In a hall on Japan's Sado island, 71-year-old Yoshikazu Fujimoto strikes the enormous, 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 Japan's seasonal matsuri or festivals.　But for all its ancient pedigree, taiko drumming as a performance is a fairly modern invention, developed by a jazz musician and popularised in part by one of Japan's most famous troupes: Sado island's Kodo.

Interested in licensing this video ? Get in touch 👉 http://u.afp.com/UBbQ
N.B.: AFP’s services and content are for professional use only