Introduction to Art Performances in Sado Island

one ofroots in"localities

to Sado. Tagayasu Den, who was aandering about Japan. Coming into
e's life by oneself)" advocated by
hat time, and the importance of thethe local area through youngsters
for from the people of Sado. Afteran on the radio that he would holds of the local culture through folk
oungsters from all over the nation

or craftsman apprentices or a local
d of the island, life, and way of life.

st, it was planned for the Ondekoza
7 years and then be passed on tooldFolklorist Tsuneichi Miyamoto(pictured in the center of thepicture) was a principal of Ondekoza
Summer School who left a major
mark promoting the developmentof the island, which included thepromotion of Okesagaki (Okesa
brand persimmon).

Messages fromTaiko

The inspirational sound of Sado Island.

e local culture and traditional crafts

2020〜Welcome to the Island of Performing Arts
Nohgaku

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The island is enveloped in the elegant
atmosphere with the Noh plays.

Sado Island currently has more than 30 Noh stages and about 20 Noh
plays are being performed in a year. The history of Noh began with Okubo
Nagayasu, who had arrived in Sado as the ﬁrst town magistrate. A stage
performer himself, Nagayasu brought other performers with him fromNara and donated Noh masks as well as dedicated Noh to Aikawa Kasuga
Shrine. Noh, a culture of the warrior class, has spread through festivals tothe locals and the highly-developed style traditional performing arts havebeen handed down. It is well-known that Zeami, the person who
achieved perfection of Nohgaku, was exiled to Sado and spent his later
years here.

Sagiryu Kyogen (School of Sagi) is
handed down only in 3 parts ofJapan.
In Sado, the Association of Sagiryu Kyogen ismaking eﬀort to hand down and popularize
Sagiryu Kyogen, which had existed until theend of the Edo period and disappeared in
the Taisho period. Sagiryu Kyogen still
remains in Yamaguchi City, Chiyoda Town,
and Sado.

Where to Watch

Daizen Shrine Takigi Noh
Put aside everyda
562-1, Manotakeda, Sado City

Ushio Shrine Annual Festival
TakigiNohandabsorbyours
2532, Niibo-katagami, Sado City

"something", som

Suwa Shrine
724, Harakuro, Sado City that you rarely ca
In June, Noh plays are performed in various
experience. Beatplaces on the island on the weekends.

Taiko in Sado Islasure to fulﬁll that

ShrineRitualnot just
Onidaiko!
YouTaikocan encounterWhatkind ofIt's
place
is SadoIslandCentreperforming
arts at festivals.
Performing
Arts various(aﬀectionately
known
as Tatakokan)?

Sado Island
Taiko
is a place artof whichexperienceintercommunication
Harigoma
Harigoma
is aCentre
kind of performing
is done andin a door-to-doorstyle during
createdthe held
purposelet morepeoplethey
experienceof beating
the New
Year. for
UsuallyduringtoJanuary
to March,would go thefrompleasure
house-to-housewithinthe
the Taiko.
village to celebrate the new year. There is a male and female Harigoma.
Onidaiko Onidaiko is a
Where to Watch
kind ofSado
traditional
performing
IslandTaiko Centre Introduction
At village festivals on the island
art performed together with
Opening Hours: 9:00 to 17:00
Ondeko in Niibo Toki-no-yubae Market
the Taiko. It is an essential at
OnislandMondays(if that MondayParking
is a public
holiday,
theSadonextCityday will be
lot of Niibo
Branch,festivalsClosed
within theandTEL:0259-22-2166
closedinstead)is also called“Ondeko”.
There(Niibo Association of Commerce and Industry)Experience
Time: Around 1hr
are 5 stylesof Onidaiko.
Admission
Cost:
per person
Kojishimai
It isalso2,200JPY
called Shishiodori.
Group
1 to
50beatingpersons(GroupDonningdeersize:
heads
and
the
Taiko discount for groups of
35 persons
andthreeabove)
hung ontheir bellies,
Koshijis dance inunison.Designed
It has been
down School
mainly inforhanded
ElementaryChildren and above (Freeto Watch
Maehamaand Kaifu Coast. in company of theirWhere
for Preschoolers
parents)
Ogi Minato
Access: About
drive from
RyotsuPort Matsuri
Tsuburosashi
It is a 1-hourkind of Kagura(ShintoOgi port and other places
music and dancing).
is said to havebeen
AboutIt10-minute
drivefrom Ogi Porthanded down from Kyoto and is performed TEL:0259-86-2216
with at the festival of Sugawara Shrine and (Ogi Minato Shinkokai)
On-site visit is free.

