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Where Alison James lives, there is drumming group of Japanese Taiko; she has always been riveted by their performances. One year, they played a piece that had a program note about its story: A small village in ancient Japan frightened off invading Samurai warriors by wearing demon masks and pounding on their drums. It immediately struck James as a perfect story for a picture book. When their family moved to Okayama, Japan the following year, she took a research trip to the peninsula of Noto Hanto, where the event took place. She met with the descendants of the original villagers, saw them perform their drumming, and photographed their masks. Then she wrote the story, using strongly rhythmic language for the sounds of the drums: “Don kada Don Don!” Publisher’s Weekly gave the book a starred review, calling it “dramatic” and a “splendid picture book.” The critic also observed that James “parades a series of verbal images as colorful as they are powerful… and her skillful use of onomatopoeia conveys the differing timbers and types of drums. The text exudes a palpable energy.” School Library Journal contributor Grace Oliff began her review by saying, “A simply yet powerfully told tale of underdogs who triumph not by brawn but by courage and ingenuity,” and concluded that The Drums of Noto Hanto is “a unique and interesting tale.”
The Drums of Noto Hanto has, according to the PW review, “strikingly handsome cut-paper illustrations, reminiscent of David Wisniewski’s work,” done by Japanese artist Tsukushi. PW continues, “From the opening image of a drum that protrudes onto the spread as theatrically as the nearby isles erupting form the sea of Japan, this tale will grab readers’ attention…. A samurai battleship sails against a blood-red sky, masked villagers dance wildly by firelight, and drummers sit in a circle concentric with the edge of the globe and the drum as they beat for their lives – the vividness of the spreads is nothing short of hypnotic.”
James has taken a performance of The Drums of Noto Hanto into schools and bookstores nationwide. She tours with a member of the Burlington Taiko Group, and the book comes to life with thunderous Taiko drumming. Children make replicas of the masks from the book, learn to play the Taiko and write Haiku poetry in workshops. Judy Hijikata independent children’s bookseller from Imagination Station in Arlington, Virginia had this to say about their performance: “She’s the best author by a long shot that I’ve ever seen. She does a good reading, she has a lot of energy… Not only does the drummer add an unusual element, this particular guy is dynamic! He’s energetic, knowledgeable, and committed to kids and books.”
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