Eitetsu Hayashi, Japan’s premier taiko drummer, began his career as a founding member of the world-renowned groups Sado-Ondekoza and Kodo. After serving as both groups’ music director and premier player for eleven years, Eitetsu became a solo artist in 1982.

In 1984, Hayashi made his Carnegie Hall debut with the American Symphony Orchestra, introducing a new musical genre to the West. Since that time, he has performed all over the globe, and with some of the world’s top orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic. He is the recipient of the 47th Education Minister’s Art Encouragement Prize (Popular Entertainment Division, 1997,) a prestigious Japanese national cultural award; and the 8th Award for Promotion of Traditional Japanese Culture (Japan Arts Foundation, 2001.)