Antique Japanese taiko drum, made from keyaki wood, with an iron handle on its front and iron studding to keep the drum skins into place. Size: 14" wide diameter on top and bottom x 18" high. Circa 1900. Taiko drums are said to have originated when the Shinto goddess of sunlight, Amaterasu, locked herself away in a cave when her brother, Susanoo, god of the sea and storms, became enraged and created havoc on dry land. The other gods became fearful that life on Earth would eventually die from lack of sunlight and tried desperately to get Amaterasu to emerge. Finally the goddess Ame no Uzume emptied out a barrel of sake and began to bang upon it, creating a beautiful sound that the other gods danced and cheered to. Upon hearing the commotion outside, Amaterasu emerged and her brother Susanoo was banished.