2. Gojinjo Taiko: Nafune-machi

Overview

Gojinjo Taiko is a wild, powerful performance by masked drummers. It originated 400 years ago in the small coastal community of Nafune-machi in Ishikawa Prefecture. The story goes that, faced with an imminent attack by a powerful warlord, villagers used improvised masks to disguise themselves as oni (demons), and scared away the approaching forces. Gojinjo Taiko is performed not only at the summer matsuri (festival) but at local hotels in everyday life, as a form of community revitalization.