Otsuzumi

The Ōtsuzumi is also called ōkawa. The musical instrument is an hourglass-shaped drum from Japan. This instrument is a larger version of the tsuzumi and is used in the Japanese traditional folk music and theater music. The appearance and the sound the musical instrument gives out are somewhat different than that of the tsuzumi. The tsuzumi is smaller and has more decorated drum head.

The ōkawa is larger, and the head of the instrument takes plainer, leathery appearance. The sound is also higher in pitch and sharper in pitch, resembling more of a pop than the tsuzumi’s ‘pon’ sound. The hourglass structure of this musical instrument is somewhat bigger and the heads of the musical instrument are stretched very tightly. This musical instrument is played on the player’s side, perhaps because of the larger size and the heavy size of the musical instrument, while the tsuzumi is played upon the shoulder of the player.