Japan: Koishimaru Izutsuya: Master of the Kawachi Ondo Epics

Ondō is a Japanese festival song-and-dance style (ondo literally means "leading the rhythm") widely associated with Bon Odori summer events and regional matsuri. It features a steady, swinging duple meter, call-and-response vocals, and simple, catchy refrains designed for group circle dances. Melodies typically draw on Japanese pentatonic scales (yo and in scales), and accompaniment often includes shamisen, shinobue (bamboo flute), taiko, atarigane/kane (hand bell), and handclaps. Regional variants such as Kawachi Ondo, Tokyo Ondo, Akita Ondo, and Hanagasa Ondo give the style local color through dialect, distinct kakegoe (shouted interjections), and characteristic dance moves. While rooted in folk practice, ondō also entered mass media through early-20th-century recordings and radio, producing enduring popular numbers that remain staples of community dance repertoires in Japan and in Japanese diaspora communities worldwide.