Taiko-powered Carts, Driven by Yatai-bayashi

After the big drum solo, Kodo often drives things home with Yatai-bayashi, its classic thrilling finale number. Yatai means cart and is written with two kanji characters that mean “a small house on a mobile platform.” Yatai-bayashi translates as “cart musical accompaniment.” This piece is based on the taiko accompaniment played during Chichibu Yomatsuri, the night festival held every December in Chichibu, Saitama. The festival’s climax occurs when carts weighing up to 20 tonnes are pulled up a steep slope one after another. Yatai-bayashi is the taiko piece played inside the carts to spur on the people pulling them. On stage, Kodo performers sit on the floor with their legs outstretched on either side of the taiko as they play. This distinct drumming style arose from the need to play in a confined space at the festival, seated inside a moving cart.

 

Encouraging Everyone to Give Taiko a Go

These days, Kodo performances feature a number of female performers. However, for many years after the group’s debut in 1981, Kodo’s casts were almost entirely made up of men. And if women appeared on stage, they didn’t play taiko or wear the same costumes as the men: they wore kimono. The reason lies in tradition: it was typically men who played taiko in traditional Japanese festivals and performing arts, so the group was delivering performances in line with that image. As times changed and taiko started to gain more attention as a performing art, more women started to play taiko and Kodo added more taiko pieces featuring women to its performances. The more women appeared playing taiko on stage, the more women wanted to join the group and play like those pioneers. Today, Kodo hopes its performers can inspire not only women but also people of all ages, genders, races, and abilities to pick up a pair of drumsticks and give taiko a go. Taiko is for everyone.

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“Kodo One Earth Tour 2026: LUMINANCE” Europe Tour