Since their debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981, Kodō has had almost 4,000 performances,[2] spending about a third of the year overseas, a third touring in Japan and a third resting and preparing new material on Sado Island.

[14] In 1989, the group held its first drum workshop, referred to as Kodō Juku[15] which includes introducing their training regiment and their approach to taiko performance.

[5][17] One component of their reputation stems from their training regimen, which at one time, included long distance running twice daily.

A report on Kodō's training in 1989 stated that their approach had been toned down, but was still "disciplined" according to the program director, where performers would only run ten kilometers each morning.

After their performance at the 1984 Olympics, Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Herald wrote, "Glistening back muscles of a sweaty loin-clothed drummer are strikingly lit as he strikes the great o-daiko (large taiko) with massive sticks in a performance as much athletic as it is musical.

[24] Originally, the concept of the village was proposed by Den Tagayasu prior to his departure from the group; he intended to develop a sort of academy for artisan craft and performance arts.

[24] However, after the project was initiated by Toshio Kawauchi, its purpose shifted toward integrating Kodō's presence more permanently on Sado Island.

[25] Furthermore, the Village was also used as a way to improve the group's relations with residents on Sado Island, which helped facilitate festivals such as the annual Earth Celebration Festival, which brings together musicians from around the world not only for performance purposes but also to exchange cultural ideas and crafts between Sado Island and the rest of the world.

[24] Kodō received the MIDEM Music Video (Long Form) Award at the 3rd International Visual Music Festival in Cannes in 1994, as well as the Japanese Foreign Ministry Award noting their cultural contributions through the Earth Celebration event on Sado Island.

Apprentices who hope to be performers spend two years living and training together communally in a converted school on Sado Island.