Location: Multiple Venues, Poland
Date: November 2026
Organizer: High Note EventsWhen YAMATO – The Drummers of Japan come back to Poland, they turn rhythm into something physical, almost confrontational. In November 2026, the legendary taiko ensemble return with a brand new show, “Hito no Chikara”, “The Power of Human Strength”, performed across seven Polish cities: Gdynia, Katowice, Warsaw, Łódź, Krakow, Bielsko-Biała and Wrocław.
Founded in 1993 in Nara Prefecture, YAMATO are among the most recognised taiko groups on the planet. Over 4,500 concerts. 55 countries. Millions of spectators. That scale matters, but it is not the point. What defines YAMATO is the sensation that something ancient and brutally alive is happening right in front of you. No safety net. No tricks. Just bodies, drums, breath and absolute discipline.
Their performances sit somewhere between ritual, theatre and endurance sport. More than 40 taiko drums appear on stage, each with its own voice and temperament. At the heart of it all stands the Odaiko, a colossal instrument carved from over 400-year-old wood, roughly two metres in diameter and weighing around half a tonne. When it speaks, you do not just hear it. You feel it in your chest, your legs, your balance. It is rhythm as impact.
YAMATO call what they do “physical music”, and it is not marketing poetry. Every strike is full-body commitment. Perfect synchronisation meets raw exertion, sweat becomes part of the sound, and choreography is inseparable from rhythm. The result is precision without coldness, power without emptiness.
The show is far from monochrome. Alongside the thunder of taiko, the group weaves in traditional Japanese sounds and instruments such as shinobue flutes, chappa cymbals and kane bells. These moments create contrast, tension and release, allowing the performance to breathe before the next percussive wave crashes in. It is dynamic, cinematic and surprisingly playful at times.
These November dates are not niche world music curiosities. They are full-scale, high-impact live experiences, rooted in centuries-old tradition yet speaking directly to the now. Expect volume, sweat, beauty and a reminder that some things still demand flesh, wood and willpower.
If you want to understand rhythm as something more than sound, YAMATO are not optional. They are essential.
