■Featuring: Kodo, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

■Conductor: Tatsuya Shimono

■Profiles

Tatsuya Shimono (Conductor)

Born in Kagoshima, Tatsuya Shimono cemented his international reputation early in his career by winning the Tokyo International Music Competition in 2000 and the Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors in 2001. He serves as Permanent Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Guest Conductor of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Hiroshima Wind Orchestra, and Conductor Laureate of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra. Shimono is also dedicated to educating the next generation, teaching at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts, and Tokyo College of Music. He has received numerous accolades, including the Hideo Saito Memorial Award, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize, the Arima Prize, the Hiroshima Citizens’ Award, and the Chugoku Cultural Award. Shimono is also a radio personality on NHK-FM’s Suisogaku no Hibiki [The Sound of Wind Music].

©️Shin Yamagishi

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

Founded in 1911, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra has the dual function of a symphony orchestra and a theatrical orchestra. It is home to Honorary Music Director Myung-Whun Chung, Chief Conductor Andrea Battistoni, and Special Guest Conductor Mikhail Pletnev. TPO is widely recognized for its diverse activities, from concerts and opera and ballet performances at venues such as Tokyo’s New National Theatre to international tours and broadcast programming on NHK and other channels. The orchestra holds a franchise agreement with Bunkamura Orchard Hall and has business partnerships with Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo; Chiba City; Karuizawa, Nagano; and Nagaoka, Niigata, as well as a cooperative agreement with Kariya, Aichi.

©️ Takafumi Ueno

Maki Ishii (1936–2003)

Maki Ishii is a Japanese composer and conductor. Born the third son of Baku Ishii, the celebrated dancer and choreographer, he studied avant-garde music in Tokyo and Berlin. From the late 1960s onwards, he developed a creative approach that blended Western techniques with traditional Japanese music, working primarily in Japan and Germany. Ishii gained international acclaim for works such as the ballet suite Kaguyahime [The Moon Princess] and the opera Tojirareta Fune [The Sealed Boat]. He was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1999.

Make this summer a memorable one with Kodo on Sado Island!

Set sail for Sado Island this summer and enjoy spending time with Kodo at this mini concert series. From Sado’s main gateway, Ryotsu Port, it’s only a 5-minute walk to i-Port Sado—our cozy venue where you can enjoy good vibrations from head to toe. There will be a chance to experience playing taiko firsthand, too. We hope you’ll add this 45-minute performance to your travel plans. See you there!

Kodo 45th Anniversary Concert Series
— Kodo Performance in Asakusa 2026 “Elysian” —

Let Joy Ring Out

Elysian, the latest work directed by Yuki Hirata, unveils a bright, hopeful world where happiness radiates outward.
Marking its 45th year, Kodo presents a joyous celebration of its journey — past, present, and future — and the resonant sound of taiko. It promises to be an unforgettable, euphoric performance.
After premiering in Tokyo’s Asakusa, the production will embark on a nationwide Japan tour from summer to fall. Join Kodo at the theater to experience these good vibrations firsthand.

Director: Yuki Hirata (Kodo)
Cast: Tomohiro Mitome, Yoshie Abe, Shogo Komatsuzaki, Jun Jidai, Koki Miura, Reo Kitabayashi, Mizuki Yoneyama, Issei Kohira, Kodai Yoshida, Shun Takuma, Kei Sadanari, Jumpei Nonaka, Kazuma Hirosaki, Hana Ogawa, Yuzuki Kimura (Junior Member), Ruki Funakura (Junior Member)
*Cast may be subject to change.

Promotional Artwork: Rie Kanamori, Satoshi Ando (signal inc.)
Photos: Takashi Okamoto, Kodai Yoshida

Kodo will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2026.
We are presenting a commemorative tour series to mark this auspicious milestone, beginning with the “Kodo December Concerts 2025” in Japan. In May 2026, we will present a further six performances of this dynamic production in the Kanto and Tohoku regions, this time under our “One Earth Tour” banner.
Based around our recent compositions, this work brings the essence of Kodo today to the forefront in an invigorating performance with a classic feel.
Come and experience the energy and resonance firsthand in the theater as the cast gives their all to deliver a truly memorable, moving performance.

Director: Ryoma Tsurumi

Music Director: Yuta Sumiyoshi

Featuring: Kodo | Kenta Nakagome, Shogo Komatsuzaki, Ryoma Tsurumi, Reo Kitabayashi, Kodai Yoshida, Yuta Kimura, Seita Saegusa, Kei Sadanari, Moe Niiyama, Jumpei Nonaka, Shizuku Katsube, Yuzuki Kimura (Junior Member), Kiseki Takagi (Junior Member)
*Cast may be subject to change.

Promotional Artwork: Rie Kanamori, Satoshi Ando (signal inc.) | Photo: Takashi Okamoto

Enjoy Kodo’s Annual Hometown Concerts
Set in a Historical Village on Sado Island

Join Kodo on Sado Island next spring for the 15th year of our annual hometown concert series. We hold these performances at Shukunegi Community Hall, a cozy retro playhouse that seats around 100 people, so everyone gets to feel close to the action. It’s the perfect setting for a memorable concert experience, right in the heart of one of Japan’s traditional architecture preservation districts.

Spring is a great time of year to visit us at home on beautiful Sado. We’ll be waiting for you!

Director: Yoshie Abe

Featuring: Tomohiro Mitome, Yoshie Abe, Tomoe Homma, Mizuki Yoneyama, Issei Kohira, et al.
※Cast is subject to change.

*Please note that English info and assistance are not available for the package deals above.

Kodo is thrilled to announce its return to Billboard Live in Osaka and Yokohama this spring! We hope you will embrace this rare opportunity to see us at a world-class music club with table service. See you there!

