I’m writing this quite a while after our recent “Matsurine” performances with Miyake-jima Geino Doshi-kai on June 1 in Minami Ozawa and June 2 in Yokohama. They both went very well and I want to truly thank everyone who came along.

Almost a month has passed since those performances but I can still feel those good vibrations echoing throughout my body. I’m used to back-to-back concerts on our usual tours, but I poured absolutely everything into these two days and I couldn’t move for several days afterwards… haha.

Every single moment of every scene was packed with excitement, but I think the greatest pleasure of this programme was being able to experience how fun it is to play just one taiko drum with simplicity, whether I was out on stage or in the wings.
When we all took turns playing one taiko, it was clear that each person’s sound is different. I’m sure we were able to show even the first-time audience members just how simple yet captivating taiko can feel.

During the programme, there were three pieces that featured one Kodo member and one Doshi-kai member paired up to play together. I got to perform with Hidenori from Doshi-kai.

We didn’t get to rehearse with Doshi-kai until two days before the performances, so we honed the pieces by sending videos back and forth between our groups.

I thought it was going to be difficult to convey the musical phrases as we created the pieces, but they really understood what we said. And I was really happy that I got to feel the trust that Doshi-kai and Kodo has fostered to date.

Through these performances, I became an even bigger fan of Miyake-jima Geino Doshi-kai.

Doshi-kai x Kodo collaborations evolve with every performance.
I’ll keep beating the drum with all my might so I can show more growth next time, too.

Next, we’ll perform together on July 14 at Hakusan International Taiko Extasia 2024! I’m looking forward to it and seeing Doshi-kai again there.

For the second year in a row, Kodo appeared at Narita Taiko Festival in April alongside Miyake-jima Geino Doshi-kai at the Saturday night performance event, Narita-san Night Drum Concert.
Personally speaking, it was my first time back at Narita Taiko Festival since going along to watch it as a high school student.
Blessed with fine weather, this year we were able to give our performance outside in front of the main hall of Narita-san Shinsho-ji Temple.

I didn’t take part in the collaboration at Narita Taiko Festival last year, nor the 2023 Matsurine tour with Miyake-jima Geino Doshikai, so I went in with mixed feelings: worried about getting into the zone they’d created together last year, wondering if I could get in amongst them and run with it. And so excited for what was to come.

But when we got underway, my feelings were blown away by the powerful sound, the incredible people drumming around me, and the audience’s excitement.

I gave myself over to it, drumming with an immense awareness that if I zoned out for even a moment, my presence would disappear amongst all that sound, energy and fervor.
I put everything I had into each and every beat.
It made me really want to see how much I could evolve moving forward when I keep giving it my all like that.

I’m thrilled to shared that Kodo and Miyake-jima Geino Doshi-kai are going to have a concert in my hometown in Kanagawa. It will be on June 2 at Sakae Public Hall in Sakae Ward, Yokohama City.

Last year, I wasn’t a cast member for the Matsurine tour, but Kazuhiro Tsumura from Miyake-jima Geino Doshi-kai heard that I had been taking part in the lunchtime Miyake Taiko practice sessions at Kodo Village. That led to him coaching me one-on-one for Miyake Taiko, and us working on physical maintenance together. He really helped me. Kazuhiro suggested to me that we hold a concert in my hometown, and it’s actually happening!

I have a lot of memories at Sakae Public Hall, from performing there when I was a student with my local taiko group to school choral competitions and other events growing up. I’m really grateful to that place.

I’m really looking forward to returning there to perform with Doshi-kai and my fellow Kodo members, and our sound echoing throughout the hall.

It’s a chance for me to show the place that helped raise me just how much I can put into each beat.
I’m the youngest cast member… I’ll do my best to hold my ground!
I’m really looking forward to welcoming everyone to this performance.

June 2 (Sun), 2024
Kodo × Miyake-jima Geino Doshi-kai Yokohama Performance (Kanagawa Prefecture)

This month, there’s an exclusive lineup of online content on offer hosted by organizations in Japan and abroad.
We hope you’ll enjoy these Kodo performances and talks at your place!
Spread the word and share your watch party pictures and feedback with us using this hashtag:

#kodofebfilmfest

・Feb. 3–Mar. 7: Watch Kodo “Tsuzumi” on Selected Japanese Streaming Services in February –Pay to view/Kodo Performance (3-part)
・Feb. 5–Feb. 28: New Audiovisual Work by Filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda “Shiver” by Ettō—Featuring Koshiro Hino and Kodo —Pay to view/Collaborative Performance
・From Feb. 13 for 72 hours: Kodo at Duke Performances Virtual Concert Series: The Show Must Go Online! —Pay to view/Kodo Performance
・All February: Kodo Heartbeat Radio episodes available on YouTube —Free to view/Japanese talk shows
・All February: Japan Live Yell Project—Niigata Prefectural Culture Festival Special Talk Series Part 3–6 (Part 1, Part 2 out now!)—Free to view/Japanese talk shows

Coming Up in Japan!

