The History of Taiko:

The origin of Taiko began in Japan around 2,000 years ago.  Taiko Drums have been used in wars, religious ceremonies, for insect control, pure entertainment, and in many other Japanese cultural aspects.

The first recorded use of Taiko drums were battlefield instruments, the drums were used to intimidate and scare the enemy, to issue commands, and coordinate movements like such as an S.O.S. signal.  The powerful sound of the Taiko drums could be heard across the entire battlefield.