井上 良平 RYOHEI INOUE
A twin, Ryohei and Kohei Inoue form a performing duo “AUN.”
Ryohei Inoue has performed at a great number of prestigious halls and World Heritage sites in more than 40 countries around the world, including Carnegie Hall, La Antigua Guatemala, Fox Theater Atlanta, and Nokia Theater on the occasion of Emmy Awards Ceremony. In Japan, he took the stages at Kumano Kodo, Byodo-in Hoodo, Zaodo, at the ceremonial concert for 10th anniversary of accession of Emperor.
Ryohei plays the shamisen and wadaiko.
INSTRUMENT
WADAIKO
Wadaiko is a general term for the traditional Japanese drums. The history of the drums goes a long way back to the Jomon Era (14,000 – 300 BC) when it has been found to be a part of religious rituals. During the Nara period (710-794), the drums took part in gagaku, the ancient court dance with music, and at this time the skins of horses and cows were used for drumhead. In the 12-14th centuries, they appeared in dengaku dance, and the drums became one of the popular instruments in dance music. In the next two centuries, the age of civil wars, the war drums were used by feudal lords to lead their troops. To this day wadaiko is used in gagaku, religious rituals and festivals.
Wadaiko is mainly categorized into the three, nagado daiko, okedo daiko, and shime daiko. Nagado daiko, also known as miya daiko, is the standard drum, made by hollowing out an oak tree and tacking the skin onto the body, whereas okedo daiko is made by pieces of a cypress constructing a circular body and stretching the skin around it with strings or ropes. Shime daiko has a hollowed body as nagado daiko with an adjustable string or clincher to change its tone by tension of the skin.
The players of wadaiko are Ryohei and Kohai Inoue and Hide.