Tama Seisakusho was started in 1962 by the Hoshino Gakki group to manufacture electric guitars. Their brand of drums, Star Drums, was at that available in Imperial and Royals versions. Then in 1965, the Hoshino Gakki Group took over 'Ibanez', a company manufacturing Spanish guitars. All the guitars were than re-branded but their drums retained the Star Drums brand name. In 1974, they changed it to Tama. Initially producing what the industry called 'stencil kits', Tama along with Drum Workshop bought the Camco Drum Company. Tama acquired the Camco name, its patents, designs and engineering. Due to low professional response, they discontinued using the Camco name for their high-end drums, reverting to the Tama name.

The Iron Cobra pedal is one of the most popular pedals still in use today. All Tama drums are hand made and each 'Starclassic' drum bears the signature of the person who handcrafted it. The 'Silk' wraps look just like the vintage 'Onyx' finish on the '50s Rogers drums, the 'Glitter' wraps resemble those on the 'Flakes' '30s Ludwig drums, and the 'Vintage' wraps look identical to the 'Satin Flame Pearl' finish on the '60s Slingerland drums.

Tama drums are continuously evolving and coming up with unique drum innovations like the Star Cast hoop mounting system, the Lever Glide Hi-Hat system, the Tama Octobans and the Tama air-ride snare mounting system. Dave Grohl, Bill Ward, and Mike Portnoy are just some of the professional drummers who use/used Tama drum kits and hardware.