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The Yamato Company was founded in 1993 in Japan's Kansai region by Artistic Director, Masa Ogawa, who explains the company's ethos: "Taiko is a musical instrument deeply familiar to every Japanese person. Since the dawn of history, Taiko's rich reverberations have filled people with inspiration and encouragement in a wide range of settings. Its unmistakable sound is still heard throughout Japan today. We, the members of Yamato, believe in the unique value of Taiko. We are committed to preserving its traditions and exploring new possibilities for this majestic instrument. Our goal is to create ever more opportunities for the boom of Taiko to resound worldwide." Yamato play Wadaiko drums that range from the size of a plate to over a metre in diameter, including the Odaiko drum, hewn from one huge tree over four hundred years old. Yamato's captivating music has both delicate beauty and heart thumping bass power, played by drummers with a strength and skill that defies belief. Yamato take the ancient art of Japanese Taiko drumming and bring it bang up-to-date in a feel-good blend of spectacle and rigorously trained technique. In their brand new show, Kami-Nari (Thunder), Yamato's nine performers display their breathtaking expertise on over 20 drums, varying from huge barrel-like Odaikos to hand-held instruments. Combined with exquisite bronze cymbals, vocals and bamboo flutes, Yamato create a kaleidoscope of sound. Taiko drumming is a never to be forgotten experience, at once inspiring and intensely physical; the beat building from the delicate tapping of falling rain into explosions of rhythmic exhilaration. Yamato Drummers of Japan - Kami-Nari website.