Yamato: The Drummers of Japan

YAMATO is a Japanese Taiko drumming group based in Asuka-mura Nara Prefecture, which is well known by Japanese people as the hometown of Japan. They call themselves “YAMATO, the Taiko drumming group that travels all over the world.” They have done more than 4,000 shows across 54 countries since their formation in 1993.
YAMATO’s Taiko work cannot be fully described by the word “performance.” They have performed in theaters, schools, all types of events, and even held workshops and Taiko lessons. They bring joy to the world. They are touring Japan for six months and touring the world for six months. Their motto is “We go everywhere when somebody needs YAMATO!”
Onstage, they have more than 40 Taiko drums, each of them representing a different character. For example, their largest drum, called “Odaiko,” is produced from a huge tree over 400 years old, and is approximately two meters in diameter and weighs 500 kg. All the other Taiko drums are different sizes and have different sounds. The members of the group have trained their bodies to the limit to beat these massive Taiko drums.
The acoustic pressure far surpasses what one could imagine.
They do not simply make their Taiko drums explode with sound; they also produce delicate music that provides the listener with a palette of meticulously crafted sound. This is why YAMATO’s original performances are known as “physical music,” and continue to receive high acclaim all over the world. YAMATO is sometimes intense, sometimes sad, sometimes comforting, and in the next moment, comical on stage.

The audience is more than a group of bystanders at their performances. The audience is engulfed in the sound of the Taiko; they become one with the performers. All types of people gather around the sound of the Taiko, interweaving their lives and creating an instant in which they truly feel alive.