Kusakari Shrine in the Hamochi area. The malepleasedeity For
whomorehas information,
the male genitals
is contact
called Sado Island Taiko Centre
Phone:
0259-86-2320
Fax:rub
0259-86-2385
Tsuburoand thefemale deity who
the Where to Watch
SasaraE-mail(bamboosticks) perform a primitive Kusakari Shrine：info@sadotaiken.jp
dance Address:in accordancewith Ogi
ﬂutesKaneta
and drums.
Hongo,
150-3,
Shinden,2081-1,
Sado Hamochi
City, 952-0611
Sado City
TEL:0269-88-3111(Hamochi Branch, Sado
City)

What you canat Tatakokan

Ningyo Shibai(Puppet Play)The three kinds of puppet play that remains arenationally designated important cultural properties.

Designated as important cultural properties, Bunya Ningyo,
Noroma Ningyo, and Sekkyo Ningyo still remain in Sado.
Sekkyo Ningyo is performed in accordance with thenarration of a Sekkyo Bushi along with the Noroma Ningyo.
Noroma Ningyo is narrated in Sado dialect and generally
appears as an interlude. Bunya Ningyo originated from theExperience
Taikoinlike
game!
Bunya Bushi
which was popular
Kyotoaandits vicinity 300
years ago
(during
the Edotheera)Taiko
and washanded down as a
Enjoybeating
togethersong witha
Shamisenaccompaniment.
It
is
said
through games with each personthat Bunya
Ningyo Shibai, which consists of a puppeteer and a narrator,
beating a Taiko.
was established in 1872.

Where to Watch

Sado Pupett Theater Performance(Hamochi Rural Environment
Improvement Center)
617, Hamochi Hongo, Sado City
TEL:0259-66-2719
Noura Performing Art Festival
Noura Area, Sado City

Sado Okesa

Haiya Bushi in Kyushu came
to Sado by westward trip.

There are various opinions about the origin of Sado Okesa.
But, the most convincing view of how it came to Ogi area ofSado is that of Hanya Bushi, a song which sailors from
Kyushu sung during feasts, which spread across the country
through westward bound ships or Kitamaebune (a boat thatcarried goods from Hokkaido to Osaka by the Japan Sea Where to Watch
route). It
was then passed
to Aikawa,the town
the gold Taiko
Aikawa Kozan Matsuri
Experiencevariousways
of ofbeating
mine, and then to the rest of the island. In 1924, Aikawa (Aikawa Mine Festival)
The
way
to
beat
Taiko
diﬀersdepending
Tatsunamikai was formed by Murata Bunzo and became Aikawa District, Sado City
onthe
the
situation.
known toworld.

Try squatting, sitting or jumping!

For performing arts without addresses or telephone numbers,
please contact Sado Tourism Association (TEL:0259-27-5000)

joy
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Put aside everyday life
and absorb yourself in"something", somethingthat you rarely canexperience. Beating the
Taiko in Sado Island issure to fulﬁll that.

What kind of place is Sado Island Taiko Centre(aﬀectionately known as Tatakokan)?

Comments from the participants"My image of Taiko has drastically changed. Sado is the best!"(Technical school student, Tokyo)"Looking at people beating the Taiko, they looked wonderfulwith their child-like expressions."(Woman in her 20s, Sado)

Sado Island Taiko Centre is a place of experience and intercommunication
pleasure of beating
created for the purpose to let more people experience the pleas
the Taiko.

"There is a very big diﬀerence from actually beating and justlooking. I felt that it means a lot to experience it."(Man in his 60s, Kanto)

Sado Island Taiko Centre Introduction"The expressions on the children's faces were great. I can seldom
see such cheerful daces during their ordinary school life."(Elementary school teacher, Niigata City)

Opening Hours: 9:00 to 17:00
Closed On Mondays (if that Monday is a public holiday, the next day will beclosed instead)Experience Time: Around 1hr
Admission Cost: 2,200JPY per person
Group size: 1 to 50 persons (Group discount for groups of
35 persons and above)
Designed for Elementary School Children and above (Freefor Preschoolers in company of their parents)
Access: About 1-hour drive from Ryotsu Port
About 10-minute drive from Ogi Port
On-site visit is free.
For more information, please contact Sado Island Taiko Centre
Phone: 0259-86-2320 Fax: 0259-86-2385
E-mail：info@sadotaiken.jp
Address: 150-3, Ogi Kaneta Shinden, Sado City, 952-0611

What you can experience
at Tatakokan

Experience Taiko like a game!
Enjoy beating the Taiko together
through games with each person
beating a Taiko.

Experience various ways of beating Taiko
The way to beat Taiko diﬀers dependingon the situation.
Try squatting, sitting or jumping!

Beat the Genboku Taiko!

The Genboku Taiko has been beaten by
and ﬁlled with the aspirations of many
people. Experience the reverberations of a
600-year old sound.

