Yamato drummers from Japan come to Green Music Center

When the Yamato: Drummers of Japan troupe hits the stage of the Green Music Center later this month in Rohnert Park, it won’t be just another show.

Touring with its 30th anniversary performance piece, “Hinotori: The Wings of Phoenix,” Yamato will open its performance with its drummers hitting a Wadaiko drum weighing half a ton, made from a single piece of wood from a 400-year-old tree.

The troupe works and lives together as a community in the Japan’s Asuka Village, where they create their own musical compositions, theater productions, sets, lighting design, choreography, costumes, makeup, stage settings, props and their own bachi sticks, used to play the traditional Japanese instruments

Founded in 1993 by Masa Ogawa, Yamato has performed for millions of people all over the world. In an email interview from Japan, Ogawa shared what makes the troupe unusual.

What distinguishes your troupe from other Taiko drum ensembles?

Yamato is not just a percussion ensemble. Yamato is the loudest and most enjoyable taiko drumming company. Yamato’s drummers are incredibly strong, especially the female drummers.

What makes your instruments unusual?

The taiko is made of a single piece of wood and cowhide. Its sound is very deep and loud. It does not have a scale like a piano, but you can feel it. And its sound can be heard not only in the ears, but also into every pore of the body. The sound will reach the people's heart. Then taiko sound makes all the heartbeats synchronize.

What is the most difficult part of the performance?

The tour is so hard. drummers are working from the morning to midnight. It is difficult for them to keep good shape and a clear mind I think. We fight against a tired and rude mood sometimes until the beginning of the show. That moment is the most difficult point of the performance. But after starting the show, after a few seconds, we feel the energetic atmosphere of the audience and get energy.

Does Yamato require a special kind of applicant?

None of the drummers have special skills before coming to Yamato. Those skills are growing in the daily training in Japan and on the tour.

How do drummers qualify to join?

Yamato does not require any skills for taiko drumming from the start. They just need the talent to live and work together with others and to continuously train to become one of Yamato taiko drummers.

What is the touring regimen for the troupe?

For the setup of the show, we need a minimum of eight hours. All drummers are working with local crews to create each show. We ... composing songs and finding the body movements, making costumes for expressing the image of the show and all the stuff like the stage set, backdrop and stands for taiko drums for creating the image of the performance. We design the sound and design the lighting, too.

What training programs do you have?

Drummers are waking up around 6 a.m. And then they run about 10 kilometers in the mountains or the rice fields. After running they cook their breakfast with everybody. That time is also good training for making something with a teammate. After breakfast, they do a basic training for both their body and the Taiko drumming. After lunch time, normally they are creating the show until dinner time.

The company regimen sounds demanding. What does it take to succeed in this troupe?

It is really difficult to live together for people with different backgrounds and minds. It is especially difficult to make one sound by the one heart by the different body and mind. For the purpose, some kind of dream, we must live together and try to get through the mountains and the valleys. It is sort of how to become a family. Taiko unites us.

Is historical research required in putting together a performance program?

Taiko is the traditional instrument and it is the treasure of Japan. We have a great respect for taiko. We are not thinking about the tradition, but feeling it and making each creation our own.

What traditions and legends are referenced?

In the ancient story, the god of the sun hid in a cave. Then people dance to the beat of Taiko drumming to get the interest of the god. The god of the sun came out from the cave when hearing the beat of taiko drumming. The land of the rising sun. That's the history of Japan.

What would say to someone who has never seen one of your performances to help them understand what they will see and hear?

Maybe you are imagining a taiko show. Maybe you think that taiko is just percussion music. Yamato’s performance is not like that. Loud and gentle, energetic sounds will surround you. You are joining the performance. From kids to elderly people, in many countries, after the show, everybody is smiling. And we all are able to charge the energy for life. It's more than you expected. Please come and feel the vibration.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.