"TAIKO KAN"

Catherine Megumi Ochi

Pages 51-55 from CIMCIM Newsletter No. XIV, 1989

The original printed version of this Newsletter contains illustrations material which it is not intended to add to the website. Please consult a printed copy to see the illustrations.

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Preface

Initially, the primary consideration in planning an exhibition is location and the expectations of the public. Firstly, the exhibition must be suited to the area in which it is to be held and the demands of the people who live there. Secondly, it is essential to anticipate the type of people who will visit the exhibition, and also the kind of people who you want to see what is being displayed.

Once the theme of the exhibition is set, once it has been developed to agree with the location and visitors, arrangement of the display can then be started. Layout of the display must be based on the above conditions.

Concerning the location of our Taiko Museum, this is in Asakusa, the traditional entertainment area of old Edo - the modern Tokyo. Here the flavour of "mukashi" has been preserved unchanged. Although such areas were looked down on, the Asakusa area has been preserved as one example of Tokyo's "shita-machi", the people of this area clinging to the old ways and traditions.

Recently, a new form of customer has been flocking to this area - the younger generation with its own special demands and expectations. These young people, in creating their own styles and fashions, in turn become the opinion leaders for others of their own generation. Now these people are turning more and more to our traditional Japanese folk culture. Aesthetically, these new customers are also showing deepening interest in the spiritual aspects of this culture, as can be seen in their enthisiasm for "Mandala Exhibitions" and "Yoga Centres". More important they not only have the desire to buy, but also have the money with which to do this.

As the younger generation is just starting to "discover" Asakusa, the area itself is now making every effort to utilise this opportunity. The display at our museum is to be an important part of this effort. It is to play a leading role in attracting these young people, for we feel that as part of the primary motivation, this display is to form one major element in promoting the Asakusa area.

Exhibition: Theme

The theme of our display - Taiko

It was for primitive man that the sounds produced by beating, striking and flicking had great appeal, this leading to the production of the very first musical instruments. This was the heart of simplicity - this is the heart of the Taiko. The exhibition is to be set out over our showroom, shop and production area in Asakusa. In this way it has the advantage of being connected with the daily businesss of drum manufacture and sales - something that we hope will be to the advantage of our business. On one hand the museum is separate from our shop and showroom, while on the other the atmosphere of our workshop and factory will undoubtedly pervade the display.

In planning this museum we hope to give it a name with appeal that will attract people for example, something reflecting the main theme of our display. Suggestions such as the Japanese "Taiko-Kan", the English "Drum House", or the parody "Drum-Kan" (the Japanese term for gasoline cans) are being considered. We are looking for something which reverberates with appeal, especially for young people we would welcome any suggestions.

Exhibition: Basic Impression

To create a display which will attract young people as well as the older generations who have been inherently interested in our cultural past. A display which will appeal to the younger generations and captivate them - this being the basic goal of our museum.

It is to captivate peoples' imagination that we have selected the wide range of drums from all over the world which are to be put on display. Also as young people today seem to prefer that which physically stimulates and excites rather than the emotional or sentimental, our Taiko exhibition is to be centred around actual performances and playing of the drums.

In the exhibition it is planned to give visitors the experience of actually playing the drums on display. Set against a white background, the Taiko are to create a visual image, as well as the sound, which is to impart an aura of domination, giving visitors the sense of "total involvement". For the visitors themselves are an essential part of any display.

Exhibition: Development 1 (2nd floor)

The Haniwa Taiko Player (Centre Piece)

Upon ascending the stairs up from our production area, firstly visitors are to be confronted with the "centre piece" of our museum. In planning for this the problem was "what shall we use as our symbol?" Luckily in the Tokyo National Museum we found a clay Haniwa figure of a man playing a Taiko which is over 2,000 years old. Unfortunately the head had been lost; however, we were able to recreate a suitable likeness in replica form to be adopted as our "trade-mark"

Taiko Production (Workshop)

To the left at the top of the stairs is the Taiko production area and workshop. This whole area will be open for display through glass partitions and the stages in drum making explained by a series of graphic panels. The craftsmen will be introduced as living examples of this traditional skill.

