Sado has a long history of cultivating its own distinct island culture while welcoming culture from outside the island. Locals carefully hand their treasured folk performing arts and traditional events down from generation to generation. Onidaiko, or ondeko (demon drum dance), is an exemplary traditional performing art that is unique to Sado. Performed at numerous festivals all over the island, this art form serves as a prayer for good harvests, large fishing hauls, and safe households in the coming year, and a ritual to drive evil spirits away from the village’s houses. This year during EC, three groups who uphold Sado Island’s performing arts, including onidaiko, will travel door-to-door through the streets of Ogi, performing in front of homes in true festival style! Each group will end its tour at Kisaki Shrine with a performance. Come and enjoy the festive fun!

Aug. 22 (Sun) 14:00–16:45

Start: Tennanso in Ogi Shopping Street Stops and performs at: Tennanso, Komasu-ya, Hinoo Shoten, Kisaki Shrine Finish: Kisaki Shrine* *All three groups will perform at Kisaki Shrine between 16:00–16:45.

Kakinoura Onidaiko Preservation Society This group upholds the onidaiko tradition unique to Kakinoura, the village where Kodo Apprentice Centre is located. This distinct variant has two dances: Katagami style and Maehama style.

Sazanami-kai Mano Ondo This group upholds a bon odori (Bon dance) in Toyota, in Sado’s Mano area, which features performers carrying stone Jizo (the guardian deity of children) statues on their backs as they dance. Some of the statues are said to weigh as much as 100 kg.

Shimokuji Onidaiko Preservation Society This group upholds the most prevalent style of onidaiko on Sado Island, where a pair of A-Un demons take turns to dance—one with an open mouth, one with a closed mouth, symbolizing the beginning and ending, birth and death.

Free event