A couple of weeks ago I went to see Yamato, a taiko (太鼓) troupe from Japan, perform at the Hippodrome in Bristol. I’ve seen lots of taiko performances before, and I think I’ve seen Yamato perform once before in London, but I’m always excited to see another taiko performance.
The show was great! They are brilliant musicians, and they looked fantastic too. There was humour in some of the performances, and undeniable skill. I was lucky where I sat in the stalls as I could feel the beat of the drums, but I heard from friends in the circle that some of the atmosphere was a little bit lost by not being able to feel the music as well up there. I’m not convinced the Hippodrome was the best location for this concert, and wonder if Colston Hall would have been better, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Yamato started in Nara Prefecture in 1993, and they are focussed on sharing taiko with the world. They perform for 6 to 10 months of the year, touring not just in Japan but also worldwide. Here’s a little video to give you a taste of what they are like:
Yamato are touring in the UK until 18th May – go and see them if you can! Find out more about Yamato here.
(All images courtesy of Yamato)
Haikugirl's Japan 
I once saw a similar group in Germany.
It’s awesome, but a bit different from what you’d see normally in Japan. Of course, they’ve adapted it to be a little bit less traditional and more “pferformance-like”. ^_^
But either way I LOVE TAIKO SOOOO MUCH!!! :3333
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Wow nice! I wish I had known about this or else I would’ve gone. (I live nearby actually in Weston-super-Mare)
And I love the look of your blog by the way!
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Thanks for stopping by! Always especially nice to ‘meet’ a local reader. 🙂 Shame you didn’t know about this show in advance. Next time!
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We just visited their home studio while in Asuka Village to plant rice. Sadly, we didn’t get a show, but we did get to practice on some of their drums!
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That’s so cool!! ^_^
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