Learn about Taiko and other instruments
The instructor will teach you about thevarieties of Taiko, bachi (sticks), andvarious instruments. Let's see and touchthem, and who knows, you may have an"accidental discovery".

The contents of the program are subject to change.

ere are two
The
Genboku Taiko dru
ms
Story of Cein Santrdoe. ThIslaeyndareTacaikolledu "Yamaimo-kun" andGenbok "Butabana-chan". Theywere brought ba
ck to
Taiko
life froThbirth of the Taikodrums which were
supported by variousencounters.

m an old tree by
the hands of themembers of Kodo.
This is the story oftheFirst, peel the bark of the tree
and hollow the inside. Next,
put it out to dry for a long time
and then hew the inside withan adz or chainsaw to reveal
the polished bark. In 2004, Mr.
Tagakubo, a woodwork artist
from Joetsu, joined in the
project as an assistant.

This Taiko has a lot of markings called"Tamamoku" in which old trees use to store
the nourishment and water. The drum ismade of a very valuable wood. (Ryudo
Tagakubo, Woodwork Artist)（5）

There was a big 600 year-old
Keyaki tree in Zendoji Temple
at Kakizaki, Joetsu City. It was
so old that its insides decayed
and dead branches fell. The
abbot reluctantly cut the tree
down in the Spring of 2001.
The tree which had to be cut down wasreborn. There could be nothing more
fortunate than that. (Yoshihide Koike, Abbot
of Zendouji Temple)（1）

The Keyaki tree that had been
cut down was accepted by "Ki
to Asobu Kenkyu-sho (a NPO
protecting the woods)". Mr.
Aikawa, a representative of theorganization, was surprised tosee the tree. When hementioned "I have a tree whichlooks just like a Taiko!" to the
Kodo members, they
approached him.

It was love at ﬁrst sight for the
Kodo members when they saw
the Keyaki tree. To make theirlongtime dream ofparticipating in the
Taiko-making process, in July
2001, they moved the Keyaki
tree across the sea to Kodo
Village in Sado.

The tree was blessed with 2 things: the ﬁrst
being that it encountered Kodo, and thesecond being that the trunk had a remaining
thickness of about 15cm.
(Akira Aikawa, Representative of NPO Ki to
Asobu Kenkyu-sho)（2）

In November 2006, the wood
made its way over the sea
again, to Asano Taiko
Instrumental Shop in Ishikawa
Prefecture, where the heads of
the Taiko were to be covered inskin. Thereafter, "Byouchi", aritual to breathe new life in to
the Taiko, was held by themembers of Kodo. Thus, thebirth of Genboku Taiko.

In April 2007, the Genboku
Taiko made its way back to
Sado. Everyone present at theﬁrst beating ceremony of the
Taiko at the Sado Island Taiko
Centre was surrounded by its
expandable sound. The
character of the Taiko would
develop as more people beat it.

I hope that this Taiko, which is full of aﬀectionof the people involved, will be handed down
to the next generation as the symbol of Kodo.
(Akitoshi Asano, Owner of Asano Taiko
Instrumental Shop)（6）

We were given the chance to hollow
something which was once a living thing. It is
as though we are allowing it to live again as a
Taiko. A Taiko is deﬁnitely a living thing.
(Tomohiro Mitome, Master Builder)（7）

In August 2007, the two Taikodrums were introduced at the20th Earth Celebration. Six years
has passed since the Keyaki
tree ﬁrst came to Sado. Now, it
is your turn to beat the
Genboku Taiko in Sado!

Yamaimokun
Butabanachan

Making the Taiko by ourselves, I think that the
feelings of the players towards the Taiko as
well as the sound and tone would change.
(Takao Aoki, Kodo representative)（3）

It was decided that the Keyaki
tree which had been cut into
two before being moved to
Sado would make two Taikodrums. The bigger one would
be a double-sided Taiko and thesmaller one a single-sided Taiko.
Under the leadership of stage
members of Kodo, Tomohiro
Mitome as the master builder,
and Eiichi Saito as the assistantbuilder, the "Kodo Village's Keyaki
Taiko Making Project" began.

Keyaki Taiko
Making Project

There is nothing that could substitute theemotions I felt when I beat the completed
Taiko for the very ﬁrst time. (Eiichi Saito,
Assistant Builder)

（4）

（8）

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Both are displa
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iko
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and can be toand played byvisitors.

Sado and Kodo
The Kodo, the performance ensemble of Wadaiko, can be said to be one ofthe pronouns of Sado. Through the story from how Kodo put down roots in
Sado till their current day activities, you can feel the ﬂood of active "local
power."

