Yamato drummers of Japan perform in London

Over the Easter weekend I went down to London to catch up with some friends. Since I love all things Japanese I had persuaded them to come with me to watch a performance by the Yamato drummers of Japan, who are currently touring the UK.

The 10 performers take the ancient art of taiko drumming and turn it into a vibrant and exuberant show, compromising of drumming, flute & shamisen (a Japanese stringed instrument) playing and some comedic interludes. The drums themselves vary in size from hand held drums to the barrel like Odaikos which are up to 6 feet across. The performance takes an enormous amount of strength and stamina and the sheer agility, co-ordination and choreography of the drummers are what make the show so powerful, along with the resounding reverberations of the drumbeats. In fact, the latest production is called Shin-on, which translates as heartbeat in English and it is said that the sound of the drums is like the sound of a mother’s heartbeat to her unborn child.

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