Kodo - 30th ANNIVERSARY ONE EARTH TOUR 2011 in Olympia, Washington
Kodo, meaning heartbeat in Japanese, represents pure dedication and stunning precision in their work as well as popularizing traditional culture through taiko.
Kodo is a professional taiko group originating from Sado Island, north of the coast of Japan. Prior to Kodo, some of the members were part of the taiko group Ondekoza, meaning demon drum group, and were based on Sado Island. Many of these members later formed Kodo. Knowing this, it was easy to see the fearsome warriors escape out of the two members as they drummed fiercely throughout the entire show.
Since 1988, the group has promoted tourism for the island by holding an annual “Earth Celebration,” usually held over a period of three days on Sado Island. In 2011, Kodo toured in North America with their KODO 30th ANNIVERSARY ONE EARTH TOUR 2011 in celebration of their milestone year and visited various places in the US and Canada. Later this year, Kodo will continue touring across Japan from May to July and return to Sado Island in June before embarking on a second smaller tour across the western and southern regions of the country.
Around seven in the evening on the 30th of January, 2011, locals from Olympia, Washington, USA and some surrounding areas crowded the outside entrance of the Washington Performing Centre of the Arts. The event attracted mostly locals: there were a few elderly residents from a nearby nursing home on an outing and many younger, college-aged kids in the crowd. Once seated inside the centre, many were excited. No matter where one was seated, whether in the lower levels or up in the mezzanine, the view was spectacular from every angle.
As soon as the lighting dimmed and the venue darkened, the stage lights faded back to a pale, yellow glow. Four bodies crept onstage and positioned themselves while a fifth stepped in the front and seated himself behind a taiko drum. He started to drum, leading into the first song, Sakaki. The drumming in the traditional piece, arranged by Kodo, was soft at first but soon grew to a steady beat. In the meantime, the other four members onstage had placed themselves behind him in a line and began drumming softly, and as a few additional members meandered onstage, the stage lights brightened to illuminate the faces in the audience. At the moment, one could hear hushed exclamations pertaining to the beauty onstage. Fue (a traditional Japanese bamboo flute) players joined them and merrily danced around. At this moment, the audience members were entranced as the taiko thundered and reverberated back over their bodies.
Between the pieces, the stage lights would drop and the audience would be left in complete darkness as some of the instruments on stage were rearranged for the next piece. A light drumming accompanied the movement and acted a sort of ‘background music’ to keep the audience focused. Chonlima, the third piece of the night, brought goose bumps to most and left the audience on the edge of their seats in suspense. As soon as they were ready, the stage lights beamed to a pale yellow. Four members of Kodo gracefully knelt in unison behind a different set of taiko drums at center stage. The four each picked up pairs of bachi (drumsticks) and began playing as a fifth member behind them joined in and acted as the bass which complemented beautifully with the lighter shime-daiko and okedo daiko. The light drumming with a more hollow tone emulated the peacefulness of rain beating down on the roof as it shifted up and down the four shime-daiko effortlessly. As the sounds traveled, it sometimes grew and other times hushed. It was as if the four played a game amongst themselves and with the audience: all were in unison and it was difficult to see who made each sound. But above all, Kodo’s precision was remarkable.
Starting from the midst of pure darkness, the stage lights revealed Kodo again, and they were ready to tell a story as their hands struck the taiko with two bachi. This time, seven members gracefully knelt and commenced drumming. The sound was thought-provoking and stirred up a feeling that made everyone think that the world was falling apart, piece by piece. It was near impossible for the audience to rip its attention away even for a second, for it was building up to something.
Most notably, the audience remained in their seats during the short intermission, almost in shock. After the intermission, two fue players entered from stage left for the piece titled Sora. The fue lightly carried the melody throughout the piece and was timid in comparison to the mighty taiko. Sora was a showcase of skill and stamina.
O-daiko, another traditional piece arranged by Kodo, brought forward intensity and showed amazing stamina. The moments of silence dispersed between the drumming echoed in the venue and widened the audiences’ eyes further. It was as if the audience was stuck right in middle of warfare and experienced it firsthand. The sole element of this traditional piece was an odaiko (large drum) set on a raised platform, surrounded by nineteen lanterns on the stage floor. Two members dressed in fundoshi gracefully climbed atop the platform; one had his back to the audience and the other couldn’t be seen behind the largeness of the odaiko. The one whose back faced the audience began drumming. A gong echoed in the background as the man whose back faced the audience started drumming softly. It sounded like footsteps creeping through the night, but soon the sound became shockingly loud as the drummer's muscles rippled. As the bachi struck different spots on the taiko, a slightly different pitch was produced and he used that technique quite nicely; he hit the rim of the taiko to make a flatter tone. Like Sora, Odaiko was a continuation of the demonstration of the drummers' stamina and sheer strength, and it also includes minor vocals and shouts of encouragements at timed intervals.
Chanting in strong, low voices stretched the end of Odaiko into the final piece, Yatai bayashi. Both pieces meshed together quite nicely. An additional three taiko were placed in front of the platform, and three men sat on the stage with their legs cupped around the base of the taiko. They sat gracefully upright, with a pair of bachi in hand, then stretched back and lurched forward to begin playing - all in unison. As though sounding in preparation for battle, the fast beat of Yatai bayashi made hearts race faster. The piece, reminiscent of warfare and the consequences of such tore at everyone’s emotions and still left them at the edge of their seats. A short piece played on a fue concluded the show and brought the audience to a standing ovation - twice. Kodo left the stage briefly and return to bow deeply; the audience continued applauding until long after the drummers had left the stage.
Throughout the show, Kodo shared the results of their intense training: their blood, sweat and pure dedication transformed into a magical performance. That night, each member of Kodo brought the spirit of Sado Island and Kodo to the audience.
Also in celebration of Kodo’s 30th anniversary, the group released a new original album, Akatsuki. The album will also feature all new pieces such as Honoka in commemoration of the influential avant-garde Japanese artist Taro Okamoto’s centennial birthday.
The promotional video for Kodo’s 30th Anniversary 2011 One Earth Tour can be found via Kodo’s Youtube channel:
