Editing Taiko (section)

===Use in warfare===
[[File:Girl-Plays-Shime-Daiko-Drum-c1885.png|thumb|right|Hand-colored print of a woman playing a {{transliteration|ja|[[shime-daiko]]}}, circa 1885|alt=A woman wearing a kimono and traditional hairstyle kneels on a tatami mat, playing a drum in front of her with two sticks.]]
In feudal Japan, {{transliteration|ja|taiko}} were often used to motivate troops, call out orders or announcements, and set a marching pace; marches were usually set to six paces per beat of the drum.{{sfn|Turnbull|2008|p=37}}{{sfn|Turnbull|2012|pp=27–28}} During the 16th-century [[Sengoku period|Warring States period]], specific drum calls were used to communicate orders for retreating and advancing.{{sfn|Turnbull|2012|p=27}} Other rhythms and techniques were detailed in period texts. According to the war chronicle {{transliteration|ja|Gunji Yoshū}}, nine sets of five beats would summon an ally to battle, while nine sets of three beats, sped up three or four times, was the call to advance and pursue an enemy.{{sfn|Turnbull|2008|p=49}} Folklore from the 16th century on the legendary 6th-century [[Emperor Keitai]] offers a story that he obtained a large drum from China, which he named {{nihongo3|"front drum"|線陣太鼓|Senjin-daiko}}.{{sfn|Gould|1998|p=12}} The Emperor was thought to have used it to both encourage his own army and intimidate his enemies.{{sfn|Gould|1998|p=12}}