You can see Kodo from four stories.
Ondezoka was formed from local revitalization activities

The origin of the birth of Kodo was from the accidental visit of Tagayasu Den to Sado. Tagayasu Den, who was a
ﬁghter of the student movement, made a stopover in Sado in 1954 while wandering about Japan. Coming into
contact with the movement "Tezukara no Kurashi (movement to cover one's life by oneself)" advocated by
Masahiko Honma who was the teacher of Sado Agricultural High School at that time, and the importance of therediscovery of local traditional culture, he started the movement to revitalize the local area through youngstersof the island in 1968. However, he did not get the reaction he was hoping for from the people of Sado. After
winning the sympathy of Rokusuke Ei, he appealed to the people all over Japan on the radio that he would hold
"Ondekoza Summer School". In 1970, under the aim to "reassess the merits of the local culture through folk
entertainment", Ondekoza Summer School was held with more than 40 youngsters from all over the nation
getting together.
They appealed to the society in a period of high-growth to form a school for craftsman apprentices or a local
university on the extraordinarily beautiful island where they could be proud of the island, life, and way of life.
Then, take the Taiko around the world and appeal to them.
Thus, in 1971, the predecessor of Kodo, Sado Island Ondekoza was born. At ﬁrst, it was planned for the Ondekoza
to build the village (craftsman apprentice school and local university) within 7 years and then be passed on to
the locals and to be disbanded after that.

Folklorist Tsuneichi Miyamoto(pictured in the center of thepicture) was a principal of Ondekoza
Summer School who left a major
mark promoting the developmentof the island, which included thepromotion of Okesagaki (Okesa
brand persimmon).

Restarting as Kodo after establishing a strong foot holdHowever, once they started their activities, they found it diﬃcult to adopt the local culture and traditional crafts
into their daily lives while running the activities, beating the Taiko, and travelling all at the same time. Overtime,
the stage performances became not only an instrument to derive income, but also necessary as a way for themto express themselves.
"What kind of life do we want and how do we want to live?". They realized that unless they embodied this, it was
just an imposition if they tried to raise the awareness of the people by calling for revitalization of the island andsimply pass the village as a system to them. Thus, they became independent from Tagayasu Den in 1981. They
restarted as Kodo to establish their own lives.

Seven years after the restart as Kodo,
they opened the Kodo Village.

Earth Celebration as a means of local culture transmission and repayment

In 1981, when Sado Island Ondekoza became Kodo, the members had the concept of "Kodo Village" to establish
a base for themselves. The fundamentals of their concept consisted of three things; living, learning, and creating.
As one of the concepts, they decided to hold "Earth Celebration", which is an art festival where the world's music
and art performances get together in Sado Island in an aim to strengthen the global relationships through theinterchanges of cultures and people in the abundant nature.
However, in January 1987, the year in which Earth Celebration was supposed to be held, the leader of Kodo,
Toshi Kawauchi, met with an untimely death. The plan might have seemed to havemet a setback, but they managed to overcome various diﬃculties to open the Kodo
Village in 1988 and held the ﬁrst Earth Celebration. Kodo invited a lot of people fromvarious ﬁelds and was able to hold the one-week long festival with quite a success. In
a way, this fulﬁlled their aim to for revitalize Sado and thus repay the people in Sado
who supported Kodo.

I would like to realize a scene where
you can hear the sounds of the
Tam-tam riding on a sea breeze on asummer night, and the sounds ofthe Gamelan or Kagura under astarry sky.
(Toshio Kawauchi, 'Plan of Earth
Celebration',, 1983 Autumn)

Sado co-existing with the activities of Kodo Cultural Foundation

In 1997, the 10th year anniversary of Earth Celebration, another long-standing dream of Kodo came true.
That was the establishment of Kodo Cultural Foundation. As a result of travelling all over the world to master andrecreate the traditional performing arts centering on Taiko, there was an increase in the number of people whocame to Sado to study and train. In addition, there were voices who requested for a relationship in which they
could meet face-to-face and not just perform and watch the performances. They took that into consideration andestablished the Kodo Cultural Foundation as the parent body of non-proﬁt activities as well as performances, andthey began their eﬀorts of social education and local restoration activities.
Furthermore, in 2007, the 20th year anniversary of Earth Celebration, they started the Sado Island Taiko Centre as
the central facility where the traditional Taiko in Sado would be handed down. Moving forward, the facility willplay an important role to pass on the culture of craftsmanship as well as to nurture successors in Sado.

Sado Island Taiko Centre holds
festivals several times a year.
Pictured here is the Tatakokan
Festival held in December.

April 15

Walk
Onidaiko
Festivals

Of all the festivals held by communities featuring Onidaiko, 44
festivals are held on April 15. Here is a guide on how to navigate
the Onidaiko festivals along with some recommended courses.
Experience the "Good Old Japan".