Asakusa - our business and society

Miyamoto Unosuke Co. Ltd actively promotes the cultural activities of this area. In fact, publicising the culture and society of Asakusa is one of the aims of our business. A bi-annual publication being put out by us for this purpose. In addition, displays of "Mikoshi" and "Matsuri" photographs are held regularly.

Exhibition Development 2 (3rd floor)

Aim of the display (To play and listen to drums)

  1. The third floor of the exhibition is divided into two: a place for visitors to play the drums and a place where they can listen to them. It will mean that all the instruments on display can be played while recordings can be listened to and films about them seen. In this way it is not just a museum for looking at exhibits and reading explanations, it is a "chamber of drums".
  2. It is a museum designed to show the origin and development of musical instruments all under one roof. It is to illustrate similarities in the development of musical instruments throughout the history of mankind in many different areas of the globe.

The Spirit of the Taiko - the pulse of their creators
(Drums of the World)

  1. This is a museum for people to handle drums and to play them. It is a display of drums which our staff has been collecting from all over the world during the past six years. Basically, the drums and related material have been categorised in two main groups - ethnological and cultural-anthropological. Each drum will have its own explanatory panel giving its name, use, method of playing and photographs and pictures of its actual function.
  2. In the case of priceless antiques, drums which are easily damaged or on loan to the museum; these are housed in special cases for "display only". However, recordings of these drums will be played over speakers upon pushing the appropriate switch.
  3. General explanations will not be displayed; however, the geographical location of the origins of the exhibits will be shown on a world map. By looking at this visitors will be able to see the origins and spread of the drums, the drums themselves being classified according to this.
  4. The interior of the museum is to be painted white and floodlit like a photographer's studio. The atmosphere is to be refined and exhibits displayed with multiple lighting.

The Beat of the Taiko - something which stirs the blood and excites one's soul. (A new taste in life)

  1. This is an exhibition for listening to sounds, to images, to the voices of the instruments. As for the Japanese Taiko, this display is a means for showing the beauty and vitality brought out along with the sound in playing one of these drums.
  2. The sound room is acoustically designed and fitted with "body-sonic" chairs so that listeners can physically feel the vibration of the drums.
  3. The beat of the Taiko takes the visitor's mind back to the world of fundamental origins. In order to create the reality of this sensation, it is represented both by visual image as well as through sound.

Epilogue

. The main features of this planned display are:
  1. That it is to be centred around active visitor participation and experience.
  2. That an explanatory, information-based form of exhibition is to be totally avoided.
  3. These are the main goals aimed for in the planning and creation of this museum.

Many forms of display are planned to be exhibited. Within these, a wide range of variety is essential in order to attract visitors. For an exhibition without visitors, no matter how high the value of the exhibits, no matter how advanced the level of academic research, becomes something that is lifeless, something which is tied up as being purely an academic exercise. Ours is to be completely a "visitors exhibition", however.

For the Present:

This museum is designed for the interest of the young people of today. It is to seek the recognition of the younger generation, the next generation, and the following generation - it will change to relate to the interests of the people living in the present. In other words, it is essential for such an exhibition to adapt itself to meet the demands of its visitors, demands which will naturally change with time. "Now" will always be the present moment for which all planning must be orientated.

For the Future

In order actively to encourage and plan for continuing academic research and further displays, we must also consider the facilities needed to house the exhibits and their interior layout. While collecting material and continuing research, as well as promoting this work, it will also be necessary for us periodically to rearrange the layout of our exhibition to accommodate additions and cater for changes in the demands of our visitors.

Finally, there continues to exist a strong academic interest in the Taiko. Many of our visitors will be aware of this, but at the same time, our staff and museum guides will need to explain this, as one major goal of our museum is to be in contact on an individual level. In order to achieve this, a record of visitors' names and addresses will be kept, and the museum magazine, research results and notification of planned exhibition projects sent to them: this being an important part in the development of our "Taiko-Kan". Progress is being made in planning activities which are to be carried out following completion of the museum; with this in mind may we look forward to your continuing interest in our work.

Read at the CIMCIM Meeting, Berlin, 11-17 April 1988.

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