Takuya Taniguchi is a master of taiko drumming and one of the most famous solo performers.

Born in Fukui, Japan, Taniguchi began training at a young age under renowned Taiko drummer Itetsu Hayashia. At 16, he established the Tenryu-Daiko group and was a prize recipient at the 2002 Viennese World Youth Music Festival. The following year, as a testament to his skill, he began touring with Hayashia's Fuun-No-Ki group, and he continues to share stages with Hayashia in Japan.

Taniguchi began collaborating with Western musicians several years into his career. Notably, he released the Friendship LP with jazz pianist Walter Lang in 2010. Not long after, he joined German group Drumaturgia, whose sound is described as "East meets West; pop meets traditional music." He is also a key member of the World Percussion Ensemble alongside Lang, Marco Lobo (Brazil), Njamy Sitson (Cameroon), and Peter Cudek (Slovakia). He has appeared in the productions Ophelias Schattentheater, by the German composer Wilfried Hiller, and Macbeth together with No and Kyogen actors and organist Jean-Baptiste Monnot at Tokyo's National Art Festival.

Today, Taniguchi continues to conduct the Taiko tradition outside Japan by offering instruction to aspiring musicians — and even Buddhist monks.