In the summer of 1991, members of Kyodo built their first four chu-daiko drums, with the help of Tom Endo and Kinnara Taiko's Kevin Higa.
Subsequently, they began receiving funding, gained permission to utilize the John Wooden Center as their practice space, and garnered support from UCLA.
The ad has been criticized for exotifying Japanese culture but was also heralded as a shift towards mainstream acceptance.
[2][5][9] The group hosts an annual spring concert and are a staple at the NSU Cultural Night.
[5][13] They have also performed several times at the Manzanar Pilgrimage, an annual event commemorating the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War.