Kagura (music offered to the gods) is a form of traditional performing art using giant drums, performed at festivals at temples and shrines. Ondekoza is a troupe of percussionists utilizing this and other folk arts through taiko (drum) music. Formed on Sado Island in 1969, they have pursued a rigorous and severe training and disciplined lifestyle that eventually led to some members splintering off to form the group Kodo. Ondekoza continue, however, creating lengthy and dramatic drum and percussion pieces, augmented by shakuhachi flute and koto, that build from a whisper to a scream. There is a great deal of theater to their performances, with loin-clothed drummers in highly stylized and ritualistic presentations, so any CD only conveys half the experience. However, the music itself is intense and full of drama, with the thunder of the taiko drums a formidable calling card, even for the gods. --Derek Rath