Janggu

Janggu is one of traditional percussion instruments which has been developed along with the thousands year-long history of the Korean nation.

Janggu, considered to have originated in Koguryo (B.C. 277-A.D. 668), was called “Yogo” in a meaning of a drum to be put on at the waist. It was in the periods of Koryo (918-1392) and the Feudal Joson Dynasty (1392-1910) that Janggu was remodeled similar to the present shape and called by the present name.

Janggu is an hourglass-shaped drum with two sound boxes, two leather batter heads and tension ropes, with which diverse and elegant Korean tunes can be beaten splendidly. Its beating method has also been diversified with the passage of time, so that it had played a leading role in small orchestral performance or been played alone for a while. Now, Janggu is beloved as one of musical instruments conducive to improving the people’s cultural and emotional life.