{"id":39576,"date":"2018-07-19T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-07-18T23:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=39576"},"modified":"2024-11-25T22:21:11","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T13:21:11","slug":"sado-island-ondeko-drumming-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/sado-island-ondeko-drumming-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Attending an Ondeko Drumming Festival on Sado Island"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sado Island<\/strong>, located off the coast of Niigata<\/strong> in the Sea of Japan<\/strong>, has a rich and varied cultural background<\/strong>. There are many folklore and religious traditions<\/strong> passed down from generation to generation on the island. Among those, Sado can count Ondeko<\/strong>, a dance performed by deity masked to the sound of a drum. A very popular art form on the island that we had the chance to witness. Here\u2019s our experience.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Ondeko<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

History and origins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If the origins of this Deity Masked Dance are quite blurry, the first appearances of the dance on the island are thought to date back to the 17th century and have since evolved into the dance still performed to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Ondeko<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

I should actually use the plural form\u2014dances\u2014as you can count five different types of Ondeko<\/strong> on Sado, with variations in each region of the island. But even though hundreds of dance troupes and several variations of the dance exist, there is always one common goal: to pray for good harvest, a good catch and good health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hayoshi’s Ondeko Festival<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My very first experience as a spectator of an ondeko drumming and dancing performance was in the hamlet of Hayoshi<\/strong>, not too far from Ryotsu Harbor<\/strong> on Sado Island. During the festival I attended, the type of Ondeko dance I was able to see included two deities, or oni<\/em><\/strong>. A male one with dark hair and a closed mouth, and a female one with fair hair and an open mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n