Launceston PCYC Taiko Drumming & 'Taiko Oni Jima'. 1.39

The Launceston PCYC Show Taiks are a dynamic Taiko drumming ensemble that is made up of school students from in and around Launceston. They formed in 2005, when the original group was made up of students from the Ravenswood Heights and East Launceston Primary Schools. Today's group still has its roots in those schools, but more students have joined from other areas as well. Some of them are now based in high schools and have stayed with Taiko.

The Show Taiks are led by Mark Brown (who is also the PCYC MAC Trailer coordinator and volunteer weightlifting coach) and Yyan Ng, an achitecture student at UTAS and part time chef. The group trains at the PCYC on Friday nights and performs all over the north of the state.

We have worked with TaikOz (Australia's premier Taiko group in Sydney) and Taiko Drum - the Hobart based group who were recent finalists on Australia's Got Talent!! The Show Taik's are mentored and greatly influenced by Taiko Drum, and further abroad by Sensei Art Lee, a resident Taiko exponent and tutor in Japan.

Taiko Drumming is a centuries old practice used in Japanese festivals and pageants. Its modern form was created by the late Diahachi Oguchi, a Taiko grand master, who brought it into today’s world with a whole new meaning and style. It is now practiced all over the world by all walks of life and is very dynamic to watch and listen to.

In Japan, there are currently over 10,000 taiko groups, both amateur and professional. In North America, there are close to 500 groups. In the U.K. however, there are less than 5 groups. Currently, the largest Odaiko (Big Drum) in the World is made by Asano Taiko (in Japan) and measures 8shaku 9sun (267 centimeters) in diameter at the head and weighs over 900 kilograms.

The world record for most taiko players performing together was over 2,000 players at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano Prefecture. Ondekoza made it's way into the Guiness Book of World Records when members ran the full perimeter of the 48 main states of the U.S. in three years from 1990 - 1993, sometimes averaging 20km per day.