ANCIENT ART FORM This photo taken on May 7, 2022 shows Japanese taiko drum performer Hana Ogawa of the Kodo troupe taking part in a performance on Sado island. Japanese taiko drumming is a musical form with roots in religious rituals, traditional theater and the joyous abandon of seasonal festivals called matsuri. AFP PHOTO
SADO, Japan: In a hall on Japan's Sado island, 71-year-old Yoshikazu Fujimoto strikes the imposing drum mounted before him, producing a boom so powerful that it reverberates through the floorboards.