❶

Useful information for enjoying the festivals❹❺

1 What is "Kadozuke"?

Kadozuke is the action of calling on the households in thevillage one-by-one to exorcise evil spirits and pray for thewell-being of the family by dedicating a dance to the deity.
When observing Onidaiko at a private household, pleaseobserve good manners, such as not crossing in front of thedancer.

2 What is "Ohana"?

Ohana is a token of gratitude given by the family of thehousehold where a dance is dedicated to the deity. A
thousand-yen bill is enough.

❻●Nishino ●●●Kasugacho
Ryotsu Port●●●
Kawasaki
● ● ●
Maki
● ●
● ● ●
●

❹

Kuninaka Course

Hamanaka

Toyooka

350

❷
❸
❶

Ogi Port

MaehamaCourseVillages which hold festivals on April 15.

Aikawa and Takachi Course

Kuninaka Course

Maehama Course❶Koda (Ebisu Shrine)⬇14:00〜15:00❷Senbo (Yahata Shrine)⬇8:00〜19:00❸Kitatatsushima (Kumano Shrine)⬇7:30〜19:30❹Ushiroo (Isurugi Shrine)⬇8:30〜18:00❺Ishige (Susanoo Shrine)⬇9:00〜18:00❻Minami-katabe（Hakusan Shrine)
9:00〜l6:00❶ Yoshioka (Soja Shrine)⬇6:30〜22:00❷ Takeda (Daizen Shrine)⬇5:00〜24:00❸ Gozawa (Atsuta Shrine) (Daizen Shrine)⬇6:00〜22:00❹ Kanai-Shinbo (Hachimangu)⬇6:00〜24:00❺ Kurinoe (Kamo Shrine)⬇6:00〜20:00❻ Ushiroyama (Mikeshi Shrine)
0:00〜21:00❶ Tokuwa (Tokuwa Shrine)⬇7:00〜20:00❷ Kakinoura (Izuna Shrine)⬇6:00〜21:00❸ Maruyama (Maruyama Shrine)
6:00〜22:00

Check !

Check !

15:00 ❶[Koda] Divine rituals are held at
the shrine in which Sasara, Yotsukiri-mai
and Mugimaki are oﬀered.
16:00 ❻[Minami-katabe] Ondaiko is
performed on the sumo ring in the Shrine.
You can feel the diﬀerences among Ogi
Daiko, Mukashi Daiko, Kawara Daiko and
Soh Daiko.

How to enjoy the day before the festival
April 14 19:00〜22:00 Kitatanoura
You can see Hanagasa Dance,
Shishi-mai and Taiko Geida.

AccessAbout 100-minute drive from Ryotsu Port to
Takachi District
It is recommended to ﬁnd accommodation at
Aikawa District

15:00 ❹[Kanai-Shinbo] The highlight hereis the 4 groups of Oni who will dance in at
the same time in an impressive
performance. Divine rituals such as anarchery procession (Yabusame) are alsoheld.
19:00 ❻[Ushiroyama] 2 pairs, 4 Onis will
dance in unison at the shrine.

How to enjoy the day before the festival
April 13 18:00 At Niibo-funashimo andNiino-oono, the mecca of Katagami style iswhere the Onidaiko of the two districts canbe seen at the Sanno Festival.

Day and Night of April 14th Onidaiko can beseen on a festival car at the Ryotsu district of
Kasugacho.

AccessAbout 30-minute drive from Ryotsu Port toMano district
It is recommended to ﬁnd accommodation at
Sawata or Ryotsu District

Check !

12:00 ❶[Tokuwa] Seldom seen in Sado,
Neriage (entering of the Ojishi into theshrine while singing the Kiyari) can be seen.
17:00 ❸[Maruyama] You may be able towitness the meeting of Onidaiko groupsof the Kumano Shrine and Maruyama
Shrine. It will happen at a private
residence, so keep your ears open.

Another way to enjoy April 15

After enjoying the festivals of Tokuwa andKakinoura, keep to the coast. Beyond
Toyooka, in the three villages of Moroo, Maki,
and Kawasaki, Katagami style of Onidaiko ispracticed.

AccessAbout 70-minute drive from Ryotsu Port to
Akadomari District, about 20 minutes from
Ogi Port
It is recommended to ﬁnd accommodation at
the minshuku (family-operated
accommodation) within Akadomari District
and Maehama*Time tables of festivals are subject to change.

For your information

Moroo

Niibo-Funashimo●●❷❸ ❻ ●❶ ❺●4 Follow the sound of the Taiko as a last resort!

Some of you may not be able to able to ﬁnd the venue of thefestival even if you follow the route. Information on maps ofbooklets and maps may be helpful, but the easiest way tolocate the festival is through following the sound of the
Taiko.

Aikawa and Takachi
CourseMt. Kinpoku▲

3 It is better to move around in small groups

As quite a lot of villages consist of 20 to 30 households,
watching the festival in a large group might dominate thefestival itself. Enjoy the traditional atmosphere of the festival
in a small group.

