Eitetsu Hayashi

(born February 2, 1952) 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. where his father was a monk in the local Shingon sect. Hayashi was the youngest of eight children. Hayashi reported that in his youth, he listened to The Beatles and was playing drums in a western-style band. Yokoo did not arrive to the island, though Hayashi met and began training with Ondekoza leader Tagayasu Den shortly thereafter. With considerable difficulty, Hayashi was able to transform the folk piece into a performance for Ondekoza, who used a completely different set of instruments. Hayashi continued this tradition of performing immediately after running the marathon an additional six times after 1975.