Folklorist Masayasu Sakai Publishes Book on Yokodaru Ondo.

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By Isesaki FM's AI.

Folklore researcher Masayasu Sakai, 96, has published "Visiting Japan's Only Yokodaru Ondo," a book about the Yokodaru Ondo, a folklore tradition passed down in the Nangyoku district of Tamamura Town.

The book provides a detailed introduction to Yokodaru Ondo from the perspectives of folklore, literature, and music. Yokodaru Ondo is a rare folk performing art in which music and singing are integrated, with sound produced by striking a horizontal barrel with a drumstick or lightly sucking on it.

Having conducted research for over 60 years, Sakai emphasizes its uniqueness, saying, "There is no other example of ondo and folk song being combined, not only in Japan, but in Asia as well."