❷❸● KitatanouraKita-tanoura

It is also interesting to follow Aikawa & Kuninaka courses with Nishino as the starting point. Miya-dashi (the parade of portable shrine) in Nishino,
Sawane Disrtict (Kinpokusan Shrine) starts at 8:30 on April 15. How about going north or east after watching this?

Knowing Onidaiko"Onidaiko", the traditional art performance ofSado Island, cannot be ignored when talking
about the relationship between Sado and Taiko.
It is said that there are about 120 villages who
perform Onidaiko and they are divided into 5
styles.

Washizaki

Okura

Koge
Senbo
Kita-kawachi
UshirooIshigeMinami-katabe

Mamemaki Style*Kouge and Minami-katabe belong to Issoku Schools.
*Ishige, Ushiroo and Senbo belong to Katagami Schools.
KasugaRyotsu Port

350

NishinoNakahara

Katagami Style Jonokoshi
Katagami

YahataYokkamachi

Maehama Style*Roso is the so-called guide of the Onidaiko who delivers a message at the house who gave them a tokenof gratitude.

Katagami Style

A pair of A-Un Oni performs the dance of "silence and movement"
A pair of A-Un Oni dance in turns. Depending on the district, a shishi may or
may not make its appearance. This is performed at Niibo-katagami,
Niibo-funashimo, Kasuga, Toyooka, Washizaki, etc. In Yokkamachi, Takeda,
and Hamanaka, both Katagami and Mamemaki styles remain.

You can see it in this Festival

Kasugacho Festival
Venue: Kasuga Shrine (in Kasuga, Sado
City) (About 5-minute drive from
Ryotsu Port)
From 7:00 to 17:00 Onidaiko mainly bychildren

Akadama

Kakinoura

Hamanaka

Ogura

350

Iwakubi

Maehama Style

Aso

You can see it in this Festival

From 20:00〜 Dance of Ojishi is held
three times at Kawachi Shrine

Hanagasa
Style
Toyooka

TakedaPerfect unison of two Oni, Fue (ﬂute) and Roso
Two Oni dance at the same time to the accompaniment of Fue and Taiko in
districts such as Mushiroba, Ooda, Hamakawachi, Maruyama, Ogura, Matsugasaki
and Iwakubi. In Kakinoura, both styles of Maehama and Katagami are practiced.

Hamakawachi Festival
Venue: Kawachi Shrine (inHama-kawachi, Sado City) (About
40-minute drive from Ogi Port)

Funashimo

Hamakawachi
Maruyama
Ooda

Koshiboso

Shukunegi

Issoku Style
Ogi Port

Hanagasa Style

Quiet and traditional dance of Oni
One Oni dances together with the Hanagasa Odori and Sanbiki-shishi
Odori. In the local area, it is called “Oni no Mai”. This can be seen at
Akadama and Jonokoshi.

You can see it in this Festival

Kuji Hachiman-gu Festival
Venue: Hachiman-gu(Shimo-kuji, Sado
City) (About 15-minute drive from
Ryotsu Port)
Around 14:00, after the puriﬁcation
ceremony, Hanagasa Odori of
Jonokoshi is dedicated to the deity.
Katagami style of Shimokuji andYabusame are held as well.

From 17:00〜 Onidaiko mainly by
adults

Mamemaki Style
Oni dances on one leg to the accompaniment of abrisk Taiko tempo
Oni dances on one leg. During the Edo era, this was
the Onidaiko in Aikawa. This style can be seen at
Minami-katabe, Shukunegi, Koshiboso and Aso.

Dance of the Okina who waves the long sleeves
A man dressed as a Suou (ceremonial dress oflower-class samurai) with an Eboshi (headgear wornby nobles in court) holding on to a Masu (a square
wooden box for serving Sake) dances to the beat of
the Taiko. This is performed at Aikawa, Ogura, Nishino,
Kajimachi-nakahara and Yahata.

You can see it in this Festival

You can see it in this Festival

Around 11:00 Oojishi of Koshiboso and Yamada call for
Mikoshi (a portable shrine) at the shrine.

14:00 Shimenawa-kiri is held as a ritual for the portableshrine going out of Utou Shrine.

Issoku Style

Mikawa Festival
Venue: Kasuga Shrine (Mikawa, Sado City) (About
30-minute drive from Ogi Port)*In cooperation with Yuki Matsuda (Sado City)

Aikawa Festival
Venue: Utou Shrine (Aikawa-orito, Sado City, Sado City)(About 50-minute drive from Ryotsu Port)

21:00 When Mikoshi and Ontaiko pass each other on
Tenryo Dori Street, Okina dances to show the portableshrine every courtesy.

