Yamato—The Drummers Of Japan To Celebrate 30th Anniversary At The Soraya

Yamato, the Drummers of Japan, returns to The Soraya with a thrilling, high-energy, and explosive interpretation of the centuries-old Taiko tradition. Hinotori: The Wings of Phoenix, is a new production created to celebrate the company's historic 30th Anniversary.

Hinotori: The Wings of Phoenix recognizes the incredible global challenges as dawn begins to break in the world and all must climb new mountains with determination and confidence. The title of the group's latest show references the mythical sunbird that represents fire, justice, obedience, fidelity, and the southern star constellations in Japanese culture. "Hinotori" translates to "good bird" in Japanese.

This new show captures all of Yamato's virtuosity, strength, spirit, and sheer endurance. Now in its 28th season (after canceling their North American tour because of the pandemic), the taiko troupe has reached millions of people around the globe through more than 4,000 performances-making them the group with the most international performances to date among all Japanese performing arts ensembles.

Yamato, The Drummers of Japan, travels all over the world with Japan's traditional Wadaiko drums, putting their very souls into the instruments, whose sound stirs the hearts of people everywhere. Their virtuosity, strength, spirit, and sheer endurance are astonishing.

On stage, they stand with more than 40 Taiko drums, each of them with what the group calls "different characters." For example, their largest drum called "Odaiko," was produced from a large tree that was more than 400 years old, about 6.5 feet in diameter, and weighed 1,102 pounds.

Yamato was founded in Japan's Nara Prefecture in 1993. Since then, the troupe has given more than 4,000 performances in 54 countries and regions. Every year, Yamato tours the world for 6 to 10 months, creating and presenting original Yamato compositions and stages. For each member of the group, every encounter with audiences is a unique and precious experience with the greatest goal being to send them home after each performance with a new vitality and passion for life.