Running to the beat of a different drummerJapan's 'demon drummers' combine art and athleticismJuly 22, 1997Web posted at: 3:24 p.m. EDT (1524 GMT) HONG KONG (CNN) -- Tradition has it that the boundaries of rural Japanese villages were defined not by geography, but by the point where the sounds of the great Japanese drums -- the Taiko -- could no longer be heard.
Nowadays, drumming troupes carry around the globe the sound that originated in ancient Shinto and Buddhist religious ceremonies, expanding those borders while amazing audiences with physically demanding performances.
One such group, Za Ondekoza -- the 'demon drummers' -- was formed in 1969 on the remote island of Sado, Japan. Not only is the performance of the troupe intense -- so is the group's routine off stage. The members of Ondekoza regularly run 42K (26-mile) marathons before their grueling two-hour performances.
From 1990 to 1993, "It's the power of will, or else it's really tough," explained group leader Yasuko Takakubo, "so it's really about how you change that into a positive thing. It all boils down to how you feel inside and your will power." Takakubo is one of two women in Za Ondekoza. Skeptics often question her ability simply because of her gender. For her, gender has no bearing on her work. "It's just a matter of doing things at your own pace," she said. "I'm a woman, so I go at my own pace and I do whatever I can within my abilities."
The drumming troupe also has one non-Japanese member -- Kelvin Underwood, who joined the troupe after seeing a performance in North Carolina. "At that time I was fascinated with all kinds of drums and percussions like I am now," he said. "I just wanted to play any of the big drums initially, just wanted to see what it was like to be along with them." What he found was inspiration.  "For me, it's my love for music and to play and perform," he says. "And I love to get the reaction from the audience. I'd feel like I've done a good job and I practiced well enough." Taiko saw a resurgence in a post-war Japan seeking to hold onto tradition in the face of rapid modernization. With as many as 4,000 groups in Japan alone, the art has plainly found a solid base. And groups such as Za Ondekoza make sure the rest of the world hears the sound some Buddhist sects have used to represent the voice of Buddha. The group is returning to North America this fall -- with drums and running shoes. Along with a grueling concert schedule across Canada and the United States, Za Ondekoza plans to run in the New York Marathon on November 2. For a group that once crossed the Boston Marathon's finish line and kept running onto the stage for a concert, that should pose no problem. CNN Correspondent May Lee contributed to this report. 
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the 10-member Ondekoza went on a marathon 355-concert U.S. tour. During the course of their three-year journey, members ran 14,910 kilometers (9,244 miles), wearing out 121 pairs of running shoes.
