Hayashi
As a small ensemble typically consisting of a flutist and three drummers, the hayashi is the main source of music for Japanese festivals. The term refers to both the musical accompaniment and the ensemble itself. The flute is a simple bamboo pipe with six or seven holes. The o-daiko, large drum, has a convex wooden body and two tacked heads and may be set on a crate or tipped with one head toward the player who strikes it with two blunt sticks. The smaller taiko drums consist of two heads lashed together with rope and tightened by a second encircling rope, through which a stick is inserted to tip the drum toward the player. A fourth addition is the voice of the drummers used instrumentally at a rhythmical highpoint. An occasional fifth component is a small brass gong, atari-gane, suspended or held in the hand. The music tends to be casual and somewhat repetitive, and its primary function is to spur on folk dances.
In Noh accompaniment, the hayashi ensemble consists of one flute and two or three drums—taiko, kotsuzumi, or o-tsuzumi—the latter two of which have two heads lashed together and resemble an hourglass. In Kabuki, a similar ensemble performs onstage together with singers and shamisen players, while another group provides additional music backstage.
Further Reading
Harich-Schneider, Eta. (1973) A History of Japanese Music. London: Oxford University Press.
Malm, William P. (1959) Japanese Music and Musical Instruments. Rutland, VT: Tuttle.
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