KARAKORO EISA (Japanese Traditional Drum Dance Troupe)
Mirukumunari (Dance for a Rich Harvest)
- An Okinawan modern song. The song and dance praise a rich harvest.
Shishi-mai (Lion Dance)
- Shishi is popular throughout Japan as a talisman god. It walks around to pray for avoiding bad diseases and various disasters.
Watarizou Tachitoushisugakachi
- Classical music handed down from the Ryukyu Kingdom. Its words show good luck and joyfulness.
Takeda-no-Komoriuta （Lullaby in Takeda）Karakoro's original creation
- Takeda in Kyoto Prefecture is one of areas where Japan’s feudal outcast group of people lived. Their descendants are still discriminated at present.
Take-no-uta （The Song of Bamboos） Karakoro's original creation
- Japan has a lot of earthquakes, tsunami, and fires. But however damaged by them, bamboos spread their roots deeply underground, and they regenerate themselves soon. In Hiroshima, which was damaged by the atomic bomb in the World WarⅡ, the plant that regenerated soonest was the bamboo. We wish human beings should have the strength like that.
- The Great East-Japan Earthquake damaged a lot of towns and villages. We perform this song, praying that they will reconstruct themselves as soon as possible.
Satokibi batake (Song of the Sugarcane Field) Karakoro's original creation
- A Japanese contemporary song. Under sugarcane fields in Okinawa are buried a lot of bones of people killed in the Okinawan war. Zawawa, Zawawa, which imply the sound of wind blowing over sugarcane fields in summer, are repeated with prayer for peace.
Warabi-gami (Children’s God) Karakoro's original creation
- A lullaby. In Okinawa babies are considered to be given from the heaven. People cradle babies, singing this song.
- In our performance mothers who lost their children in the war sings, wondering how old they would be if they were alive. Then we express the scene that dead children appear in a vision. Lastly the mothers appear and express the sadness of victims of wars and disasters, dancing with sensu (Japanese folding fans). Praying that we will have no more wars, the brilliance of sensu changes from silver to gold, and it seems to send off golden lights.
- With this performance, we won second place in the nationwide Creative Eisa Contest in 2010.
Ryu-mai (Dragon Dance) Karakoro's original creation
- In China they perform dragon dances to pray for rain and a rich harvest. The way a dragon dance high above inspires us with long life and prosperity, giving us happiness and good luck.
Karakoro Drums of Japan
Sunday, July 31, 2:00 PM Simcoe Park Bandshell
Niagara on the Lake, ON
KARAKORO [Karada to Kokoro no Deaino-kai]
6-6-17-201,Nishinakajima Yodogawa-ku Osaka Japan
e-mail office@karakoro.org phone.416-454-5923
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