Types of Wadaiko
There are various types of Wadaiko, such as
Nagado Daiko (also called Miya Daiko), which isa hollowed out tree trunk with sheets of skinattached with rope; or Okedo Daiko, which ismade of the body of a tub with sheets of skinattached with a rope. Let us introduce therepresentative Taiko drums and theaccompanying instruments which are often
played together during performances.

Atarigane

Atarigane is also called "Surigane", "Chanchiki"or "Changiri" depending on the area. It comesin the form of a metal ash tray made with brassas the main material. It is beaten with a
Shumoku (stick with deer horn attached) in abrushing motion.

ChappaChappa is an instrument like a small
cymbal. It is usually used as anaccompanying instrument, but
recently it is used as an solo
instrument and played on the stage.
Various ways of play have begun toappear nowadays. There are various
kinds of materials, such as brass oriron.

Shinobue

Shinobue is a Japanese ﬂute made of bamboo. To
prevent cracking, some Shinobue is wound withrattan. There are 12 kinds of Shinobue from
"Ippon-choshi" to "Junihon-choshi" depending on
the scale and increased chromatically. Shinobue
can express the sound and melody extremely
delicately.

Nagado Daiko

With a center of the body swelling a little, the Nagado Daiko is one of
the more popular Taiko drums. The Keyaki (Zelkova tree) is theperfect material to make this drum as it is able to produce a strong
reverberation, sturdy, and is able to produce a beautiful sound.

Hirado Daiko

Okedo Daiko

Tsukeshime Daiko

Uchiwa Daiko

Hirado Daiko is a kind of Miya Daiko. Its material is the same asthat of Nagado Daiko, but the distinguish feature of Hirado
Daiko is that the length of the body is shorter than that ofNagado Daiko and the diameter of the beating surface islonger the length of the body.

Tsukeshima Daiko is also madeof a hollowed trunk from a
Keyaki tree just like the Nagado
Daiko. Though the Nagado
Daiko is often carved from theinside, the Tsukeshima Daiko isoften polished smoothly. It is
often used as a Hayashi or
rhythm instrument.

Okedo Daiko is made like a Japanese tub, with long and narrowboards joined together. Japanese cedar is used as it is lightweight and produces a good sound. In recent years, playing the
Okedo Daiko slung on the across the shoulders with a strap has
rapidly gained popularity due to the possibility to move about
freely and has been widely adopted on stage.

Uchiwa Daiko is a drum with asheet of skin ﬁtted around thewooden hoop, with a handle
attached. It was originally used asa religious tool, but began to be
used in modern music from the
1960s.

Taiko History traced
with Episodes
Episode1 Amaterasu-ohmikami

was attracted to thesound of Taiko!

In Japanese mythology,
Amaterasu-ohmikami, or sun goddess,
shut herself in Iwaya, the Heavenly
Cave, because she got angry with theviolence of her little brother,
Susanoo-no-mikoto. To attract her
attention, Amenouzume-no-mikoto issaid to have stamped on something likea tub.

Tracing
the Historyof Taiko

Episode2 Taiko already existed in Kofun

period in the middle of the 3rd
century to 7th century!

"Taiko wo utsu jinbutsu-haniwa zo"(Clay Figure Beating a Drum) was
discovered from Tsuyoshi Tenjin Yama
Tomb in Sakai Machi, Isezaki City,
Gunma Prefecture. The clay ﬁgure
which holds the body of a drum by theleft hand and beat the drum with the
stick in the right hand tells the historyof Taiko.

Episode3 Jin Taiko, which had led the vanguardof the Army of Uesugi, is still
being handed down today

Jin Taiko is said to have been beaten by
Sakada-jo (present day Minami
Uonuma-shi Muika-machi) Ueda-shu(people of Ueda who protected the
Ueda Castle). It is said they were thestrongest group of followers of Uesugi
Kenshin during the Sengoku Era. The
tradition of the Jin Taiko is still being
handed down by "Omijo Taiko
Hozonkai".

How was Taiko born, brought to Japan and handed
down to the present?
Let's trace its history with interesting episodes.
The ﬁrst Taiko was a "tub"?

It is not clear since when Taiko existed in Japan. However, in the
mythology "Ama-no-iwato", it is said that a goddess danced onsomething resembling a tub, and therefore brought about the sayingthat a tub was the ﬁrst Taiko in Japan.

Skin-covered Taiko came from China or Korea

In Japan, there was a popular belief that spirits dwell in the void. To
wish for the spirits to awaken, a hollowed tree trunk or mortar areoften beaten during festivals. The Taiko was covered with the skin ofa horse or cow which could not be found in ancient Japan but
existed in China since ancient times, and therefore is said to originate
from China or Korea.

