Musical instruments abound in Japan serve a wide range of purposes ranging from ceremonies of the Emperor’s court (Gagaku), the musical entertainments provided by Geisha, and of course a wide range of folk purposes that differ from group to group. In the Regelski collection are several Taiko drums, adorned with Maki-e., a Shakuhachi flute, a transverse wooden flute, a short end-blown flute, and a short and long Kodo, a horizontal stringed instrument played on a table. Women tend to specialize in the string instruments (a sign of good breeding) and men in Taiko Drumming groups; and the monks engage in the practice of suizen (blowing meditation). Unfortunately, the collection presently lacks a shamisen, a stringed instrument resembling a guitar. The type of shakuhachi in the collection is considered unique (number of finger holes and tuning) to Japan. Taiko have many purposes and date back to the Kofun period (3-5 AD). More recent is Kumi-daiko performance, with multiple drums, as with the touring group Kodo. These monks live on the Island of Sando where they train physically for the extreme athleticism of their drumming performance. In practice, they are supremely conditioned monks engaged in drumming meditation.
