Oni dance, dance, dance! ~Oni-daiko (Ondeko)

Date: Spring through fall (peaks in April and October)
Location: Sado 佐渡 Island City, Niigata Prefecture
Access: From various locations to Niigata 新潟 Station or Niigata Airport. From there, take a bus to Niigata Port, from where there are steamers to Sado Island. From Tokyo, it takes about 2.5 to 3 hours by Shinkansen to Niigata Port. There is also a way to get there from Naoetsu 直江津 via Naoetsu Port. From Niigata Port, you can go to Ryotsu 両津 Port, and from Naoetsu, you can go to Ogi 小木 Port, which are different arrival points.

Sado Island (佐渡島), Japan’s largest island except the main island of Okinawa, is a treasure trove of performing arts. Once, Zeami (世阿弥), the great master of Noh – one of the most representative of Japan’s traditional performing arts – was estranged by the shogun of the time and was exiled, so there are still several Noh stages in the area. Not only Zeami, but also several noblemen came (in the form of life sentences, as there used to be an aversion to capital punishment in Japan), and the central culture took root. The most popular performing art on Sado Island, a treasure trove of performing arts, is Oni-daiko. The locals also call it “ondeko. From spring to fall, the sound of taiko drums echoes throughout the island, and Oni dance in the air. There are more than 120 of them. It is true that the island is as large as the 23 wards of Tokyo, or about half the size of Osaka, but there are still many of them. Let’s take a look at what kind of Oni-daiko the islanders love so much.

Festival outline or “Kado-zuke 門付け”

Oni-daiko is an extremely simple art form consisting of a single drum, a drummer, and a dancer, the Oni. Oni Taiko festivals do not have a mikoshi (portable shrine) or pull a dashi around as in regular festivals. Instead, they do something called kadozuke 門付け. Kado means gate, and tsuke means to drop in, which means to visit each door. This is an old custom in which performers go from house to house to bless their families and in return receive a reward. In the past, many performers earned their money that way, but nowadays, the main purpose is to walk around blessing each house as God’s representative, rather than for remuneration. There is Ise Kagura centered in Mie Prefecture and a group of kagura performers who still travel over a wide area in Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region. Therefore, even if you go to the shrine on the day of the festival, there is nothing there. After the first and last dedication at the shrine, the group goes out to the community.

A day at Oni Taiko starts early in the morning. First, the group heads to a shrine. There they dedicate first formal dance. After that, they go to the village and perform the dance from door to door. Sometimes there are more than 100 houses in a village. When a group of taiko drummers arrives, people entertain them by preparing hospitality. If requested, a designated dancer other than oni may also dance. In addition, the masks may be displayed there for a time in the house where the original masks were made, or a special dance may be performed. After visiting all the houses, they return to the shrine to perform the dedication dance. It is not unusual for the dance to end around 10:00 p.m. This is why young people are always needed for the physical strength of the dancers.

Types of Oni-daiko

There are several classifications of oni taiko according to the way it is performed. There are three major categories, and five more detailed categories are often used. In order to avoid complications, we will inquire about three types. Types include the Maehama type, Aikawa type, and Kuninaka type, named after the region.
The most commonly seen is the Kuninaka type , in which two Oni, A (open-mouthed, not “ei”) and Um (closed-mouthed), dance alternately. This type is about 60% of the total. It is a form that was adopted by masters who learned Noh in the past. Therefore, the basic movement is to use a slip. The dance is also characterized by the intensity of the “A” and the quietness of the “Um”. Sometimes Shishi ( lions) is involved, which makes the dance more dynamic.
Maehama type is two oni facing each other and dancing. Sometimes a dancer wearing a mask with only the upper half of his face, called Rouso, joins them. The roso is the highest-ranking dancer in the group.
And the Aikawa type is often seen in the northwestern part of the island. Here, oni appear but do not dance. They just stand there with a spear. Instead, a dancer wearing an old man’s mask dances with a square to hold beans.

Representative Oni-daiko

Niibo-funashimo（新穂舟下）

Ryotu-Iwakubi（両津岩首）

Aikawa Maturi（相川祭り）

The Aikawa style of Onidaiko, which began in the Aikawa district, is named Onidaiko, but despite the name, the Oni (demons) do nothing. Or, not even Oni. The main actor is an old man (a virtuous old man), holding a bean-throwing square in his hand, which can often be seen in Setsubun 節分 (a ceremony held in February to drive away evil spirits). For example, in the Aikawa district, the birthplace of the festival, two people holding long swords simply stand there. Only the ogo (master) dances to the rhythm of the taiko drums.

Kita-Kawachi Matsuri (北川内祭り）

There are many other types of oni taiko with distinctive characteristics, such as the one-legged dancing style. It is no exaggeration to say that there are as many different oni taiko as there are districts and festivals. Sado is also a region that has handed down a variety of performing arts, not only oni taiko. Every year at the end of May, a festival is held to bring together all of Sado’s performing arts. Sado is an island where old Japan can be seen everywhere, and it is well worth a visit.

Sado Ondeko dotto komu : An event that brings together all the performing arts of Sado Island https://niigata-kankou.or.jp/event/2145
Sado long ride : A cycle event with several thousand participants on a 210 km up-and-down course that circles the island at its longest point.
https://sado-biyori.com/feature/sadolog/11502/