The shime-daiko (締め太鼓) is a small Japanese drum. It has a short and wide body with animal skin on both the top and bottom. The skin is first stretched over metal rings and then wrapped around the drum's body. Like the tsuzumi and African talking drums, both drumheads are tied together with cords so they are connected to each other. The shime-daiko is played with sticks called "bachi" while it hangs from a stand. Because its drumheads are very tight, the shime-daiko produces a higher sound than larger taiko drums. It is used in many Japanese music groups, including nagauta, hayashi, taiko, and folk music ensembles called min'yō.

Shime-daiko have been used in Japanese music since the dengaku tradition of the Middle Ages.

Etymology

The word "shime-daiko" comes from a longer word, "tsukeshime-daiko" (付締め太鼓), which is often shortened to "shime-daiko" or "shime." The prefix "tsukeshime" (付締め) is made from two parts: "tsukeru" (付ける), which means "to fasten" or "to attach," and "shimeru" (締める), which means "to fasten" or "to tie." Together, these parts describe something that is tightly and securely fastened.