440-Year-Old Imperial “Yojinjou Taiko” National Treasure Performance Comes to Beitou — Free with a Hot Spring Bath

▲ Yojinjou Taiko, designated as an Intangible Cultural Asset of Ishikawa Prefecture. (Photo / Provided by Nikko Kaga Hotel, the same below)

By Chen Rui-zhong / Comprehensive Report

Beitou’s Nikko Kaga Hotel, built on the site of Taiwan’s first Japanese-style hot spring inn, “Tengu-an,” is celebrating its 6th anniversary this year. Coupled with Tengu-an’s 120th anniversary and the 110th anniversary of the main building of Kaga Hotel in Japan, the resort has specially invited the Ishikawa Prefecture Intangible Cultural Asset “Yojinjou Taiko” to perform in Taiwan, giving the public a chance to experience authentic Japanese performance culture up close.

Nikko Kaga Hotel stated that the first performance of Yojinjou Oni-men Taiko will be a charity event, held at 14:00 on April 29, 2016, on the large lawn of Beitou Hot Spring Museum. The event will also feature a joint performance by Beitou Qingjiang Elementary School’s Zhishui Camp Han Drum Team to promote cultural exchange between Taiwan and Japan. From 18:00 on April 29 to May 1, 2016, for three consecutive evenings, Yojinjou Taiko will perform at the Golden Nyohou Garden on the sixth floor of Nikko Kaga Hotel.Visitors who come to the hotel on the performance days—whether for a hot spring bath, accommodation, or dining—can watch the show simply by making any purchase.

▲ Masks made from tree bark, seaweed, ramie, and horsehair.

Yojinjou Oni-men Taiko originated from the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, where Kaga Hotel is located. In 1576, the powerful Sengoku-era warlord Uesugi Kenshin invaded Noto. At that time, unarmed farmers carved masks from tree bark, used seaweed as wigs, and danced wildly at night while beating drums, successfully scaring off Uesugi’s heavily armored army. The Yojinjou Taiko has been passed down to this day and was officially designated as an Intangible Cultural Asset of Ishikawa Prefecture.

During the Yojinjou Oni-men Taiko performance, the rhythm unfolds in three sections of varying speeds. Different demon masks represent different characters. Performers wearing masks made from tree bark, seaweed, ramie, and horsehair dance in corresponding postures, thrilling the audience and drawing screams—a true national treasure-level performance of Japan.

Yojinjou Oni-men Taiko Performance
Performance Time & Location: April 29 at 14:00 on the large lawn of Beitou Hot Spring Museum; from April 29 to May 1, every day at 18:00 at Golden Nyohou Garden on the 6th floor of Nikko Kaga Hotel
Address: No. 236, Guangming Road, Beitou District, Taipei City