DOJO LIVE! | Sounds of Prayer : In remembrance of 3.11
14 Mar 2026
Sounds of Prayer : In remembrance of 3.11
From Sydney to Japan — A Sound Offering for the 15th Year
11 March 2011 marks the date of the Great East Japan Earthquake, one of the most devastating natural disasters in modern history. The earthquake and tsunami caused immense loss and forever changed countless lives in Japan. Fifteen years have passed since that day. Though time moves forward, memory remains, and the act of prayer continues to live quietly within us.
On this significant anniversary, we offer a night of sound and prayer from Sydney, intentionally directed toward Japan.
Sound carries no language and knows no borders. It moves beyond words, reaching memory, emotion, and the unseen spaces where healing begins. The sounds created on this night are not only in remembrance, but also an offering of renewal, resonance, and hope for the future.
FEATURED ARTISTS
Aji (Indonesia / Bali) | Multi-instrumentalist
Aji performs internationally at venues and festivals, making him known for creating deeply immersive soundscapes by weaving together traditional and contemporary instruments. His performances feature mantra, handpan, South American and Indonesian flutes, didgeridoo, and the traditional Sape from Kalimantan. Through layered sound and intuitive flow,Aji creates an atmosphere that naturally invites meditation, movement, and inner stillness. Exploring themes of heritage, nature, and modern identity, his music is a soulful fusion of world music, ambient electronica, and acoustic storytelling.
Aji (Indonesia / Bali) | Multi-instrumentalist
Aji performs internationally at venues and festivals, making him known for creating deeply immersive soundscapes by weaving together traditional and contemporary instruments. His performances feature mantra, handpan, South American and Indonesian flutes, didgeridoo, and the traditional Sape from Kalimantan. Through layered sound and intuitive flow,Aji creates an atmosphere that naturally invites meditation, movement, and inner stillness. Exploring themes of heritage, nature, and modern identity, his music is a soulful fusion of world music, ambient electronica, and acoustic storytelling.
Ryuji Hamada | Taiko
Ryuji was born and played taiko in Yokohama, Japan, and after arriving in Australia in 2013, was appointed a full member of Taikoz in 2016. Ryuji is often featured as a taiko soloist, shinobue player and dancer and tours nationally and internationally on the mainstage, collaborating with many esteemed artists and musicians. Ryuji has been involved in all of Taikoz's recent major projects, including Taikoz Meets Shogo Yoshii, Natural Forces and Chi Udaka, which was recently presented at the Sydney Opera House for their 50th Anniversary Celebrations and in Singapore's Esplanade Theatre. In 2024, Ryuji traveled to Europe with composer Yunyu, performing When the Rain God Sings at NIME, Utrecht and Ars Electronica, Linz.
Asuka | Singing Bowls & Dance
Asuka was born in Tokyo, Japan.She is a dancer and choreographer who has trained and performed across Japan, Australia, and Asia. She has worked in various fields, including a two-year contract with NIKE Japan. Alongside teaching kids’ dance groups in Sydney, she has been a sound therapist for eight years, blending therapeutic instruments. In 2024, she led sound healing sessions on a round-the-world cruise.
Sydney Onikenbai Club
Onikenbai is a powerful traditional performing art passed down in and around Kitakami City in Iwate Prefecture. Sydney Onikenbai Club was established in 2010 by Taikoz with the imprimatur of Iwasaki Onikenbai Hozonkai, Japan. Many of the current members travel annually to Iwasaki to further their study of the dance and music of Onikenbai, as well as take part in the Kitakami Michinoku Geino Festival.
PROGRAM
Sydney Onikenbai Club
Prayers for a bountiful harvest, good health, and the repose of ancestors’ spirits
Moment of Silence | Asuka
A shared moment of silence for remembrance and prayer with singing bowls
A shared moment of silence for remembrance and prayer with singing bowls
Main Performance | Aji
An immersive sound journey by Aji blending mantra, handpan, flutes, didgeridoo, and traditional instruments into a meditative soundscape
An immersive sound journey by Aji blending mantra, handpan, flutes, didgeridoo, and traditional instruments into a meditative soundscape
Special Collaboration
A collaborative work with Taikoz's Ryuji Hamada - where rhythm and resonance merge into a powerful expression of prayer
From Sydney to Japan, from one heart to another, this night becomes a quiet bridge of sound and intention.
To pray through sound.
To connect through resonance.
To offer a vibration toward the future.
To connect through resonance.
To offer a vibration toward the future.
Sat 14 Mar 2026 6:00pm
Taikoz Ultimo Studio, Ultimo, NSW
Taikoz Ultimo Studio
6:00pm Saturday 14 March 2026Level W4-0, 42-46 Wattle St, Ultimo, NSW, 2007
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Author: ICle
Save the date! The entire ATA - all 10 groups! - will be performing at the annual ATA CONCERT on 14 December at the Ashfield Town Hall. You...
