
If you beat a drum, it makes a sound. But drumming a beat that moves the hearts of others is something else all together. Pour your soul into each strike! Play with complete devotion! Make strong, soft, feel-good sounds! Release vibrations filled with emotion! The list goes on... We will approach the instrument with the idea of "singing through the drum" in mind, and Yoshikazu will be there to guide you in a fun and friendly way.
Yoshikazu Fujimoto (Kodo)
Yoshikazu Fujimoto joined Sado no Kuni Ondekoza in 1972. In 1981 he became one of the founding members of Kodo, and for 35 years he has played taiko on stages all over the world, featured as the O-daiko player and center-man for the Yatai-bayashi climax. He is presently the most senior performing member of Kodo.
In recent years, he has dedicated himself to teaching at the Kodo Apprentice Centre and remaining active in the community through workshops and local performances. He has been studying Iwasaki Onikenbai since his Ondekoza days, and after many years of cultural exchange, he received a performer's license from the Iwasaki Onikenbai grand master in 1998. He has been active as Sado's resident Onikenbai authority ever since, and founded the Iwasakiden Sado Onikenbai group in 2007.
A true taiko lover who hopes to always play with a pure heart, Yoshikazu epitomizes the Kodo monicker "children of the drum."