Yuta SUMIYOSHI

Profile
Yuta Sumiyoshi started playing taiko in his second year of elementary school. He entered the Kodo Apprentice Centre in 2010, and became a Kodo member in 2013. On stage, he is featured mainly on taiko drums and bamboo flutes. Known by colleagues as Kodo’s “sound maker,” Sumiyoshi specializes in nimble drumstick work and strives to enhance the musicality of Kodo performances. He has composed many pieces that feature prominently on the Kodo stage, such as Sasurai, Yui, Meguru, and Ayumi. Sumiyoshi directed the 2018 touring production “MEGURU” and the 2021 Kodo Performance in Asakusa “Ayumi.” In 2022, he will serve as the music director for Kodo’s new One Earth Tour work, “Cycles.”
Since 2020, Sumiyoshi has been the driving force behind a range of recording projects, working on Kodo albums including the “Alatane” and “Kodo Together” series as a performer and sound engineer. He also performs with fellow Kodo member Kenta Nagagome as Kentataku Yutataku, a quicksilver improv unit that has released three albums to date. Sumiyoshi has a keen interest in experimental music and sound art, always looking beyond taiko music in search of new forms of expression. His curiosity and adventurous approach continue to bring innovation and creative energy to the Kodo stage.
In 2021, Sumiyoshi received the Kagawa Prefecture Culture and Arts Newcomer Award.