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Takumi Kato is an independent Japanese Taiko drum artist of the highest caliber from Japan.
His performances are high-energy and world-class. He came from small beginnings, born in a small town called Ena City, in Gifu Prefecture, Japan but has risen to play at international events across the USA, Europe and Asia
In 1996, at the age of just 15, Takumi played to a crowd of over 500 people, at a concert to raise funds for reconstruction after the Kobe earthquake. Continuing his passion for showing that music can help bring healing to people, in 2001, he played a series of monthly concerts in the memory of those who lost their lives in the 9-11 tragedy.
In 2004, Takumi joined the world famous Kodo drummers, studying their playing techniques and way of life for 2 years at their village on Sado island in Japan. He also then spent the next 3 years, learning and playing in and around the USA.
All this hard work paid off in 2008, when he won the top prize in the O-Daiko section of the Tokyo International Wadaiko contest, playing a self-written piece, dedicated to his Grandmother. This was also the year, that Takumi opened his own studio – Nukumori no mori – in his hometown of Ena City. This gave him a place to study as well as teach the ways of traditional Japanese Taiko drums.
2009 saw Takumi again looking at his local community. He began a project to bring friends, family and the local community closer together, by playing a series of concerts at homes around the city of Ena. Each home being introduced by the previous home’s residents. In total, he performed 1068 times, once again showing how the power of Taiko drums can bring communities together. It also brought to the notice of the wider Japanese population, featuring on a number of programs on television and much media coverage. This led to him playing at numerous well-known sites around Japan – including the 1900th anniversary and shrine renewal at one of Japan’s most holy shrines – Atsuta Jingu in Nagoya City.
Takumi continues to play to bigger and bigger audiences. In 2012, he choreographed and led a group of 2000 Taiko drummers at the opening ceremony of the Japan National Sports competition and then playing solo in front of the former Emperor and Empress and the Crown Prince (now Emperor) of Japan.
Abroad, Takumi traveled to Indonesia as a cultural representative of Japan and played a concert in front of over 200,000 people at the Ennichisai 2014 concert in Jakarta. In the same year, he was also invited to play in Cuba by the government of Japan, to play at a concert attended by the Cuban President, to help celebrate 400 years of friendship between the two countries. And then in 2016, at the invitation of the Japanese government, he performed at the joint meeting between Saudi Arabia and Japan, playing in front of the Prime Minister of Japan and the Vice-President of Saudi Arabia.
All these performances have helped Takumi become a popular artist around the world. He has also toured in the USA, Europe and around Asia. His drumbeat is so passionate and powerful that it always rocks any city and venue that he plays in. People in the USA love his energetic and exciting performances and look forward to seeing him each and every time he tours.
Takumi is now intending to return to the USA in 2020, as part of a new project to bring the passion and power of the Japanese Taiko drum to communities across the country. He and his young family will be moving to the USA, to live and undertake his next big step. His dream is to play 1000 individual concerts across the USA in the space of 5 years. Takumi has a background in Welfare and his idea is to play at schools, hospitals, orphanages and other such public institutions. He hopes that through his Taiko drums, he can bring people together in happiness and enjoyment.
The future is wide open for Takumi and he very much hopes that you will be a part of it. Please take a look at his video on You Tube for a taste of what you can expect.
