How do you play taiko?

face to face

I have written that most of people think Wa-daiko players(male) must wear 'fundoshi'. Also many people think strongly they should play Wa-daiko by face-to-face (to the taiko surface) manner.

 At festival etc., people who line up to try to play, look like as hitting robust door with both fists and shouting "Open! Please open! I am innocent!!".

Of course this way of playing taiko is not wrong. Instead, Many style of playing wa-daiko, people do this way. So it looks quite standard. See Bon-odori taiko, Buddhism Matsuri with dance.

on the ground

Or, you can put taiko on the ground(surface of taiko is upper side) and play move both arm same way.

Anyhow, my playing taiko style is yoko-uchi (yoko means 'side', not a girl's name in this case.) , facing one side of my body to the surface of taiko.
 I sincerely think this style let my arms and body move very wide range. I move body dynamically such as dance or martial art. I can take the distance very long and also very short between bachi(sticks) and the taiko's face. So, with this style, I am still feeling difficulty of playing taiko as music. With this 'yoko-uchi' style, you feel all the body parts hands, arms, shoulders, body, hip, legs and feet are connecting bachi, and become a flexible structure. (Am I explaining it well in English?)

Although, I’ve heard the original Hachijo-taiko is face-to-face style. I have seen that ladys with kimono were playing taiko. That was very beautifull. I would like to introduce it some day.

Yoko-uchi