From Sado Island to LA's Japan Town: Onedeko at the 2005 North American Taiko Conference.

"Ondeko," or "Oni-daiko" is a performing art native to Sado Island. Loosely translated as "demon dancing," the art form appeared on Sado Island, Japan about 500 years ago as a ritual dance in prayer for a good harvest. Today there are over 140 groups on Sado that practice varying styles of the performing art that invariably involve masked "demon dancers" who dance to the back beat of the taiko and often play the drums themselves as part of their performance. Lantern bearers who light the way for the demons to dance are also a common characteristic among Ondeko troupes.

At the 2005 North American Taiko Conference (NATC), Kodo Arts Sphere America (KASA) sponsored workshops and a lecture by the "Kasuga Onigumi," an Ondeko group based in the town of Ryotsu, home to Sado's largest port and the main entryway to the island. Every year on April 14 the Kasuga Onigumi takes to the streets of Ryotsu to dance from home to home, hauling a "yatai" (festival cart) that houses the taiko. This tradition is called "Kadodsuke," and it is a way for the demon dancers to visit their blessings on each household in the village. They continue from morning to night and by the end of the day the troupe has performed in front of over 300 homes and shops, receiving food, sake and "o-hana" donations along the way. The dancing culminates in the local shrine at which point the dancers are practically delusional with exhaustion.

"At first I think of the 300-plus times I have to do this and it's overwhelming, but towards the end I think, there's only a few times left and I want to dance more, I don't want it to end," said Kasuga Onigumi member Hirofumi Saito in an interview held on Sado immediately following the 2005 NATC. Saito is a central figure in the group and joined the trip to LA. "As a dancer, everyone is encouraging us to keep going-- the lantern bearers, drummers and audience alike. Then of course there's the sake... by the end of the night we're almost in a trance. The next day I can barely move my body, and can't even speak, but I don't feel any of that pain when I am dancing."

The NATC marked the first time the Kasuga Onigumi had a chance to share their art form outside of Japan, and in addition to workshops and a lecture, the trip also included a festival-style Kadodsuke through the streets of LA's Little Tokyo. The response was phenomenal.

"The enthusiasm was contagious," says Saito. "[The NATC] gave us a chance to feel proud about our culture. On Sado Ondeko is a matter of course, but this was the first time we were taking it abroad and we were amazed at the level of interest. The NATC participants' thirst for knowledge was palpable-- greater than even workshop participants at Earth Celebration (Kodo's annual art festival held on Sado Island)."

Outside of the conference the Kasuga Onigumi were also welcomed by the residents of LA's Little Tokyo. The group began their Kadodsuke at the NATC main venue, traveled through the neighboring streets and returned to their starting point about an hour later. Along the way, spectators and well-wishers took turns holding the lantern, snapped numerous photographs, and many shop owners even emerged from their stores with envelopes containing the traditional o-hana offerings.

"It was incredible for us to see that there were people in Los Angeles who understood this culture," says Saito. "We felt very welcomed by the Japanese American community there."

While the Kasuga workshops, lecture and live performance got rave reviews, group leader Yuuki Matsuda said that the experience was equally fulfilling for the group members themselves.

"I was the oldest member on this trip, and I am usually the leader, but this time I left everything to the young members. The costumes, the instruments, the equipment-- I made them do everything. It was a tremendous learning experience for everyone and the members on that trip came back as different people."

For those who couldn't make the trip, Matsuda made sure the experience was well documented by having the participating members give a full report at group meetings upon their return to Sado, and by writing an article for a Niigata newspaper that chronicled the group's experience at the NATC.

The trip was also an important cultural experience for the seven members, many of whom did not even know that taiko was practiced in North America. The journey also provided an unexpected history lesson for the group via their visit to the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). The Kasuga members went to see the "Big Drum" exhibit which showcased the history of North American taiko, but it was another exhibit, "Common Ground," a chronicle of 130 years of Japanese American history, that left the most lasting impression.

"We've only learned about [the Japanese American experience during WWII] in textbooks, but it was never real for me until that exhibit," explains Saito, struggling to fight back tears welling up in his eyes. "We knew about the 442nd, but not really about the camps. For the first time, I saw the photos and the personal belongings left behind... I'm a father, and as a parent raising a child, when I saw a photo of a father leading his daughter by the hand into an internment camp, I... how do you explain something like that to a child?"

Matsuda said that he believes this history is pivotal to the Japanese American experience and taiko in North America.

"As the taiko emerged in North America as a means of expression for Japanese Americans, I would think anyone interested in taiko should also be interested in that history," he says. "I think the NATC should be a place to educate people about the origins of taiko in North America -- a place to talk about all the history and hardships that led up to this incredible gathering."

Matsuda went on to say that he was intrigued by the NATC as a means for exchange and sharing knowledge of different art forms, as he didn't think such a gathering could ever happen in Japan.

" I felt that this kind of conference was only possible in North America," he explains. "In Japan, each area has its own local performing arts tradition and each group has tremendous pride in their style so they aren't willing to accept other styles so easily. But in North America there are no preconceptions, so there are no barriers to learning. Everyone was open to other ideas and other styles and so enthusiastic to learn something new. Performing arts are all about people -- the people practicing the art decide its future. I feel like we have forgotten the power of performance. It's all about exchange. There cannot be a good performance without exchange."

The flip side to that story, of course, is that whenever performing arts are taught, there is a danger that practitioners will stray from tradition as the art form is passed on. Saito described his reservations about the Kasuga Ondeko style being practiced in North America.

"I think the idea of Kasuga Ondeko being practiced in North America is wonderful, but it's important that the person who is doing the training really knows our art form," he says. "It becomes dangerous when someone with just a superficial understanding of the art becomes a teacher. Then the art form is often changed as it's passed on."

The Kasuga Onigumi have welcomed foreign visitors to Ryotsu to study with the group, including Sacramento Taiko Dan leader Tiffany Tamibuchi, who stayed with Saito and his family for one month as she practiced with the group. The Kasuga Onigumi leaders hope that people like Tiffany who take the time to learn their art form beyond a superficial level can help persevere the original form as it is passed on. But despite these precautions, Matsuda understands that traditions are living things, and realizes that certain things are beyond the groups' control.

"Actually the Kasuga Onigumi only has 75 years of history," he explains. "We originally learned the art from our neighboring village of Ebisu whose group dates back hundreds of years, but now our style is completely different. I would imagine that 75 years ago when the Ebisu group held their first workshop in the town of Kasuga, it probably wasn't that different from the workshop we held at the NATC."

Daniel Rosen has worked with Kodo for over ten years and serves on the KASA board. He welcomes your questions and comments at kasa_daniel@earthlink.net.