Each year our team grows stronger and closer, and 2017 has been no different. Last month, Wadaiko Rindo performers from Australia and Germany conducted a pilgrimage to Japan, each following their own adventure around the country, converging at the famous Narita taiko festival on April 15 – 16.
Many street performances were held by groups from all over Japan, showcasing varying skills and abilities, from high school teams to professional groups. Hordes of taiko performers marched to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and nearby Omotesando Street as each day started with over 600 people uniting for thunderous performances around the temple’s Great Main Hall.
Toshi Sakamoto caught up with Jim Tan (Wadaiko Rindo Germany) and his wife, Karen.
We sought impressions from our team upon their return to daily life, and their feedback from the festival was positively ecstatic. Ami Akimoto said the festival was “a great inspiration for many of us who attended the festival this year.”
“The sight of the synchronised raised bachi along with the enormous sound echoing through the temple was magical,” exclaimed Irene Ngui. “The performances that I enjoyed the most were the Miyake performances from Miyakejima Geinoh Dohshikai, and also the group Chohshihane Daiko Hozonkai who performed a style of taiko where two players hold a taiko between them on their shoulders, with the apparent objective of wrestling their partner to the ground and pounding the taiko in their ear – very entertaining!”
Irene went on to say, “the professional taiko performers Tokyo Dagekidan were very impressive, but the two high school taiko teams that performed before them were even more so – one of them performing a group arrangement of Hachijo taiko. Both teams were winners of regional school taiko competitions and were very polished and very genki!”
Danielle Tankovich noted that though the view of the thousands of drums was impressive in and of itself, the sound from her hotel room the next morning was “phenomenal.” She highly recommends a visit as a great experience and an opportunity to witness many different groups, from young to old, with a diverse range of styles on display.
The aim of the event, according to organisers, is to show an appreciation of nature and hope for world peace. Eight stages were set up for the daily street concerts, spreading the energy and the sound of the drum along all 800 meters of the main street.
The highlight of the festival was the concert at the end of the first night, while the drum parade that closed the weekend ensured the event left a lingering excitement of an unforgettable vibe.
Wadaiko Rindo performers, Ami Akimoto, Toshi Sakamoto, Irene Ngui, Yukiko Shoya, Danielle Tankovich and Sharyn, with Hayashida Sensei and his son at the Narita Taiko Festival, April 2017.
Many of our Wadaiko Rindo members attended other taiko workshops during their stay in Japan. Yukiko Shoya told us of the Katsugi Okedo workshop conducted by Hiro Hayashida, which she attended with Cairns colleague Makiko Omae from Drum Mugendai. Hayashida Sensei conducted workshops for Rindo in Melbourne in 2016, many will remember. Yukiko writes, “I practised basic rhythms repeatedly for more than two hours and Sensei taught us a piece he had composed. It was a fun and effective experience. I suffered from muscle pain for three days!”