Eitetsu Hayashi
Eitetsu Hayashi is an acclaimed Japanese musician best known for his solo performance work in taiko. Hayashi joined the group Ondekoza at an early age. Later, after parting from group, helped found the taiko group Kodo, though he quickly left to begin a solo career. Hayashi has performed in notable venues such as Carnegie Hall in 1984 and was the first featured taiko performer at the institution. He is also the recipient of multiple awards recognizing the cultural value of his work.
Hayashi was born onFebruary 1952 in a mountainous town called Tj in Hiroshima Prefecture and grew up in a Buddhist temple, where his father was a monk in the local Shingon sect. Hayashi was the youngest of his seven other siblings. Hayashi reported that in his youth, he listened to The Beatles and was playing drums in a westernstyle band. He also wanted to be a graphic designer, but gave up on these aspirations upon not being accepted to the Tokyo Arts University.
Source: Wikipedia