Hello hello!
Firstly, a food and drink pic because I forgot it last post:
This upcoming Sunday, July 30th, is the 26th TAWOORHYTHM performance, which is a Happyoukai meets crafts people market meets party. Happyoukai is a student recital, which is a big deal in Japan. Typically you pay a large sum, like more than $250 USD, to participate, pay for the lessons leading up, and then you only have one chance to give it your all. You may get some sort of comped ticket to give to friends and family. This is normal for Japan and cultural activities, and because you’re willing to commit that much money to a passion, you can’t help but take it seriously.
My first email sent to family and friends after moving to Tokyo was about my shock at the commitment levels of the TAWOO taiko players. This shock hasn’t changed. When I first arrived in Japan, a week later TAWOORHYTHM commenced. It left me speechless, but also uncertain how I'd be able to explain it to people back home because its unlike any other taiko performance I've been part of or seen. First off, the performers (TAWOO, GOCOO, and friends). Not including transportation time, we’ve had multiple 12 hours (or more) taiko rehearsals. Fortunately we’re inside, but the “feels like 107˚F” weather still affects us. And for a majority of the 90 something people participating, this is not their full time job. Have you ever had a passion with this type of commitment?
In separate group messages, the performers discuss the pieces. My poor translation indicates that people are writing things like "playing with your body overflowing with love." And no, this is not the GOCOO members or staff who are writing this. It’s the paying TAWOO members who are pouring their hearts into their message.
This show that will be at Asakusa Public Hall has once again sold out. The celebration begins with a market that’s run by the crafts people of TAWOO (some play taiko and some are friends). I love this idea, as it supports the TAWOO community, both the crafts people and for the people needing new costumes, clothes, Japanese cheese, etc. The show itself will have surprise collaborations, and new instruments premiering on stage. Again, it’s a party that I’m so stoked to be on stage for!
I’m still open for suggestions about what topics to write about. I recently received an extension, so the substacks won’t be stopping anytime soon. In the meantime, what you’ve all waited for…my unofficial non-kinetic, non scientific, observational abstract on the biomechanics of GOCOO and TAWOO!
Keywords below.
Hypothesis:
Similar to sports such as budo (martial arts), golf, dance, and football, the motion of hitting a taiko does not start at the shoulder or distal (like elbow, wrist), but rather from the the center of the body (tanden). This energy extends not only to the upper body (UE), but also to the lower body (LE) to stabilize and support what the upper extremity (UE) is performing. The playing style GOCOO and TAWOO provides a visual example of how the tanden is the powerhouse of a taiko player.
Method:
Question my life, get a visa, quit my job and leave a precious kitten behind as I move to Japan to become a student under Kaoly Asano for a year or more. Go to as many classes as possible. Perform whenever possible. Attend as many GOCOO, TAWOO, and other taiko performances as possible.
Results:
The kitten is now a cat that prefers fish over chicken. Regarding the tanden, it’s critical to observe movement from multiple angles in order to understand The movement is not just up and down (sagittal plane), but the energy is also sent to the arms through rotation (transverse plane), spine flexion and extension, and occasionally side to side (frontal plane) dependent on the song. Also, the LE does not only stabilize, but also serves to absorb the force from the UE on average 30 kg (that number is made up), and possibly reflect the energy back up depending on the context. Jumping may also be necessary to increase the impact of the taiko strike by 3 folds (another made up number). Also, tapping your heel or moving your body to help you keep beat helps power you at 160 kcal/ hour (yet another made up number to sound scientific).
Conclusion:
While using the tanden is widely accepted across taiko, it is not common to visually see the different axes of the tanden used to generate and send energy throughout the whole body as seen with Kaoly Asano’s taiko group. This study also supports that the lower extremity can do more than just stabilization while playing taiko as it is also connected to the tanden. Perhaps having to use quantitative data to explain how GOCOO and TAWOO perform is a westernized justification that their style of playing works and is not only for looks. It is recommended for future studies however to examine if there is such a thing as too much head banging while playing taiko. Also in future studies, it is suggested to ditch the westernized approach and adapt to Eastern examination, learning, and understanding because I’m in Japan. After all, Kaoly san's background in meridians and acupuncture plays an impact in the development of her style of playing.
Level of evidence: my eyeballs, ear holes, and lack of blisters on my hands.
Keywords:
Tanden: Center of the body. In anatomical sense, it is about 3 fingers below the naval, and halfway deep, so that every abdominal and pelvic muscle is firing. I believe this is where the center of gravity is located, but I did not bring my biomechanics and gait analysis book with me to Tokyo. More importantly it, it the energy source of where your power comes from with proper movement.
Plane of motion: A way to explain motion in 3D. Each plane is defined as if you’re taking a flat board and slicing the body. There are 3.
Sagittal: Swinging on a swingset is usually within the sagittal plane. Movement is typically backwards and forwards (like flexion/ extension).
Frontal: Also known as coronal. Making a “snow angel” tends to be within the frontal plane. Used to describe side to side movements (like lateral/ medial, abduction/ adduction.
Transverse: Twisting a bottle cap off tends to be within this plane. Used to describe rotational movements
Maybe one day, I’ll actually post my fake full thesis!
OH and FOOD! I’m eating this matcha chiffon cake with a coffee whip cream and ice coffee at a cafe about 2 blocks from where I live. So much for a pre-show diet!
That’s it!
Loved your pseudo scientific dissertation!
Good to hear that your extension was approved. How long is your extension until?