KODO VILLAGE ON SADO ISLAND

November 10, 2007

After taking a train from Hakusan to Naoetsu, I boarded a ferry to Sado Island. The ferry was more like a really nice cruise ship: it even had a game room, and yes, I played old school Nintendo baseball for the bulk of the trip. In the late afternoon I arrived in Ogi, a tiny port town on Sado Island. I made my way to a youth hostel, which is basically a traditional Japanese house. Since it is the offseason, there are no other guests.

On Saturday morning, I walked to Kodo Village, which is 4.5 kilometers (just under three miles) from the hostel. Aside from the rain and the fact that it was an uphill walk, it was a pretty nice journey. For part of it, I was walking aside a bamboo forest, which was very beautiful.

Just above Kodo Village is the Sado Island Taiko Centre. Built in 2006, the SITC has a magnificent view of the bay. The SITC is directly affiliated with the Kodo group; the Taiko Centre houses the Kodo Cultural Foundation, which was established in 1997.


Undoubtedly, Kodo represents the best of taiko: only the top Japanese drummers are admitted into the group. The Kodo community consists of fifty-two people: twenty-seven drummers and twenty-five staff members.

Kodo has a tremendously grueling schedule: one third of the year is spent touring internationally, another third touring in Japan and another third on Sado Island. Since 1981, Kodo has had over 2,900 performances in forty-three different countries!

I was fortunate enough to meet Atsushi Sugano, the Administrative Director of the Kodo Cultural Foundation. Mr. Sugano gave me a tour of the building, and told me much about Kodo itself. The Taiko Centre has a giant practice space that is used for workshops; throughout the year, various one-day classes on taiko playing are taught to all different age groups. In the practice room, there are, of course, many different drums; there was one particularly interesting drum that had several branches coming out of it. I’m not sure I can really describe it properly, so here is a picture:
The Taiko Centre sold a variety of Kodo memorabilia and records, the soundtrack for the Jet Li movie, “Hero.” I bought the most recent Kodo yearbook (which had some English in it), and two records, “Heartbeat: Best of Kodo 25th Anniversary” and “Kodo Mondo,” a collaborative effort with Mickey Hart, the drummer of the Grateful Dead, and Zakir Hussain, who is considered to be the best tabla player alive. I will write more about the “Kodo Mondo” record in another post.

After I left the Taiko Centre, I went to Kodo Village, which opened in 1988. The Kodo group (which is simply referred to as “Kodo”) made their debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981. Taiko had been popular on Sado Island prior to the foundation of Kodo; but, through Kodo, over the past twenty-six years, there has been a tremendous evolution of taiko music on Sado.

A man named Gen Matsui gave me a tour of Kodo Village, which is three main buildings: an office building with a kitchen and dining hall, a dormitory for first-, second-, and third-year members, and, of course, a practice hall. There is a definite sense of communal values in Kodo Village: all members, performers or staffers, are obliged to cook. Furthermore, in the springtime, everyone is involved in collecting firewood for the following winter season. Also, everyone partakes in working on the farm.

In the of liner of the “Heartbeat: Best of Kodo 25th Anniversary” record, it reads, “Exploring the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum, the taiko, Kodo are forging new directions for a vibrant living art-form The taiko is something you experience viscerally as the sound of the drum travels from the player and reverberates in the body of the listener… Kodo strives to both preserve and reinterpret traditional Japanese performing arts as they develop new styles that transcend all genre and borders.” Thus, Kodo uses a traditional Japanese instrument in a contemporary context.

In the introduction of the Kodo book I bought it explains: “The name ‘Kodo’ has two meanings. The literal readings of the two characters that make up the name ‘children of the drum.’ A reflection of Kodo’s desire to play their drums simply, with the heart of a child. The word ‘Kodo’ is also a homonym for ‘heartbeat’ – humanity’s most fundamental source of rhythm – the first sound a child hears in their mother’s womb.”

Although there is not direct connection between Kodo and any specific religious institution, there is an undeniable essence of ‘spirituality’ in their music. While I will be the first to admit that using such a broad term as ‘spirituality’ can be dangerous and misleading, there is something so pure and universal about Kodo’s music. In the book, it affirms, “Kodo uses the taiko’s unique ability to transcend language and cultural barriers and reminds listeners in all places of their membership in a larger community: the world.”

The “spiritual” element of Kodo is evident in the group’s appreciation and dedication to nature. The Kodo Village is nestled in the wilderness of Sado Island – the founder of Kodo, Ei Rokusuke, explicitly chose a remote, but beautiful, location.
Surely, music is a product of its environment: the gritty lyrics of hip-hop genuinely reflect the struggles of urban life. Thus, Kodo uses nature as inspiration: it would be next to impossible to make their music in Tokyo. One Kodo record, “Blessing of the Earth,” the cover shows a taiko drum growing out of the soil.

Today was a truly special day: it is so difficult to explain all of my experiences, but I really just feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to see Kodo Village and meet various Kodo members. Everyone was extremely helpful – I know I say that quite often these days but when you consider the fame and stature of Kodo, it is remarkable that I was able just to have the chance to see their headquarters. I am so excited to see the performances in December!

On the walk up to Kodo Village...



























The view from the Sado Island Taiko Centre.













The practice room at the SITC.
















The main practice hall in Kodo Village. The building was built in 1921, and at the time was the largest wooden building on Sado Island.










Almost all of the drums Kodo uses are made by Asano Taiko.





































































The main office at Kodo Village.