder in Tsushima, Aichi. They have produced over 900 years, surprisingly. Exactly, they are a teacher of our history about something spiritual.
First, we must mention about how many years we've come with taiko. It's said taiko were already with us in the Jomon period. Unclear is it, however, because nobody's checked with a time machine. A burial mound figurine playing taiko was found at a tumulus in Gunma, which proves taiko were already existing in the Kofun period. Taiko have been our dear friend for a long time.
Next, we are introducing what taiko have acted as. In the Jomon era, they say taiko were a means of communication. Today, we almost see them when concerned with religion or religious purposes like a local festival. You can see them play taiko at the kagura (sacred music and dance) of Shinto. Of course, they do in a part of Buddhism as the Nichiren and Shingon school.
Miya Taiko by Hotta Shingoro Shoten
(C) Hotta Shingoro Shoten
Hotta Shingoro Shoten's taiko are used at many shrines like Ise Grand Shrine. It means their ones have been with something spiritual and religious in Japan. Their tradition's tightly connected with our spiritual history, isn't it?