By MOOK Scenic Spots Travel Life Network Editorial Team
HowToTrip's Beitou Hot Spring Hotel Nikko Kaga Ya is celebrating its 6th anniversary, coinciding with the 120th anniversary of its Tengu-an and the 110th anniversary of the main building of Kaga Ya in Japan—three joyous milestones. To mark the occasion, we’ve specially invited the Intangible Cultural Asset of Ishikawa Prefecture, the "Gosenjin ride Drum," to perform in Taiwan. The first performance will be a charity event, taking place at 2:00 PM on April 29th on the large lawn of the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, with a follow-up performance by the Beitou Qingjiang Elementary School Zhishui Camp Han Drum Team to promote cultural exchange between Taiwan and Japan.
Nikko Kaga Ya’s 6th Anniversary Celebration Featuring the Gosenjin ride Drum Performance (Photo provided by Nikko Kaga Ya)
The Gosenjin ride Drum with ghost-faced performers originated from the Noto Peninsula. In 1576, during Japan’s Warring States period, the fierce warlord Uesugi Kenshin invaded Noto. Facing the imminent loss of their homeland and armed with nothing but tree bark masks and seaweed wigs, unarmed farmers danced wildly under the moonlight while beating drums—and astonishingly managed to scare off Uesugi’s heavily armored army. This is how the Gosenjin ride Drum has been passed down through the centuries, now boasting a 400-year history.
Masks made of tree bark and seaweed that scared off Uesugi’s armored army (Photo provided by Nikko Kaga Ya)
The Gosenjin ride Drum performance unfolds in three rhythmic sections: “Jo (slow),” “Ha (accelerating),” and “Kyū (very fast).” Different ghost masks represent various characters—such as sorrowful ghosts, half-human half-demon yaksha, and round-eyed, bulging-forehead Darumas. Performers don these masks, crafted from tree bark, seaweed, ramie, and horsehair, embodying their respective roles to thrill audiences and elicit gasps and screams. It’s truly a national treasure-level performance in Japan.
Nikko Kaga Ya is renowned for its authentic Japanese-style butler service (Photo provided by Nikko Kaga Ya)
Since its opening, HowToTrip's Beitou Nikko Kaga Ya has inherited the Japanese Kaga Ya main store’s tradition of valuing culture and heritage. Each year, it invites representative Japanese cultural performances such as geisha, shamisen music, and Takarazuka Theatre performances to Taiwan. Aside from the April 29th performance on the large lawn of the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, the Gosenjin ride Drum will also perform indoors at the Golden Nyōbo Garden on the 6th floor of Nikko Kaga Ya from 6:00 PM between April 29th and May 1st.