National Taiko drum Festival

National Taiko drum Festival

In the city of Rikuzentakata, we take pride in holding over 900 years of history and tradition, one of them being the Kenka Tanabata which is a festival held in Kesen-cho annually on the 7th of August. It is an exciting festival where dashi [1] floats – weighing over 4 tonnes – are fiercely rammed into each other to the beating of Kenka Tanabata Taiko drums atop the float.

2018 National Taiko drum Festival poster

With the idea of using the Kenka Tanabata Taiko drums to rouse up the regions, and the interest in holding an event rallying Taiko drum organisations across the nation, the National Taiko drum festival was then conceived. Presently celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Taiko drum festival has quite a remarkable history and dates back to 1989 when it was first started and has been held annually in Rikuzentaka ever since. (With the exception on 2011 where it was held in Nagoya City following the events of the Great East Japan Earthquake) The motto and theme for the Taiko drum festival is 「いのちは、鼓動からはじまる」, which when translated into English reads like “Life begins from the beat”.

Background of the Taiko drum Festival Motto & Theme

Human life begins in the womb and is nurtured and raised with the sound of the beating heart. Through that heartbeat of life, the reverberating sound of the Taiko drum leaves deep impressions and felt emotions upon the hearts of those who hear and feel the beat resonating in their body. The desires for the right direction in life and for great strength to propagate like a ripple on the water are encapsulated in the main theme of “Life begins from the beat”.

If you like Taiko drum and want to experience for yourself the atmosphere that is created when Taiko drum organisations nation-wide gather together and drum with extravagant energy together with a large audience, by all means please attend the festival! Even for those who do not really know Taiko drum or have little interest in it, I believe the resonant and penetrating drumbeats will stir up emotions and energy never felt before and leave a deep impression within you to experience and understand the spirit of Taiko drum.

This year’s festival will be held on the 21st of October from 10a.m. to 3p.m. at the Comprehensive Exchange Centre (総合(Sōgō)交流(kōryū)センター(-sentā)). Tickets are going for 2,000 yen before the event and 3,000 yen on the day itself. Admission is free for children who have yet to enter middle school. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the festival, this year’s ticket has been proudly handcrafted using the Kesen sugi (Japanese cedar) in Rikuzentakata.