[Ishikawa Prefecture, Shika Town] Experience "Shika Taiko," where tradition and challenge resonate together!

Shika Town in Ishikawa Prefecture , located on the Noto Peninsula jutting out into the Nihon Sea , is a town enveloped in the blessings of the sea, mountains, and countryside, as well as festivals and the sounds of taiko drumming that have been passed down since ancient times. There are many tourist spots to visit, such as the strangely shaped rocks carved by the rough waves and the beautiful sandy beaches where cherry Fuji wash ashore, the breathtakingly beautiful sunsets, and the people's lives spread out at the foot of the beautiful Mount Takatsume, also known as Noto Fuji.

You definitely want to experience Japanese festivals and taiko culture in this town. In addition to being able to watch traditional festivals and competitions where taiko skills and performances are competed against each other, travelers can also try their hand at playing the taiko drums, and there are even competitions where you can participate alongside locals. Why not visit Shika Town, the mecca of taiko drumming, and experience the passionate beat of Japan?

• Table of Contents
• The passion and bonds played by the Shika Taiko drums resonating through the earth
• Why is Taiko popular in Shika Town?
• New challenges and transmission of taiko culture
• A new challenge for Shika Town's taiko drums: connecting people through taiko drumming
• Contact Shika Town Taiko Experience and Sightseeing
• Access to Shika Town

The passion and bonds played by the Shika Taiko drums resonating through the earth

The Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture is home to many unique cultures and customs. Noto in particular is known as a treasure trove of festivals, with a wide variety of festivals and ceremonies held in each region, each with its own unique traditions. Kiriko (giant lanterns carried by dozens of people) and the beating of taiko drums at festivals are truly representative features of Noto festivals.

Left: Kiriko, a giant lantern seen at traditional festivals in the Noto region. Right: Mikoshi, a portable shrine, the vehicle on which the gods ride during festivals.

Shika Town is known for its thriving taiko drumming culture, which has been passed down through ancient festivals, exciting competitions, and more recently through new cultural events. Whether you want to experience a tradition that has been passed down for hundreds of years or a cutting-edge performance, Shika Town will invite you into its rhythmic circle.

Shika Taiko is characterized by a powerful performance style in which two people, an "Oobai" and a "Kobai," beat one drum. The group is highly regarded both within and outside the prefecture, and has made its presence felt at taiko tournaments in Ishikawa Prefecture and at national events.

The "Oobai" drums are struck loudly like thunder, while the "Koobai" drums are struck finely like raindrops. The profound sounds that shake the earth and the powerful rhythms that move the hearts of the audience are not just a local performing art, but are positioned as a cultural heritage that embodies the spirituality and identity of the region.

In Shika Town, taiko drumming is loved by people of all genders, from adults to children. There are also female performers who powerfully beat the drums and put on beautiful performances!

Why is Taiko popular in Shika Town?

In Shika Town, taiko drums have been at the heart of festivals and local events since ancient times. Representative examples include the Togi Hassaku Festival , the Prefectural Taiko Drumming Competition , and Koredemoka! Taiko. With its roots in festivals, taiko culture has been carefully passed down, with several taiko preservation societies and groups in the town, and the traditions are passed down from elders to children. Cultivated by a unique rhythm and tradition, Shika taiko drums go beyond being just musical instruments and music; they have become the heartbeat of the community itself.

Prefectural Taiko Drumming Competition

The Prefectural Taiko Drumming Competition , held every year on the third Monday of September at Obama Shrine, is the oldest taiko drumming competition in Ishikawa Prefecture and will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2025. Taiko teams of various ages and genders who have won competitions in Shika Town, Nanao City, Wajima City, and other parts of the prefecture compete against each other in the tense atmosphere that fills the shrine grounds, and the heated battle unfolds from day to night.

The Prefectural Taiko Drumming Competition is the oldest taiko drumming competition in Ishikawa Prefecture. (Image provided by Shika Town)

Six judges will evaluate the participants' performance on the basis of their playing style, technique, and rhythm, and rank them based on their total scores. The participants will use the drumsticks provided by the organizers, and there are strict rules, such as a 30-point deduction if the drummer drops the stick. The participants will be judged fairly according to the following criteria:

Uchikomi: The judges judge the volume of the sound of the drums played. Louder sounds are preferred.