Kodo 40th Anniversary Concert Series
Kodo One Earth Tour 2021: Tsuzumi
Feel the reverberations of heaven and earth in harmony.

May–July 2021 Tour Information in English coming soon.

The album I recommend is Mondo Head.

When I was a senior high school student, I listened to it almost everyday on my way to and from school. This album completed changed my definition of wadaiko (Japanese taiko drumming) and made me think “Wadaiko is music!” for the first time. That’s obvious to me now, and I credit Mondo Head for that redefining moment.

Mondo Head is a collaborative work with amazing percussionists from around the world. I can’t get enough of their approach to music, the range of their instruments, the freedom of their sound, and all that improv! Though it was recorded almost 20 years ago, it’s forever new.

If I ever hit a creative wall, I listen to this album and it reminds me of all the things we can do with taiko.

Two of my favorite tracks are Kashira and Daraijin.

Kashira because, well, that insane groove gets me every time! (lol)
I know Kodo’s played it on tour in the past. I want to play it, too!

And Daraijin because it drew me to tabla and its broad range of tones.

I want to create music that will still be good when I listen to it in 20 years time. Music that taiko players will envy 20 years from now!

Album | Mondo Head

↓Listen to sample tracks (Japanese webpage)

https://www.kodo.or.jp/discography/sicp1_ja.html

↓Buy at Kodo Online Store

http://kodo.shop.multilingualcart.com/goods_en_jpy_86.html

This month Kodo is performing at Kabukiza Theatre as musicians for the new Kabuki production “Yugen.” It’s based on the sellout Tamasaburo Bando and Kodo collaboration last year, which went by the same name. Both the 2017 production and 2018 Kabuki are based on three iconic Noh plays: The Feather Robe, The Stone Bridge, and Dojoji Temple.

So, why see a new Kabuki work based on a collaboration based on Noh?
In short, this production is a trip to a deep, dark, intriguing part of Japan that you won’t find on TripAdvisor or the like.
You may not realize it from the flier, but this is your chance to go off the beaten track and deep into the woods of Japanese culture.

I saw last year’s version three times, and this year’s twice so far. I’m going back for a third time before it ends on Sep. 26. There’s something quite addictive about the world they conjure on stage and I feel compelled to go again while I have the chance.

In all honesty, this is unlike any Kabuki I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been fortunate enough to attend quite a few performances at Kabukiza Theatre over the past decade.
The big difference for me is probably the powerful beat. There is something about twenty Kodo performers on that immense stage playing with such soul and precision that draws you in and carries you away with more force than usual. As if connecting the audience to the stage on a primal, foot-tap inducing level, I felt the addition of more drums and new music made the Kabuki less foreign and more superhuman than usual. Prepare to be stunned by the power, grace, and presence of the actors. It’s extraordinary and breathtaking.

Quite simply, Yugen is a spectacular, entertaining event that will show you Japanese culture with splendour and intensity, give you goosebumps, make your jaw drop and your heart beat in time with the stage and audience members.
While it might be the most Japanese experience you’ll have in Japan, I suspect you’ll also leave feeling more connected to the humans all over the world. I can’t help but thinking that human beings doing their best on stage, right before our eyes, inspire us all the more in whatever we strive to do each day. In an age of YouTube and people happy to watch a DVD if they can’t attend a performance, “Yugen” reminds us of the many roles of the theater: to delight, to surprise, to remind us of human effort and ability, and to recharge our souls. I could go on.

I don’t want to add any spoilers, so I’ll just urge you once more: if you’re in or near Tokyo, I really hope you can see this performance.

And I invite you to share your feedback after you attend.
Kodo will be using this valuable experience to inspire our new compositions and productions, so we would appreciate your insight to help us entertain you all the more!

Kodo Appearance in New Kabuki Production “Yugen” at Kabukiza Theatre September Kabuki Performances [Evening Show] (Chuo Ward, Tokyo)

Photos: Takashi Okamoto
Stage Production: Shochiku Co. Ltd.
All rights reserved.

Earth Celebration Official Website
Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Recently we had rehearsals at Kodo Village for the upcoming “Hatsune Miku x Kodo Special Live Performance 2018” on June 2 & 3 at Shibuya’s NHK Hall.

Hatsune Miku band members and staff came to Sado Island for two days. The energy that filled the hall as we rehearsed felt as if it was a actual performance.

These practices strongly bonded Hatsune Miku, her band, Kodo, and the team of staff. Our sense of unity has increased since last year, something you’re sure to notice when you see us on stage together.

I really want you all to experience this energy! You can all look forward to a lot of new pieces on the lineup this time!

By the way, last year I made my debut on the Kodo stage at “Hatsune Miku x Kodo,” so it was an especially memorable performance for me. I am so excited for this year’s collaboration, too. I simply can’t wait.

Please join us for the next stage of Hatsune Miku and Kodo’s collaborative journey!

See here for tickets! (Japanese website)

Hatsune Miku x Kodo Official Website (Japanese website)

This is NIPPON Premium Theater “Hatsune Miku x Kodo Special Live Performance 2018”