December 19, 2024 (New York, NY) – From January 16 through March 29, 2025, YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan will tour North America with their new show entitled, Hito no Chikara – The Power of Human Strength. The “simply captivating” (The Evening Post) Taiko troupe has reached nearly 8 million people globally in over 4,000 performances throughout their thirty-two-year history, adding to that number this season with seven performances in Canada; and 29 venues throughout the United States from New England to California.The contemporary Taiko troupe will bring their “visually stunning, musically interesting, powerful and humorous” (Addicted Toronto) show to venues throughout the United States and Canada from January 16 – March 29. Photo credits: Hiroshi Seo.
“A genuinely theatrical experience, delivered with balletic grace and infectious humour.” –Times UK
In Ontario, Yamato will make stops in St. Catherines on January 16 at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Partridge Hall, Markham on January 17 at the Flato Markham Theatre, Chatham on January 18 at the Chatham Capitol Theatre, Guelph on January 19 at the River Run Centre, and Brantford on January 20 at the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts.
“YAMATO believes that the drumbeat, like the heartbeat, is the very pulse of life and the epitome of the Japanese spirit,” says the troupe’s Founder and Artistic Director Masa Ogawa. The physically powerful cohort of musician-athletes work and live together as a community in the Asuka Village, said to be the birthplace of Japanese culture. There they create their own musical compositions, theater productions, sets, lighting design, choreography, performance techniques, costumes, makeup, stage settings and props. They make their own bachi sticks used to play the traditional Japanese instruments, beginning each show by hitting a Wadaiko drum weighing half a ton, made from a single piece of wood from a 400-year-old tree.
In every program, the drummers play 35-40 different Japanese drums, which are divided into four types: Miya-daiko, Hirado-taiko, Okedo-daiko and Shime-daiko, each varying in size and tone. Additionally, the troupe play Japanese instruments including the Shamisen, Koto, Chappa and Shinobue. Ogawa explains, “after composing each song, I give a score to the drummers. From that point, YAMATO’s true creation begins. The drummers put their thoughts and spirit into each note. We open the eyes of the heart to find a sort of synchronicity with the other drummers. Our final purpose is to connect to the heart of the audience.”
This season’s new program entitled Hito no Chikara – The Power of Human strength examines humanity’s ever evolving relationship with technology and artificial intelligence. Masa Ogawa wonders, “Will there ever be a machine that can play Taiko with unparalleled accuracy? Will advanced algorithms make them sound human-like? Will people be used by the tools they have created, or will we no longer need people in the future? What will happen to Taiko drumming?” Ogawa concludes, “Let us beat the Taiko as we are YAMATO. We do not know when the end of humanity is, but we will strike until that moment. The sounds struck by the heart, resonating with each other, will become Hito no Chikara – The Power of Human strength.”
人の力 Hito no Chikara
Technology is a tool,
It is humans who wield it.
With the advancement of technology,
An era where technology possesses intelligence.
Will humans become tools used by technology?
What will become of human existence?
In this age where humans are alive,
Beat the Taiko drum.
Made of a huge wooden body and cowhide,
Resonating with the power of the human body.
It is the heartbeat.
The Power of Human Strength.
–Masa Ogawa

Photo credit: Hiroshi Seo.
About YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan
Founded in 1993 in Japan’s Nara Prefecture and presently based in Asuka Village, said to be the birthplace of Japanese culture, YAMATO travels all over the word with Japan’s traditional Taiko drums, putting its very souls into the unusual instruments. Over the past 30 years, the troupe has performed in 54 countries and regions, giving 4,000 performances for nearly eight million people. They travel with about 40 Taiko drums, ranging in size from 10kg to 500kg. The troupe lives within the Village and engages in daily strength training, instrument practice, and program rehearsal. Always evolving and innovating while respecting the tradition, YAMATO is a modern and relevant ambassador for Taiko drumming and for the Japanese culture from which it derives.
Since their formation, YAMATO has been committed to preserving and respecting the Taiko tradition, while infusing originality and innovation into the ancient practice. Notably, YAMATO broke from Taiko’s long-standing patriarchy and has always included women in the troupe. And while the members train rigorously, YAMATO imbues each performance with joy and a sense of fun, breaking from the stereotypical stoicism associated with this ancient art form.