The Drums of Noto Hanto by J. Alison James, illustrated by Tsukushi
This is a true story retold and illustrated with a beautiful message of creativity and courage. In a small fishing village off the coast of Japan, Noto Hanto is alarmed when they are warned of an approaching samurai ship. Both the adults and the children use the meager resources from the village in creative ways to ward off the ships and prevent a battle. Wearing wild masks, they played their drums whose tapping, pounding and booming voices "set trembling the very water of the sea."
The Ryu Shu Kan, in partnership with the Japan Center at Stony Brook present: "Introduction to Japanese Culture" through the excitement of the Taiko Drums & elegance of Japanese Folk Dance. Their performance included an inter-active storytime of The Drums of Noto Hanto in which our kids participated as masked dancers or sword wielding samurai warriors. Even our littlest kids were inspired by the drumming and all of the parents were extremely impressed and entertained!
Please check out the Ryu Shu Kan Japanese Arts Center website for more details on Taiko, Karate, Tai Chi and more here. Thank you Gerard and Hiroko for such a wonderful experience!