Indispensable existence in folk art or events

After coming to Japan, Taiko spread as an instrument of folk art
through Dengaku, Sarugaku or Gigaku; and became an indispensable
tool for Gagaku in the Heian period, Nohgaku in the Muromachi
period, and Kabuki in the Edo period. For the ordinary folks, it wasused during events to wish for a good harvest, such as rice-planting
rites, rainmaking rites, or rites for driving away insects harmful to rice,or performances such as Shishi-mai. Taiko began to permeate within
Sado into the lives of people along with folk art like Onidaiko.

Taiko History in Modern Age
Now, let's trace the history of Taiko after 1950 when Wadaiko, which had been handed down as the Japanese folk art,
started a new step as performance art.
1951

First half of 1950s
Latter half of 1950s

1964
1971
1981

After that

Daihachi Oguchi formed Osuwa Daiko

Daihachi Oguchi, who invented ensemble taiko drumming (Kumitaiko-hoshiki), formed Osuwa Daiko to restore
and play "Mushi-oi (rites for driving away insects harmful to rice)" dedicated to Suwa Shrine in Nagano. After that,
he developed his own Taiko music through ensemble taiko drumming.

Wadaiko groups began to gather in Ishikawa and Fukui Prefecture
Novel developments of the traditional performing arts at various places in Japan

New activities began through stage and ﬁlm appearances such as "Sukeroku Taiko" in Tokyo, "Gojinjo Taiko" in
Wajima, "Kokura Gion Taiko" in Hakata, and "Chichibu Yatai Bayashi" in Chichibu.

Wadaiko performance was introduced to the world in Tokyo Olympics.
Tagayasu Den organized "Ondekoza in Sado"

Ondekoza became the pioneer of sophisticated Wadaiko performance through the age of rapid growth.

Some members of Ondekoza became independent and formed "Kodo" in Sado

Tagayasu Den left Sado and reorganized "Ondekoza" with new members. Members who had stayed behind
formed a new Taiko group named "Kodo".
The active performances of Ondekoza and Kodo in and out of Japan prompted the birth of new Taiko groups
around the Japan. These groups are called "Sosaku Taiko" and the number of those groups is now said to beamounting to about 15,000, including local folk art and taiko groups.

ling all at the same time. Overtime,
What is "Introduction to Art Performances in Sado Island"?
ut also necessary as a way for them
Various art performances have been handed down in Sado due to its historicaland geographic backgrounds. Our idea to this booklet is that we want as
at unlesstheyembodied
this, ittowas
manypeopleas possible
see the real art performances or the treasure ofg for Sado,
revitalizationof andthe islandand down to the next generation. We will present
feel themhand themafter therestartasSadoKodo, Okesa.
youfour kindsof booklets,
Nohgaku,Seven
Taiko,years
PuppetsPlayandt fromTagayasuDenin 1981. They
they opened the Kodo Village.

Messages from Taiko QandA

ission andWhichrepayment
country did Taiko made with animal skin originate from?

ncept of "Kodo
Village"to establish
Go to"Tracing
the History of Taiko" section!
hings; living,learning,
andcreating.
What kind of tree is used to make the "Okedo Daiko"?
art festival whereworld'smusic section!
Go to the"Typesof Wadaiko"
he global How
relationships
through themany settlements
are there in Sado with Onidaiko?

Go to "Knowing Onidaiko" section!
ed to be During
held, theleaderKodo,
what
datesofare
the festivals with Onidaiko most held?
I would like to realize a scene where
to have Go to "Walk Onidaiko Festival"
section!
you
can hear the sounds of thehe Kodo How many times was "Earth Celebration"
Tam-tam riding
onuntila sea 2007?
breeze on aheldsummer night, and the sounds ofple from Go to "Sado and Kodo" section!
the Gamelan or Kagura under auccess. In What are the nicknames of the 2 starry
Genbokusky. Taikos at the Sado Taiko Centre?
Kawauchi, 'Plan of Earthe in Sado Go to "Genboku Taiko Story" (Toshio
section!
Celebration',, 1983 Autumn)

You can enjoy the pleasure of drumming at the Sado Taiko Centre.
What is its nickname?
Go to "Let's enjoy the sound of Taiko" section!

Foundation

dream of Kodo came true.
ng all over the world to master andease in the number of people who
ed for a relationship in which they
ey took that into consideration andtivities as well as performances, andSado Island Taiko Centre holds
ted the Sado Island Taiko Centre as
festivals several times a year.
wn. Moving forward, the facility will
Pictured here is the Tatakokan
https://sado-niigata.com/
Festival held in December.
rture successors in Sado.
Cover Picture “Tenpo Nenkan Aikawa Junikagetsu, Ontaiko and Hakouma” by Ishii Bunkai, Oﬀered by Aikawa Folk Museum
Editorial supervisor: Kodo Cultural Foundation