They've been a part of Japan's soundscape for 1400 years and at the Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival tomorrow, the percussive beat of the taiko drum will resonate once more.
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Toshi Sakamoto is a wadaiko drummer based in Melbourne and formed Wadaiko Rindo in Australia in 1996.
He said the six-member strong group will play the original, energetic taiko pieces of Hayate, Arata and Getap, and also host a taiko workshop for the audience.
"Originally monks or Shinto priests used to play taiko at the religious ceremonies and traditional events at the Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples," Mr Sakamoto said.
"[They also played] taiko at their local village festivals to pray gods. Nowadays taiko performance is getting popular. There are more than 3000 taiko clubs in Japan."