'Become one with the sound': Japan's taiko reinvents drum tradition

Japanese taiko drum performer Hana Ogawa of the Kodo troupe posing for a photo after a performance on Sado island. Japanese taiko drumming is a musical form with roots in religious rituals, traditional theatre and the joyous abandon of seasonal festivals called matsuri. Photo: AFP

In a hall on Japan's Sado island, 71-year-old Yoshikazu Fujimoto strikes the imposing drum mounted before him, producing a boom so powerful that it reverberates through the floorboards.

Fujimoto is a veteran performer of Japanese taiko drumming, a musical form with roots in religious rituals, traditional theatre and the joyous abandon of seasonal festivals called matsuri.