a little about us

Dokon Daiko  was formed in 1996 in Burlington, Ontario under the direction of Kiyoshi Nagata who apprenticed in Japan with the world famous taiko ensemble Kodo.   Taiko is the Japanese word for drum.

Our group performs traditional taiko pieces from Japan along with newer compositions. Dokon Daiko incorporates a variety of Japanese instruments to enhance the texture of the music.

The words ‘Do’ and ‘Kon’ translate literally to ‘spirit’ and ‘energy’. The word ‘Daiko’ is the correct grammatical word for taiko in Japanese when it is used as a compound word. As a group, our goal is to embrace the literal meaning of spirit and energy in each performance.

a brief history of our japanese drumming group woodblock print 1 Home

upcoming performances

Experience Dokon Daiko live at upcoming festivals and community events.

Hamilton CJCC Summer Matsuri

Dokon Daiko will be performing at this annual event. More details will be shared as we get closer to the event.

  • Time: August 8th, 2026 at 1:00 PM
  • Location: 45 Hempstead Drive, Hamilton, ON
  • Organizer Website: CJCC Hamilton

Bring us to your special event

Festivals. Cultural celebrations. Corporate events. Community performances. Dokon Daiko brings powerful Japanese taiko drumming performances to audiences across Southern Ontario.

watch us perform

There are many videos of us performing over the years.

2026 Burlington Sakura Festival

“Akikaze”

2026 Burlington Sakura Festival

“Sakura Hanafubuki”

2026 Friendship Tournament

“Iwai”

Burlington 2017 Sakura Festival

“Yatai Bayashi”

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