It may be a small stage and a short time, but there’s nothing little about the energy and sound! We launched Big Little Taiko Fest last year, and it was such a hit that we’re bringing it back for a second time! Kodo will be joined by 4 taiko teams from throughout Japan and around the world, sharing their unique style and flair. The finale will be a joint performance of Kodo One Earth Music piece “Haruka.” Come along to start the day right, enjoying a showcase of energetic taiko performances at Triangle Park.

Aug. 17 (Sat) 10:30–11:30

Triangle Park Fringe Stage

Kodo, Ibuki Taiko (Northern Ireland), Saeki-bayashi Hozon-kai (Katano, Osaka), Hien Daiko Hozon-kai (Tsubame, Niigata), Wadaiko Ibuki (Akita City)

Free event *Performances will proceed rain or shine.

Get to know the teams by reading their self introductions below, then come and cheer them on!

Ibuki Taiko, founded in 2010 by Fiona Umetsu, is based in Derry in the North West of Ireland. The name "Ibuki," meaning "breath" or "vitality" in Japanese, reflects the pure energy of taiko drumming. Fiona had the very good luck to come across taiko when she was living in Tokyo, joining Sazanami Daiko in 1997. She learned and played with this local group led by Miyuki Kuno for 4 years before returning to Ireland to dream about bringing taiko to Ireland someday! Fiona chose the name "Ibuki" as homage to Kodo's album Ibuki, which originally inspired Fiona to begin her taiko journey way back in 1997. Ibuki Taiko is dedicated to using taiko for wellbeing, empowerment, and peace. In the context of Northern Ireland's post-conflict society, they bridge divides and promote unity, wellbeing and personal growth by engaging participants in the absolute joy of taiko. Ibuki Taiko fosters a spirit of peace and reconciliation by bringing communities together. They share the #taikolove wherever they go!

We hope to create folk performing arts that will remain 100 years from now in Kisaichi, our hometown area in Katano City. Our story began in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it extremely difficult for people to appear on stage to express themselves. When it was hard to get audiences to gather for events, we would perform outdoors so they could come along to watch us from a comfortable distance. We took our performances to the people. At that time, taiko performer Atsunobu Saeki led a group of volunteers to create and launch a festival to ward off plagues and bring about bountiful harvests. They invited Korean Chango player Choi Jaechol to join them as an advisor and together they revived the "Mushi Okuri Matsuri" (Festival to Drive Away Crop-Eating Insects) in July 2020. The players would rove and parade through the Kisaichi area playing portable drums. Our approach is truly unique: it’s a cycle of creating new folk performing arts from scratch, then breaking that mold to create another new form, over and over again. The costumes and headpieces we wear were created by designer MAYUMI. The design was inspired by the legend of Tanabata (Star Festival), a huge vibrant event in Katano City where we are based. Our costumes feature images of the Milky Way and the number 7, which has a special meaning in Katano.

Founded in October 1980, our group is now in its 44th year of creating new symbolic forms of folk performing arts in Tsubame, Niigata—a city renowned for its world-class metal Western-style tableware. We have gained valuable experience through our participation in local events and performances. We uphold the traditions of Hien Daiko. While carefully carrying on the music played since our group’s inception, in recent years our members have taken on new creative challenges such as composing music and collaborating with drums, shamisen, and guitar. We will be making our way from Tsubame to perform at EC on Sado Island. We will do our best to bring smiles and energy to all of you, praying for world peace and safety as we play.

We are Wadaiko Ibuki, a Japanese taiko group based in Akita City in Akita Prefecture. Our team was formed 20 years ago by a bunch of taiko-loving friends. Playing taiko enriches our daily lives. As a team, we enjoy writing original songs and coming up with new costumes, too. We are truly delighted to be able to perform with Kodo—they are the taiko players who appear in our dreams. Through our performance, we hope you are able to feel the taiko spirit of Akita.