Kerala   

Japanese art form enthrals audience

Doughty spirits:Miyabi-Daiko artistes from Japan perform in Kozhikode.

It was a belated ‘Vishukkaineettam' for the people of Kozhikode that the Miyabi-Daiko artistes from Japan offered at the Town Hall on Saturday. The six drummers had come from a tsunami- and radiation-torn country to Kerala carrying the message of friendship with the help of the Malayali Association in Tokyo.

Daiko means drum in Japanese language. The myth is that the God of Light had hidden in a cave where he slept off and the people blew these drums to awaken him. Drumming was developed as an art form in the Meiji era by the court musician and dancer Sannosuke Miyabi. His son and successor, Haruo, established the ‘Miyabi No Hibiki' (Elegance of Sound) while his son, Shinko, developed it into the present ‘Kokin-Ryu Souke Miyabi-Daiko' group, which has 74 branches all over Japan and over one lakh disciples.

This art form has now undergone a lot of fine-tuning and is famous all over the world. The Miyabi-Daiko has been performed more than 7,000 times in Japan and 90 times abroad. In Kerala, the group will perform in Thrissur, Palakkad, Chentrappini, Kothamangalam and Kochi besides Kozhikode.

The performance was centred around four drums, one big and three small ones, placed on the stage. Similar to the ‘Chendamelam' of Kerala, the drummers played different rhythms, but formed a harmony at the same time. The rhythm changes from slow to fast in a matter of seconds leaving the audience spellbound. The performance included dance-like movements and specific postures that are typical of the art form.

There was also a red-headed ‘lion' that roamed amongst the audience. Many spectators were seen touching the lion as the Japanese belief is that touching the lion would bring luck.

Mayor A.K .Premajam, inaugurating the programme, expressed concern at the tragedy that occurred in Japan recently.

She appreciated the greatness of the Japanese people at the face of such a huge tragedy and added that the drums signify their capacity for artistic performance.

The artistes Shingo Sibasaki, Kazuo Shibasaki, Yasuko Tomisava, Akito Kajisuke, Chihruen Nagayishi and Osamo Ita were honoured on the occasion.

The Mayor also inaugurated a signature campaign, ‘Love for Japan,' expressing solidarity with the victims of the tragedy in Japan. The programme was locally organised by the Organisation for Social, Industrial and Cultural Advancement (OISCA International, Japan) and was followed by ‘Purani Sangeeth Mehfil' organised by Sangeeth Milan.

Aabha Anoop

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