Skip to main content
NC State Home
Arts NC State
NC State LIVE

YAMATO

The Drummers of Japan

YAMATO
The Drummers of Japan

Tuesday, February 23
7:30 p.m. in Stewart Theatre
$40-45 | $25 Faculty/Staff | $10 NC State Students

Subscribe & Save

Save up to 25% when you Create Your Own Series, on sale August 12 – September 30, 2026.

Single Tickets

Single tickets for our Mainstage Season on sale September 3, 2026.

YAMATO’s motto is “Go anywhere if invited and make the world a little more happy.”

With close to 200 performances a year worldwide, they take happiness very seriously. Traveling from Japan’s Asuka Village in Nara Prefecture, these highly trained musicians captivate audiences through Japan’s traditional Wadaiko (Taiko) drums.

“It was simply captivating. The incredible talent and sheer enjoyment of what they do was plain to see.”

The Evening Post (UK)

YAMATO thinks of their ancient instruments as a heartbeat, the basic element of life. The young men and women of YAMATO turn the ancient Japanese art of taiko drumming into a heart-pounding spectacle of athleticism, precision and exhilarating musical expertise.

Attention: Educators

While YAMATO is in Raleigh with us, they’ll offer a special performance for local elementary and middle school students on February 24.

Learn more about matinees.
Two Yamato drummers hold up a large taiko drum on stage while two others play on opposite sides. Photo by Ekihiro Solo.
Since their formation in 1993, YAMATO has performed across 55 countries. Photo by Ekihiro Solo.

Show Details

  • Run time is approximately 120 minutes, including an intermission.
  • Performance includes loud drumming sounds and theatrical haze.

Connect with the artists

Performances you may enjoy

2026/27 Shows
Paul Beaubrun lays on his back in the grass with his locs and arms reaching out around him. He looks up at the camera through sunglasses. Photo by Cuba Tornado.

Paul Beaubrun
September 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Paul Beaubrun is a captivating Haitian singer and guitarist. As a touring member of the world-renowned band Arcade Fire, he has performed with legends like Ms. Lauryn Hill and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Info and Tickets
Acrobats from Gravity & Other Myths throw another across stage, performing a stunt. Photo by Darcy Grant.

Gravity & Other Myths’
Ten Thousand Hours
October 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Australia’s mind-blowing circus company, Gravity & Other Myths, is coming back to Stewart Theatre with Ten Thousand Hours, a production that celebrates the dedication and perseverance required to achieve greatness.

Info and Tickets
A Manual Cinema actor illuminated by red light uses props to create a fantastical shadow puppet. Photo by Katie Doyle.

Manual Cinema’s
The 4th Witch
March 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Stewart Theatre

Told through breathtaking shadow puppetry, Manual Cinema’s latest theatrical experience is an inversion of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Don’t miss their Emmy Award-winning mix of low-fi technology (think vintage overhead projectors and handmade puppets), cutting-edge multimedia techniques and rapturous live music.

Info and Tickets

Accessibility

NC State LIVE strives to make our programming accessible to everyone. If you have an access need or an accommodation request, please email Liza Green, director, at [email protected]. Learn more about accessibility at NC State LIVE.

It Takes a Village

NC State LIVE is supported in part by grants from the City of Raleigh based on recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. Our State Magazine is our official media sponsor.