hayashi, in Japanese music, any of various combinations of flute and percussion instruments. In nō and kabuki drama, the hayashi normally consists of a flute plus the hourglass-shaped hand drum (ko-tsuzumi) held on the right shoulder, the larger o-tsuzumi held on the left hip, and the taiko stick-struck barrel drum set on a stand on the floor. Folk hayashi often combine a bamboo flute (shino-bue, or take-bue) with stick-beaten drums and a small hand gong (kane, or atari-gane), struck inside its rim with a bone hammer. The variety of combinations is great.