Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 30, 1993 TAG: 9303300110
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS-BANKS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
So goes the Japanese adage.
Called Japan's "demon drummers" because of the power of their music - not their liaison with the gods - Ondekoza is literally a band on the run.
The touring ensemble of eight men and one woman have a quest.
They are running the entire 11,000 mile perimeter of the United States.
So far, they have jogged more than 6,500 miles and performed more than 200 concerts since they began their running tour at the New York City Marathon on November 15, 1990.
"Quite a few people have walked or run across the United States," said the group's 62-year-old founder, Takayasu Den. "But no one has gone around it."
Den started Ondekoza in 1969 on Sado Island in the Japan Sea. The site of a former gold mine worked by exiled prisoners, the island was known as a refuge for powerful men fallen from grace with Japanese authorities. Den's contemporaries considered him a "hippie."
The original members of Ondekoza were a commune of drummers whose music was drawn from traditional festival music. The present group still follows a communal lifestyle where physical and mental training goes hand-in-hand with their musical training.
Members of the group run an average of 30 miles each day. They also play a variety of percussion instruments ranging from lightweight tom-toms to 700-pound drums, in addition to bamboo flutes called shakuhachi and stringed instruments called shamisen.
The musicians say the long-distance running provides the endurance and stamina they need for their physically exerting perfor- . mances. At the same time, it offers a time for inspiration and meditation.
Marco Lienhard, interpreter and spokesman for the group, joined Ondekoza following a visit to Japan in 1981 as a foreign exchange student. He is the only non-Japanese member.
Lienhard said the musicians wanted to bring Japanese culture to the United States in an effort to offer their music "to a large variety of people who would otherwise never experience it."
"We've had a lot of good experiences. We've met a lot of friendly people on the tour," he said. "At first they are not familiar with our type of music, but after they hear it they usually want to hear more."
The musicians have slept in hotels, American homes and frequently under the stars during their tour of the country. They usually cook their own meals on the road. A large truck bearing the Ondekoza name carries the troupe's drums and equipment.
Following the 1990 New York Marathon, Ondekoza performed at Carnegie Hall. The group then ran down the East Coast to Miami before going up to Atlanta. From there, they crossed the continent, hitting New Orleans, Houston, Phoenix and San Diego. Their run along the West Coast took them through Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
They are currently making their way back to New York for their final performance at Carnegie Hall. It's scheduled for Dec. 3 of this year.
Along the way, the musicians have run across alligators and other obstacles. They were stopped by the police in Norfolk when they tried to cross a 5-mile-long bridge that prohibited pedestrian crossing.
It was a hurdle, but it didn't stop the onward press.
They hid in the bushes and crossed the bridge late that night.
Ondekoza, the demon drummers of Japan, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Virginia Tech's Burruss Hall. The appearance is sponsored by the Cranwell International Center, Virginia Tech's International Club, the Council of International Student Organizations and the Residence Hall Federation. Tickets, available at the box office in Squires Student Center, are $3 for the public or $1 for students.
by CNB