National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This black-lacquered drum is known to have been made in Enbun 2 (1357), the Nanbokuchō period, as a replica of the Third-Type Drum (San-no-Tsuzumi) owned by Yakushiji temple, to be used at the Shōryōe (the memorial service for Prince Regent Shōtoku held every 10 years) of Hōryūji temple. A saiyōkō (lit. narrow-waist drum, hourglass-shaped) with a thinner shape than this piece, used for gigaku (a kind of ancient theatrical performance), has also survived in Yakushiji. The body is made from a piece of paulownia wood. It was lathed to form the hollow bar at the centre and the bowl parts at both ends have a semi-round bulging carved on them. The outer surface is black-lacquered, while the inner is left plain as if it was sawn, which suggests that this drum was made primarily for actual use as a musical instrument.