World Renowned Japanese Drummer Performs in Glennallen
L to R: Takumi Kato and his three sons: Yamato (age 8), Sogen (age 13), and Ryoma (age 11), performing in Glennallen at Prince William Sound College. Photo by Anna Somers.
August 21, 2025
Anna Somers- CRR Staff
On Thursday, August 7, the Peaceful Forest ensemble gave a Taiko drum performance at Prince William Sound College’s campus in Glennallen. The group consists of Takumi Kato and his three sons: Yamato (age 8), Ryoma (age 11), and Sogen (age 13). Desiree Ramirez, who learned of the group from friends in the lower 48, hosted the event in cooperation with the college.
Originally from Eno, Japan, Takumi has performed for the Japanese emperor, royal family, and prime minister. He is now traveling with his family across the United States to “promote peace and cultural exchange.” Their goal is to offer a thousand free concerts across all fifty states.
Takumi and his sons have performed at schools, businesses, restaurants, and festivals in 38 states and are a little over halfway to their thousand-performance goal. Their Alaska trip took them to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Haines before reaching Glennallen.
During their Thursday night performance, Takumi and his sons performed several songs on traditional Taiko drums. They used a wide range of other instruments as well, including cymbals, conch shell, rain stick, and a wooden flute.
In between songs, Takumi explained the history of Peaceful Forest’s instruments and attire. One of their drums is three-hundred years old and belonged to a Japanese samurai warrior. Their drumsticks were made with wood from a tree Takumi himself grew from seed twenty years ago.
The garments were sewn by Takumi’s wife, Izuna, who also travels with the family. The tekko wrist bands were hand-stitched by Takumi’s grandmother. Takumi said this helps him feel close to her while he plays.
The songs Takumi and his sons played were also rich with meaning and history, including a dragon dance with a 600-year-old melody. The performance was high-energy, made even more profound by the small room that allowed you to feel the drum reverberations that literally shook the ground.
Obviously the products of a gifted teacher, Takumi’s sons were as passionate about the music and performance as their father, and the evening was made even more memorable and personable by Takumi’s stories from his home.
When asked what he liked most about Alaska, eight-year-old Yamato described coming across his very first bear while they were in Ketchikan, an experience he said left him a little scared and a little excited.
You can see photographs and learn more about Peaceful Forest’s United States tour at instagram.com/peaceful_forest.
Note: We chose to use the English naming convention for the Peaceful Forest’s family’s names, with the surname second. In Japanese, the family name would be first and the given name would be second.
