The "DON to Koi / Tamba Yasaka Taiko Festival," a performance of Tamba Yasaka Taiko, a traditional drum performance in Kyotanba-cho, Kyoto Prefecture, will be held on November 3, 2024, at Shimoyama Elementary School Gymnasium (Shimoyama, Kyotanba-cho). New members have joined the group and are practicing repeatedly, checking the speed and timing of the sound in preparation for the performance.
Tamba Yasaka Taiko is said to have originated in the Edo period at Onagano Yasaka Shrine (Kyoto Tanba-cho), a branch of Yasaka Shrine (Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City), where people prayed for the elimination of epidemics. A preservation society was established in the local Onagano district in 1971. The group has been performing independently under the name "DON to Koi" since 1998.
The theme of this year's 22nd festival is "The Tamba Yasaka Taiko Autumn Festival is Fun." In addition to new songs created with the image of the changing seasons, nature and people's lives in rural areas, the group will perform seven songs, including the traditional song "Yasaka." There will also be a performance by sixth graders from Shimoyama Elementary School.
A 30-year-old woman from Sonobe-cho, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture, who joined this year, said, "I want to enjoy playing so that the people who come to watch can be cheered up."
The performance begins at 1:30 pm. Admission is free.
