In Buddhism, the Japanese drum is not so often seen to be used except for the round fan drum in the Hokke and Nichiren Sects; as far as percussion instruments are concerned, the mokugyo (a fish-shaped small wooden gong) and the bell are exclusively used (the Hokke and Nichiren sects, however, use mokusho (a round small wooden gong) instead of mokugyo), nevertheless for a large-scale event, the Japanese drum is used with the metallic gongs and metallic drums.
仏教では、法華宗・日蓮宗の団扇太鼓以外では太鼓を使うことはあまり見られず打楽器としてはもっぱら木魚（法華宗・日蓮宗では木柾）と鈴が使われるが、大規模な行事には銅鑼や鉦鼓などと一緒に太鼓が用いられる。