Yamato Drum and Bugle Corps
| Location | Kyoto, Japan/Riverside, CA |
|---|---|
| Division | Open Class |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Director | Bobby Ohtsuki, Edward Martin, Kinuko Yamashita |
| Uniform | Black, White, and Red |
Yamato is an open class drum and bugle corps that competes in the Drum Corps International circuit. Yamato was founded in 1995 and fielded its first corps in 1997. It is based in Kyoto-Osaka, Japan, and Riverside, California. Yamato is Drum Corps International's only multi-national corps.
History
Yamato was founded in Kyoto, Japan, in 1995 as a way for young Japanese performing artists to perform and gain a first hand experience of the drum and bugle corps activity in the United States. Yamato's first corps took the field in 1997 and completed its first North American tour with a mixture of Japanese and American performers. In 1998 Yamato achieved finalist status in Drum Corps International Division II & III finals. This prompted Yamato to file for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in California under the name "Yamato Youth Arts Organization". In its comeback year in 2008, Yamato made finals in the open class division with its show entitled MYTHOS.