The ensembles for Noh and Kabuki include percussion called Kotsuzumi, Otsuzumi and Shimedaiko.
During the Nara period (8th Century), the orchestrated music and dance was imported to Japan from mainland China and the Korean peninsula. The people of Japan assimilated the art to their native music, and the integrated form became the formal court music, Gagaku (literally means “graceful music”). The Gagaku orchestra consists of wind instruments (Shou, Hichiriki and Ryuteki), strings (various Koto, Biwa) and percussion (Gakudaiko, Shouko, San-no-Tsuzumi, Kakko, etc.).
だ太鼓 Dadaiko
The pair of large drums set on both sides of Gagaku orchestra is called Dadaiko. For performance the body is set on a tube-shaped stand, and the heads are tightened and tuned by Shirabe ropes and sticks. The Dadaiko on the left of the stage is used for Tou-gaku (Music of the Chinese Continent). The head is decorated with gold leaf with tomoe crest. The flame-shaped filigree has two dragons sculpted on it, and a golden symbol of the sun shines above it. On the right is the Dadaiko used in Koma-gaku (Music of the Korean Peninsula), and its heads are gold-leafed with the symbol of ying-yang. The filigree with a pair of phoenix and a silver symbol of the moon ornaments the instrument.
鉦鼓 Shouko
At the center of the stage for Gagaku orchestra, you see a gong hung from a wooden frame. The player beats the concave surface of this instrument, Shouko, with two gong sticks.
楽太鼓 Gaku Daiko
Brilliantly colored Gakudaiko is played in Gagaku orchestra. For performance it is hung from a round frame made by lacquered wood, and a filigree in shape of a flame mounts atop of it.
鞨鼓 Kakko
A percussion used in Tou-gaku with a body made of cherry wood is called Kakko. The middle section of the body is rather thick and the entire instrument is brilliantly colored. The heads are secured with leather strings and an extra string is laced for tuning. The musician places the instrument sideways on the stand and beats the heads with two drumsticks.
三ノ鼓 San-no-Tsuzumi
A percussion used in Komagaku with a body slimmer than Kakko. The heads are tightened with vermilion ropes, and the performer adjusts the tightness of it with his left hand while beating the head with a drumstick in the right hand. Both Kakko and San-no-Tsuzumi lead the orchestra - the former leads Kara gaku and the latter leads Tougaku.