Hey there! This is the KRM Organizing Office.
We have settled on a very special guest for "jewel of Kobe ~2026spring~" on April 11!
And they are—
Kobe Municipal Suma Shofu High School
Taiko Club "Daichi (DAICHI)"
At the seaside plaza of Kobe Mosaic, these high school students will deliver a powerful taiko performance. Roadsters lined up along the harbor and Japanese drums—we hope you are looking forward to this unlikely collaboration!
Who Are the Taiko Club "Daichi"?
"Daichi (DAICHI)" is the taiko club of Kobe Municipal Suma Shofu High School. The team's name carries the sentiment "the beat of the drums resounding through the earth, the preciousness of life, and a prayer for peace."
Their roots go back to 1994. The club was founded in the days of their predecessor school, Kobe Municipal Kobe Nishi High School, and boasts a history of more than 30 years. The following year, in 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck. The members, right in the middle of the disaster area, used their drums to encourage the people around them and beat out a prayer for recovery.
In 2009, the merger of Kobe Nishi High School and Suma High School created Kobe Municipal Suma Shofu High School. The traditions of the taiko club "Daichi" were carried over intact, and they are still handed down from one generation to the next today.
What Makes "Daichi" So Special!
- Founded in 1994 ── more than 30 years of tradition
- The spirit of earthquake recovery ── taiko that walked alongside the recovery from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake
- Kobe Matsuri regulars ── they take the stage every year at the "Suma Forest of Music"
- Kobe International Taiko Music Festival ── in January 2025 they performed on the big stage at Kobe International House
- Playing alongside professionals ── they took part in a concert produced by taiko artist Yuichi Kimura
We Went to Watch Them Practice!
The other day, members of the KRM organizing team were kindly allowed to sit in on a practice session at Suma Shofu High School. Here is what we saw, in photos.
The moment we stepped into the practice room, we were overwhelmed by the vibration travelling up through the floor. From the huge odaiko to the tight-headed shime-daiko, the practice hall lined with drums of every size is a spectacular sight.
We could not take our eyes off the members' focused gazes and the dynamic, whole-body way they play. The flawlessly synchronized stick work, and the sheer force of the instant when sticks raised high come down all at once—photographs simply cannot do it justice.
What left the deepest impression was the large drum painted with the tomoe crest. Its heavy, weighty sound was a rumble like the ground itself shaking—truly worthy of the name "Daichi" (the great earth).
Seniors carefully coaching their juniors, members facing practice with serious expressions. And then the smiles they showed us once the playing was over. You could feel how deeply they enjoy taiko, and the joy of building a single piece of music together with their teammates.
Kobe's Harbor × Taiko × Roadsters
The seaside plaza at Kobe Mosaic looking out on the Port Tower and the Ferris wheel, the taiko group "Daichi" carrying forward the spirit of recovery from the earthquake, and more than 120 Roadsters gathering from all over the country.
Everything tied together by the city called "Kobe" becomes one at jewel of Kobe on April 11.
The students' all-out performance riding the harbor breeze and running the length of that line of Roadsters—
it is bound to be a day none of us will forget.
Event Information
jewel of Kobe ~2026spring~
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Venue: Kobe Mosaic Seaside Plaza (Kobe Harborland)
Special Guest: Kobe Municipal Suma Shofu High School Taiko Club "Daichi"
See you at Kobe's harbor on the day!