Kishin Daiko’s performances are primarily targeted for Southern California audiences; they also have toured and performed in Japan. Highlights of their career, to date, have included performing for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 75th Anniversary at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, World Cup Soccer Celebration performance at Universal Studios; the United Nation’s Blue Sky Project at Paramount Studios; at Michelle Kwan Day; and during the pre-game show for Super Bowl XXXII.

The program, although performed by a multi-generational group, consists of a broad range of musical sounds blending traditional themes of the group’s Japanese roots with original compositions by contemporary musicians. Among the selections featuring traditional themes is the Shinto traditional lion dance, which is often performed during New Year’s celebrations to bring good fortune. A more contemporary blending, Kishin Kagura, literally translated to “Music of the Gods for Kishin Daiko,” was inspired by 900-year-old Japanese temple music.

Since 1981, when the group was established in the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center, Kishin Daiko has continued to entertain, educate and enlighten audiences with dynamic, powerful and earth-shaking sounds of Japanese taiko drumming.

The various sized drums used by Kishin Daiko are handmade by group members. The time consuming process of making and maintaining their own drum helps members to better understand and gain respect for their instrument and its sound. In conjunction with the drums, various melodic wind instruments, such as the Fue (a bamboo flute played horizontally) and the Shakuhachi (a bamboo flute played vertically), also are incorporated to fulfill Kishin Daiko’s truly ethnic sounds.