Last night, I went to the Soratane Matsuri at the Yui-myonuji (Buddhist) temple in the neighborhood of Kataoji here in Kyoto. The festival was an all-day event; although the music mostly was at night. This festival (“matsuri” is Japanese for “festival”) is relatively small; about a hundred people attended.I arrived shortly after 6pm, and soon thereafter, there was a fire show, with several dances and eight djembe (African hand drum) players. The music was African, and not Japanese: the players brought a “Rasta” feel, as many of the had dreadlocks. To be honest, I had never heard of Japanese fire shows; and the act itself, in combination with the “foreign” music, was a pretty wild experience. I definitely did not expect to see such a display here in Japan, let alone at a Buddhist temple!
Then, the taiko students from the university performed about a half-dozen songs. About twenty students played; although, not all at the same time. Their performance was fantastic: the crowd gave a standing ovation at the end of their set. I have had the privilege to watch their practices this week, and must admit that they sounded their best tonight. The most memorable aspect of the performance was that it was on the footsteps of a Buddhist temple, and in the background, there was a shining golden statue of the Buddha. (You’ll understand what I’m talking about when you see the videos and pictures).
Notice the djembe players.
Fighting fire with fire.
The golden Buddha in the background is really cool!
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