Hono-o-Daiko and Tokyo Dageki Dan

Hono-o-Daiko and Tokyo Dageki Dan. Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur. Two hours of non-stop excitement.

That’s what I was doing on Saturday night. Yours truly was fortunate enough to get tickets to the Japanese Drum Concert, Beating and Blazing organized by the Japan Foundation KL and The Embassy of Japan. The show featured two groups of world-renowned drummers.

First was the all-female group, Hono-o-Daiko, consisting Jige Akemi, Kinoshita Chieko and Yamada Mizue.

Next was the all-male group of Tokyo Dageki Dan. This group consists of 6 members, Kato Takuya, Sekine Makoto, Yokoyama Ryousuke, Murayama Jiro, Tagawa Tomofumi and Tsuyuki Kazuhiro.

Hono-o-Daiko was flawless in their drumming techniques and managed to get the audience to give them a standing ovation for the sheer power and intensity of their performance. Jige Akemi-san was the most expressive drummer, dancing in beat to the music and getting the audienced hyped-up with shouts and powerful drumming. Kinoshita Chieko-san was elegant in her hand movements but there was no mistaking the power of her beats on the drum. Yamada Mizue-san AMAZED me with her sheer stamina. I was staring at her hitting the drums, fast and furious, and wincing, thinking of the burning of her arms. It’s no wonder that her arms are so well-toned. Hono-o-Daiko has done 2 world tours and have an album to their name, “The Hono-o-Daiko Sound”. They have also represented japan in many cultural performances all over the world.

Picture courtesy of Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur. Please do not use these pictures for your personal use.

Tokyo Dageki Dan. Where do I start? They came on strong and left an impression with the audience with their versatility and improvisations. Each member stepped forward for a minute to show off their skills. They were more creative and less conventional than Hono-o-Daiko, with costume changes and a short funny skit before their performance entitled “Cross”. And it definitely helped a lot for yours truly to gawk and drool at their perfectly sculpted arms in their sleeveless costumes. Unfortunately, sitting so high up in the hall, I was unable to see their faces clearly, so I can’t give personal comments regarding their drumming styles. There was also a difference in Tokyo Dageki Dan’s repertoire, as Murayama Jiro-san performed a Shino-Bue flute solo. It was a refreshing change of pace to the intense drumming. The melody was haunting and you could not help but close your eyes and be caught up with the music. Tokyo Dageki Dan was founded by Kiranuma Jin-ichi in 1995. They performed with the Korean National Dance Troupe at the closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in France. They have also performed a European tour and performed in Africa.

All pictures were taken from ARTWILL Ltd. Please do not use these pictures for your personal use.

Members of Tokyo Dageki Dan:

from left to right: Murayama Jiro, Tagawa Tomofumi, Kato Takuya

from left to right: Sekine Makoto, Yokoyama Ryosuke, Tsuyuki Kazuhiro

All pictures were taken from ARTWILL Ltd. Please do not use these pictures for your personal use.

All in all, it was a FANTASTIC experience, and I thank JFKL and the Embassy of Japan for this wonderful chance to expose our country to another culture and strengthen our ties with Japan.

Hontou ni tanishikatta.
Domo arigatou gozaimasu!