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DOJO LIVE! | Sounds of Prayer : In remembrance of 3.11
14 Mar 2026
Sounds of Prayer : In remembrance of 3.11
From Sydney to Japan — A Sound Offering for the 15th Year
11 March 2011 marks the date of the Great East Japan Earthquake, one of the most devastating natural disasters in modern history. The earthquake and tsunami caused immense loss and forever changed countless lives in Japan. Fifteen years have passed since that day. Though time moves forward, memory remains, and the act of prayer continues to live quietly within us.
On this significant anniversary, we offer a night of sound and prayer from Sydney, intentionally directed toward Japan.
Sound carries no language and knows no borders. It moves beyond words, reaching memory, emotion, and the unseen spaces where healing begins. The sounds created on this night are not only in remembrance, but also an offering of renewal, resonance, and hope for the future.
FEATURED ARTISTS
Aji (Indonesia / Bali) | Multi-instrumentalist
Aji performs internationally at venues and festivals, making him known for creating deeply immersive soundscapes by weaving together traditional and contemporary instruments. His performances feature mantra, handpan, South American and Indonesian flutes, didgeridoo, and the traditional Sape from Kalimantan. Through layered sound and intuitive flow,Aji creates an atmosphere that naturally invites meditation, movement, and inner stillness. Exploring themes of heritage, nature, and modern identity, his music is a soulful fusion of world music, ambient electronica, and acoustic storytelling.
Aji (Indonesia / Bali) | Multi-instrumentalist
Aji performs internationally at venues and festivals, making him known for creating deeply immersive soundscapes by weaving together traditional and contemporary instruments. His performances feature mantra, handpan, South American and Indonesian flutes, didgeridoo, and the traditional Sape from Kalimantan. Through layered sound and intuitive flow,Aji creates an atmosphere that naturally invites meditation, movement, and inner stillness. Exploring themes of heritage, nature, and modern identity, his music is a soulful fusion of world music, ambient electronica, and acoustic storytelling.
Ryuji Hamada | Taiko
Ryuji was born and played taiko in Yokohama, Japan, and after arriving in Australia in 2013, was appointed a full member of Taikoz in 2016. Ryuji is often featured as a taiko soloist, shinobue player and dancer and tours nationally and internationally on the mainstage, collaborating with many esteemed artists and musicians. Ryuji has been involved in all of Taikoz's recent major projects, including Taikoz Meets Shogo Yoshii, Natural Forces and Chi Udaka, which was recently presented at the Sydney Opera House for their 50th Anniversary Celebrations and in Singapore's Esplanade Theatre. In 2024, Ryuji traveled to Europe with composer Yunyu, performing When the Rain God Sings at NIME, Utrecht and Ars Electronica, Linz.
Asuka | Singing Bowls & Dance
Asuka was born in Tokyo, Japan.She is a dancer and choreographer who has trained and performed across Japan, Australia, and Asia. She has worked in various fields, including a two-year contract with NIKE Japan. Alongside teaching kids’ dance groups in Sydney, she has been a sound therapist for eight years, blending therapeutic instruments. In 2024, she led sound healing sessions on a round-the-world cruise.
Sydney Onikenbai Club
Onikenbai is a powerful traditional performing art passed down in and around Kitakami City in Iwate Prefecture. Sydney Onikenbai Club was established in 2010 by Taikoz with the imprimatur of Iwasaki Onikenbai Hozonkai, Japan. Many of the current members travel annually to Iwasaki to further their study of the dance and music of Onikenbai, as well as take part in the Kitakami Michinoku Geino Festival.
PROGRAM
Sydney Onikenbai Club
Prayers for a bountiful harvest, good health, and the repose of ancestors’ spirits
Moment of Silence | Asuka
A shared moment of silence for remembrance and prayer with singing bowls
A shared moment of silence for remembrance and prayer with singing bowls
Main Performance | Aji
An immersive sound journey by Aji blending mantra, handpan, flutes, didgeridoo, and traditional instruments into a meditative soundscape
An immersive sound journey by Aji blending mantra, handpan, flutes, didgeridoo, and traditional instruments into a meditative soundscape
Special Collaboration
A collaborative work with Taikoz's Ryuji Hamada - where rhythm and resonance merge into a powerful expression of prayer
From Sydney to Japan, from one heart to another, this night becomes a quiet bridge of sound and intention.
To pray through sound.
To connect through resonance.
To offer a vibration toward the future.
To connect through resonance.
To offer a vibration toward the future.
Sat 14 Mar 2026 6:00pm
Taikoz Ultimo Studio, Ultimo, NSW
Taikoz Ultimo Studio
6:00pm Saturday 14 March 2026Level W4-0, 42-46 Wattle St, Ultimo, NSW, 2007