Performance: The judges will be on the beauty of the striking technique and the quality of the performances shown between strikes.

Condition: Check whether the rhythm is in sync or not.

* Hitting the corners of the drum or clashing the drumsticks together will result in a low score.

Winners will be awarded the titles of "Ozeki," "Sekiwake," and "Komusubi," which are based on the sumo ranking system. Also, once every ten years, past Ozeki (winners) will compete in a Yokozuna tournament to determine the true number one. 2025 will be the year in which this once-in-a-decade Yokozuna tournament will be held.

The Prefectural Taiko Drumming Competition will be held for the 90th time in 2025. The Yokozuna Championship, which is held only once every 10 years, is also a must-see!

Tomiura Hassaku Festival - A festival that has continued for 1,000 years

Shika Town is also known for the " Togi Hassaku Festival ." The festival got its name from the fact that it was held on August 1st of the lunar calendar, and is now held every year on the fourth Saturday of August and the following Sunday. Since it is held at the same time every year, it might be a good idea to plan your trip around the festival dates.

This "Togi Hassaku Festival" is said to have been held for 1,000 years, and its origins are related to the male deity of Hachiman Shrine who was washed ashore at Masuho Bay in the Togi area, and the female deity of Sumiyoshi Shrine who rescued him.

The god and goddess were married, but the god could no longer bear the sound of the rough waves that echoed every night, so he moved to a place far from the sea, and it is said that a festival was started to bring the god and goddess together once a year.

▲The "Togi Hassaku Festival" held in 2018. (From Shika Town official YouTube channel)

At the Otabi Festival on the first day, over 20 large and small kiriko (houto / giant lanterns) floats gather at Hachiman Shrine from each district to welcome the male deity, and then they are paraded around to Sumiyoshi Shrine, about 2km away, accompanied by the sound of drums and bells.

The main festival begins in the afternoon on the second day, when 11 portable shrines (mikoshi) line up at Masuhoura bay and walk along the beach to escort the male deity to Hachiman Shrine. The spectacle of the kiriko and mikoshi being paraded around to the sound of bells and drums is a moment when the whole town is enveloped in the sound of the drums.

"This is it! Taiko" - A sound filled with hopes for recovery

Shika Town is preserving tradition while also actively embracing new challenges, linking taiko culture to tourism and regional revitalization. On November 10, 2024, the 25th "Koredemoka! Taiko ( Ultimate Taiko )" performance event, which brought together taiko groups from Shika Town, was held at Shika Town Cultural Hall. Visitors were able to enjoy the sounds of Togi Festival Taiko, traditional rhythms, and a variety of taiko performances.

The stage of "Koredemoka! Taiko" held in 2024. Each team presented a captivating taiko performance.

Guest performers, the Fukuoka Prefecture based Japanese band "Japan Marvelous," also performed an original song for the first time. On New Year's Day 2024, a massive earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula , causing extensive damage to the entire Noto Peninsula , including Shika Town . Representative Nishiguchi, who once came second in a taiko drumming competition in Shika Town, said he presented the song to the band in hopes of helping the town recover from the damage caused by the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

The performance of this song by the Japan Marvelous and the Noto performing team was so spectacular it gave us goosebumps, and I was overwhelmed by the powerful sound of the drums and the beauty of the flawless performance.

Japan Marvelous performed together with a local Noto drumming teams for an impressive performance.

New challenges and transmission of taiko culture

Shika Town is also developing tourism content centered around taiko drums. Events include a second attempt at the Guinness World Record for the " World's Longest Bench, "a Shika Town specialty, in October 2024, a new tournament called " Kodo no Itadaki (Drum Beat Summit) Tournament Battle " which is different from the traditional taiko drumming events held up until now, and taiko workshops where tourists can actually play the drums. The town is expanding its enjoyment by offering more opportunities for people to "participate" rather than just watching.

Attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the "World's Longest Bench"

In this challenge, all participants sat on the "world's longest bench" and aimed to be the world's largest number of people playing Japanese drums in a relay format. The requirement was not just to beat the drums, but to play them accurately in the traditional rhythm of the "Shika Taiko" that had been set in advance. On the day, judges were dispatched from Guinness, and more than 300 people from inside and outside the town, including the mayor of Shika Town and local drumming groups, gathered to attempt the record.

The "World's Longest Bench" is a 460.9m long bench located on Masuhoura Beach, which was registered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest bench in the world in 1989. The reason behind attempting the Guinness record again in 2024 is to deepen bonds through taiko drumming and pray for recovery from the earthquake disaster.

With the start at 11am, participants of all ages, genders and nationalities lined up on benches, passing drumsticks instead of batons to the traditional Shika drum rhythm of "do-don-don-do-don-don-do-don-do-don-do-don-do-don-do-don-don-don-don-don-don-don-don." The hard work and practice by both adults and children for this day was rewarded, as 269 participants achieved a remarkable Guinness World Record!

The drum relay, which took over two hours, set a world record!

The Peak of Heartbeat Tournament Battle - A Stage for a New Generation

The first " Kodo no Itadaki (Drum Beat Summit) Tournament Battle " was held on July 13, 2025. This is a newly created taiko tournament in which pairs of two people (or in some cases, pairs of three people with musical instruments) compete against each other in terms of technical ability, expressiveness, beauty of sound, creativity, and audience reaction.

The winning team of the adult division of "Kodo no Itadaki Tournament Battle 2025"

The "Kodo no Itadaki Tournament Battle" has flexible rules that allow for free cosplay, and the knockout battles, where participants combine musical instruments and come up with creative costumes and performances, are a feast for the eyes and ears, and never get boring. It is a forum for presentations that is a little different from traditional competitions, and both performers and audiences hope that it will continue to be held.

The winning team in the children's division of "Kodo no Itadaki Tournament Battle 2025"

A new challenge for Shika Town's taiko drums: connecting people through taiko drumming

Shika Town's taiko culture is a blend of local history, festivals, and the pride of its people, and has been passed down powerfully to the present day. Now, its sounds are spreading beyond the town boundaries to new generations and people from outside the town.

Even though it's the first time I've heard the rhythm of the taiko drums, it somehow brings back memories and warms my Shika Town has also developed a workshop program where tourists can experience playing the taiko drums.

This workshop allows tourists to experience Shika Town's traditional drumming. Learn from a master drummer and master the traditional rhythms.

You can enjoy the powerful performance as an audience member, or you can actually hold the drumsticks and experience it for yourself. The vibrations and sense of unity that resonate from your feet deep into your heart are a special luxury reserved only for those who visit. Be sure to take home memories of "Shika Taiko," a drumming tradition that resonates with the hearts of both the earth and people, as a souvenir of your trip.

Once you've mastered the traditional rhythms and discovered the joy of taiko drumming, why not try your hand at competing in the next "Kodo no Chou Tournament Battle"?

Contact Shika Town Taiko Experience and Sightseeing

Shika Town Tourism Association

Address: 3-1 Aigami, Shikamachi , Shika Town, Hakui Ishikawa Prefecture, 925-0454

TEL 0767-42-0355 FAX 0767-42-2664

Access to Shika Town

From Tokyo

1) Tokyo Station - Kanazawa Station Hokuriku Shinkansen (Kagayaki) 2 hours 28 minutes

Kanazawa Station - Shika Town: 50 minutes by car

2) Tokyo Station - Shin- Takaoka Station Hokuriku Shinkansen (Hakutaka) approx. 2 hours 20 minutes

Takaoka Station - Shika Town - Approx. 1 hour by car

3) Haneda Airport - Noto Satoyama Airport: Approximately 1 hour

Noto Satoyama Airport - Shika Town Approx. 40 minutes by car

From Osaka

Osaka Station - Kanazawa Station JR Express + Hokuriku Shinkansen Approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

Kanazawa Station - Shika Town: 50 minutes by car

From Nagoya

Nagoya Station - Kanazawa Station Shinkansen + Limited Express Approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

Kanazawa Station - Shika Town: 50 minutes by car