Established 11 November 1997 Endowment \300Million Chairman Hideaki Matsumoto Jurisdiction The Agency for Cultural Affairs 　　　　　　Address The Nippon Foundation Building　5F Akasaka1-2-2,Minato-ku,Tokyo 107-0052,Japan Taiko, Japanese drum, has been found in Japan amongst the relics from the B.C. periods. Throughout its history, Taiko has been playing an important role as a musical instrument. Recently, in addition to its role as a traditional instrument, new works have been composed and Taiko has established itself as a unique music genre. In 1979, a strong rising desire was felt among the Taiko players to create a federation to promote Taiko and to foster friendship among Taiko players scattered all over Japan. As a result, Nippon Taiko Federation was established as a nation-wide private volunteer organization with starting members of 110 groups. Since the establishment, Nippon Taiko Federation has been pursuing various activities with the purpose of promoting and preserving the Taiko traditions. With growing recognition and movements in local communities to preserve and to promote their traditional cultural assets, Taiko has been attracting and expanding its population. The number of Taiko groups increased throughout Japan partly taking an advantage of the Japanese government's subsidies to encourage the revitalization of small regional communities. Taiko beat is considered to enhance good rhythm in everday living. It is also proven to be effective in training both body and mind. Taiko's strong emphasis on the importance of courtesy and team work is drawing attention to Taiko's role as an important educational instrument. Taiko population ranges from pre-kindergartners to senior citizens. More recently, there has been increasing number of Taiko groups formed by women. Its is also important to note the birth of Taiko groups by mentally and/or physically handicapped people. Such new developments are indicative of the popularity and wide acceptance of Taiko in Japan. Taiko is also highly appreciated internationally. Taiko concerts abroad have not only been instrumental in introducing Japanese traditional culture, but also have acted as an instrument to convey heart to heart the spirit of Japan. In November 1997, Nippon Taiko Foundation was officially established, replacing the original Nippon Taiko Federation, to further promote Japanese traditional Taiko culture both domestically and internationally. The establishment was made possible by the generous support from The Nippon Foundation. Promoting Taiko ◆ Nippon Taiko Festival Nippon Taiko Festival is held annually at different locations throughout Japan with the purpose to introduce Taiko to the general public and also to foster friendship among the Taiko groups. The Taiko performers coming from various regions of Japan, present performances reflecting the regional uniqueness. ◆ Nippon Taiko Junior Competition This nation-wide competition taking place annually is carried out in an effort to encourage the healthy growth of young people and to foster the next generation of Taiko players. Junior performers under the age of 18 selected from prefectural preliminary contests perform at this final competition. The result is based on their technical abilities as well as the discipline. ◆ Nippon Taiko Senior Competition All performers are over the age of 60. ◆ Nippon Taiko Charity Concert Nippon Taiko Foundation joins efforts with different non-profit organizations to host Taiko Charity Concert every year. In the past, the collaboration was made with such organizations as World Wild Life Fund for Nature Japan (WWF Japan), Japanese Foundation for AIDS Prevention (JFAP), YMCA Foreign Community Supporting Committee (YMCA FCSC), CARE Japan, Japanese Federation of the Deaf, and Asia-Pacific Ladies Friendship Society. ◆ Handicapped Persons Nippon Taiko Festival Groups of mentally and/or physically challenged persons using Taiko as a supplementary therapy gather to perform at this festival. At the festival, Taiko experiences of the handicapped persons are exchanged. The art works enhanced by the Taiko therapy are also exhibited. Training and Educating Taiko Players ◆ Nippon Taiko Courses Nippon Taiko Courses are held several times a year in different locations throughout Japan. Anyone ranging from pre-kindergartners to senior citizens can take basic to advanced level courses. ◆ Nippon Taiko Official Certification Taiko Certification was introduced since the establishment of Nippon Taiko Foundation, and the Taiko players are now able to measure their accomplishment. Three levels of Taiko Instructor's Certificate and five levels of Taiko Technical Certificate are issued by the Foundation. International Exchanges Taiko is highly appreciated abroad and welcomed by every country visited. Overseas Taiko tours are arranged independently as well as jointly with such organization as Japan Foundation. Since its establishment, Nippon Taiko Foundation's member teams have traveled to over 30 countries. Revitalizing Regional Activities Taiko groups have been actively participating in events sponsored by the national and the local governments. Such events include the 'Nagano Olympic 1998' and the annual 'National Cultural Festival'. Surveys and Researches Nippon Taiko Foundation conducts basic surveys and studies concerning various aspects of Taiko as an important Japanese traditional culture. The Foundation also collects materials and information related to Taiko for future Taiko library. as of August 2009 ( listed in alphabetical order ) Chairman Hideaki Matsumoto President, Pension Fund Associatio for Local Government Officials. Vice Chairmen Yoshiyuki Asano The Asano Foundation for Taiko Culture Research Tadashi Hasegawa Chairman, Kyushu Taiko Union Shosaku Ikeda Honorary Chairman, Ishikawa Taiko Federation President Kazuko Shiomi President, Nippon Music Foundation 　Executive 　　　Director Yoshiro Nakanishi Trustees Hikonobu Ise Chairman, ISE Cultural Foundation Toshio Kodama Honorary  Chairman, Hyogo Taiko Federation Haruo Misumi President, Japan Folklore Association Masahiro Nishitsunoi Lecturer, Nihon University Eiko Oya Journalist Hisanaga Shimazu Chairman, Yamashina Institute for Ornithology Toshiaki Suzuki Chairman, Akita Taiko Federation Tadanao Noguchi Mayor of　Fuchu City Yasukazu Uemura Honorary Professor, Tokyo College of Music David Warren The British Ambassador Reiko Yamauchi President, Fugaku-kai Shizuoka Auditors Katsuhiko Ito Attorney at Law, Kasumigaseki Partners Law Firm Takeshi Osanai Attorney at Law, Osanai Law Firm Counselors Hiroshi Fujibayashi President, Kyoto Taiko Federation Toshio Fukazawa Prefectural Assemblyman ;President, Yamanashi Taiko Federation Makiko Hamada Chairperson, Pacific Rim Development Co., Ltd Toyokazu Horita Counselor, Toyama Taiko Federation Motoko Ishii President, Motoko Ishii Lighting Design Inc. Masatoshi Ito Honarary Chairman,  Seven & I Holdings Co.,Ltd. Hiroshi Kitamura Former Japanese Ambassador to U.K. Takeo Koizumi Professor, Tokyo University of Agriculture Kazuyoshi Kono Counselor, Iwate Taiko Federation Gennosuke Matsumoto President, Tokyo Taiko Federation Yoshimasa Miyazaki President, Chiba Taiko Federation Tomoyuki Okada Honorary Professor, Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Hideo Otake Professional go Player Junko Sato Vice-Director, The Life Planning Clinic Hatsuhisa Takashima President and CEO, Japan International Broadcasting Inc. Katsumi Wakimoto President, Kagoshima Taiko Federation Sadao Watanabe Musician Hiroichi Yoshida President CEO,ELIIY Power Co.,Ltd