Taiko
The word, taiko (太鼓) means simply "drum" in Japanese. Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming (sometimes called more specifically, "kumi-daiko"). The nagado-daiko (long-body taiko) consists of two cow-skin heads stretched over a single-piece wooden body and tacked to high tension. The heads of the tsukeshime-daiko (often shortened to simply, "shime-daiko") are stretched over iron rings and sandwich a smaller body. The tsukeshime-daiko's rope is pulled tight before each use. Other Japanese taiko include the okedo-daiko, uchiwa-daiko, hira-daiko, o-daiko, and a host of percussion instruments used in Japan's traditional noh, gagaku, and kabuki ensembles.See also: Musical instruments, Music of Japan
Taiko is also an title given to a retired regent of Kampaku in Japan.