Den Tagayasu

Ondekoza

Shortly after Den permanently resided on Sado Island, Den held a summer class on music in 1970; Den was interested in revitalizing Sado Island and create eventually a folk art university. Things eventually changed to gear towards Taiko performance and in Japanese folk music in general. In 1971, Den officially founded Ondekoza, and some of the approximately 40 students who attended the summer class became some of the core members of Ondekoza. Performers in Ondekoza lived on Sado Island in a communal setting, and Den had them undergo a rigorous training regiment including a 10-kilometer run every morning at 4:00 AM.