Transforming the everyday from Monochrome to vivid color

Sharing the sound of taiko to Shine a Light

And herald a future brimming with Luminance

Kodo has been touring the globe under the banner “One Earth” for over four decades, giving over 7500 performances in 50 countries and regions around the world to date. Our mission remains the same: to connect myriad cultures and ways of life by reminding people of our common bonds as human beings. This ongoing journey has taken us from places of wonder—stellar concert halls and renowned festivals—to places of struggle—outdoor stages with neighbouring slums, and audiences of refugees who fled across borders from the horrors of war. Everywhere we go, we strive to bring people together through the resonant sound of taiko.

In Luminance, we will share signature pieces that Kodo has honed through decades of world tours, including the mighty O-daiko drum solo and climactic Yatai-bayashi finale. We will pay homage to Maki Ishii’s masterpiece Monochrome, celebrating its 50th year in 2026, and present new works born from the encounters and ideas of current Kodo members, inspired by the sights and experiences of their global travels with the ensemble. For the first time in decades, we will also feature original compositions by guest artists from a range of genres—musicians we’ve connected throughout our journey.

We hope the sound and energy we conjure in Luminance will keep radiating outwards, making the world a brighter place tomorrow.

This tour forms part of the Kodo 45th Anniversary Concert Series. We look forward to celebrating our milestone with you all in Europe in early 2026.

• • TOUR PROGRAMME (PDF 1.7MB)
• KODO “LUMINANCE” PROGRAMME TIDBITS
• KODO AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE
  

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Director

Yuki Hirata

Cast

Jun Jidai
Ryoma Tsurumi
Reo Kitabayashi
Kodai Yoshida
Seita Saegusa
Shun Takuma
Kei Sadanari
Moe Niiyama
Junpei Nonaka
Kazuma Hirosaki
Hana Ogawa
Shizuku Katsube
Toji Harada

Sep. 16 Update: All performances for this tour have been announced.

Kodo 45th Anniversary Tour Series—Part I
Kodo December Concerts 2025

Kodo will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2026.
The ensemble will present a commemorative tour series to mark this auspicious milestone, which begins this year-end with “Kodo December Concerts 2025.”
Based around its recent compositions, this new work brings the essence of Kodo today to the forefront in an invigorating performance with a classic feel.
Come and experience the energy and resonance as the cast give their all, jumpstarting a year of festivities in true Kodo style.

Director: Ryoma Tsurumi

Music Director: Yuta Sumiyoshi

Featuring: Kodo (Kenta Nakagome, Shogo Komatsuzaki, Reo Kitabayashi, Issei Kohira, Kodai Yoshida, Yuta Kimura, Seita Saegusa, Kei Sadanari, Moe Niiyama, Jumpei Nonaka, Shizuku Katsube [Junior Member], Kiseki Takagi [Junior Member], Toji Harada [Junior Member])
※Cast was partially changed on Nov. 14 and may be subject to further change. For this tour, Yuta Sumiyoshi has been replaced by Kiseki Takagi.

Promotional Artwork: Rie Kanamori, Satoshi Ando (signal inc.) | Photo: Takashi Okamoto

Join us on Sado Island for feel-good beats, fall colors and treats this October!

Autumn is a stunning season to visit Sado Island. This year, Kodo will be waiting to welcome you with a concert series at Marine Plaza Ogi, across the road from the island’s southernmost gateway, Ogi Port. Originally developed in the Edo Period as a hub for cargo ships carrying gold from Sado’s mine, today the port welcomes visitors to this beautiful area from spring through autumn.

Plan a getaway to enjoy the clear autumn skies and a rousing Kodo performance. There will be a chance to experience playing taiko firsthand, too. See you there!

Special Offers

Imagining One Earth, Right Now

Kodo One Earth Tour 2025 brings you a programme with something for everyone, from beloved classic repertoire to regional folk arts to brand new compositions. It showcases the talents of each performer as it weaves their skills into new forms of expression while drawing out their distinct characters and strengths. Come and experience it firsthand at the theater.

Promotion Artwork: Osamu Ohashi (thumb M)
Photo: Takashi Okamoto

For over four decades, Kodo has been touring under the banner “One Earth,” striving to connect people around the world through the sound of taiko.

Today, the world is rapidly becoming more diversified, and more divided.
In a world like this, can we be content with music, performing arts, and art being merely commercial—just something people consume?
Have they lost their role in serving as catalysts for communication, leading us to learn about others and, in time, to know ourselves?

I want to lean in to believing that taiko and music do create empathetic communities where humans resonate with one another, reaffirming their common bonds beyond race, nationality, language and religion.

Also, we need to remember that Earth isn’t only home to humans.
Animals and plants, their lives are also woven into the Earth’s multifaceted rhythms.
Sometimes beating in sync, always ringing out in living color.

When we imagine One Earth and the future, we can’t just focus on humans alone.
We need to consider all life here on Earth, and all of us living together.

Let’s all imagine One Earth together, here and now.
We will keep playing taiko to keep imaginations alight around the world.

 

Masayasu Maeda, Director

Director: Masayasu Maeda (Kodo)

Featuring: Kodo

Sep.–Oct. Cast: Shogo Komatsuzaki, Koki Miura, Ryoma Tsurumi, Seita Saegusa, Yuki Hirata, Chihiro Watanabe, Kei Sadanari, Moe Niiyama, Kazuma Hirosaki, Hana Ogawa, Shizuku Katsube (Junior Member), Taisei Tanaka (Junior Member)
※Cast was partially changed on July 14 and may be subject to further change.

Programme: To include Zoku, Miyake, Chonlima, Yatai-bayashi, O-daiko, and more.