Sado Island: Student cultural activities—The drum performance

Sado is an island in the Sea of Japan. The population of the island is 57,114 (October 1, 2015). Sado had a gold mine and has a rich natural environment. It was also rich economically and many people came to Sado from many other places in Japan. People brought many entertainment styles to Sado. The traditional arts are still strong, such as Noh drama and Oni-Daiko ("ogre"drum performances). We have been active in Oni-Daiko performances in Toyooka village since 2009. The festival in Toyooka is held on the first or second Sunday of April every year. It begins in the Shrine of the enshrined deity of the village. We go around the houses in the village and come back to the shrine. It is performed in front of shrines and houses. The students perform it in public at the end of their one-week lesson. We perform it from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. with the village people. Students mature after taking part in these activities. As the population of Sado begins to decline, we do not know how long we will be able to continue thi...