KABUKI instruments

• Shamisen
• Tzusumi
• Odaiko drm
• Odaiko side drum
• Shime daiko drum
 shamisen

The shamisen is the most important

instrument in Kabuki. Imported to Japan
around the same time Kabuki was
created, it became the main instrument
for all schools of music started in the Edo
period. Here Manjiro plays a short
passage often used in dances that feature
characters of great strength.
Shamisen.au
 tsuzumi
• The tsuzumi is the
central instrument
around which the
percussion ensemble
is formed. Its
distinctive "pon" is a Tsuzumi.au

symbol for traditional

Japanese culture as a
whole
 Odaiko drum
• The Odaiko drum is used
to create various sound
effects, such as the
sound of rain or the wind.
OD A IKO D RUM.au
The fast beats used here
symbolize the
appearance of a ghost.
Note how the eerie sound
of the flute adds to the
effect.
 Okawa side drum
• The Okawa side drum
has a sharp,
distinctive sound that
sets it apart from the
other drums with
softer skins. OKA WA SIDE DRUM .au
 shime daiko drum
• Usually the first sound
one hears when one
enters the theater is
the shime daiko drum,
which is used to
signal the beginning
and end of a
performance.

shime_daiko.au