Otomo Yoshihide (大友 良英, Ōtomo Yoshihide; born August 1, 1959) is a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist. He…
Otomo Yoshihide (大友 良英, Ōtomo Yoshihide; born August 1, 1959) is a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist. He mainly plays guitar, turntables and electronics. He first came to international prominence in the 1990s as the leader of the experimental rock group Ground Zero, and has since worked in a variety of contexts, ranging from free improvisation to noise, jazz, avant-garde and contemporary classical. He is also a pioneering figure in the EAI-scene, and is featured on important records on labels like Erstwhile Records. He has composed music for many films, television dramas, and commercials. In 2017, Otomo became the 2nd Guest Artistic Director of The Sapporo International Art Festival 2017.
Famous Japanese People: Instrumentalist
Instrumentalist: 223 people
Takeshi Kobayashi (小林 武史, Kobayashi Takeshi; born June 7, 1959), is a Japanese keyboardist, lyricist, composer…
Takeshi Kobayashi (小林 武史, Kobayashi Takeshi; born June 7, 1959), is a Japanese keyboardist, lyricist, composer, arranger, and record producer.
Takeshi Saito (斎藤毅, Saitō Takeshi; born May 29, 1959 in Tokyo), better known by his stage name Neko Saito (斎藤ネコ, Saitō…
Takeshi Saito (斎藤毅, Saitō Takeshi; born May 29, 1959 in Tokyo), better known by his stage name Neko Saito (斎藤ネコ, Saitō Neko), is a Japanese violinist, conductor, composer and music arranger. Saito is the leader of the Saito Neko Quartet, and is known for his many collaborations with musician Ringo Sheena.
Satoshi Kadokura (門倉 聡, Kadokura Satoshi; born May 25, 1959), is a Japanese composer, arranger, producer and…
Satoshi Kadokura (門倉 聡, Kadokura Satoshi; born May 25, 1959), is a Japanese composer, arranger, producer and keyboardist. He graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts. He was a producer of Wink, Noriyuki Makihara, Southern All Stars and many other artists. He also composes scores for video game series Metal Max.
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (Japanese: 芳垣安洋; born 1959) is a Japanese drummer and percussionist, noted for his command of rhythm…
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (Japanese: 芳垣安洋; born 1959) is a Japanese drummer and percussionist, noted for his command of rhythm in jazz and ensemble settings. He is also highly regarded in free improvisation and has collaborated with musicians in Japan and abroad, including Otomo Yoshihide and John Zorn. He is one of the twin drummers of the post-rock band Rovo and the leader of Vincent Atmicus, an ensemble distinguished by twin drums, strings, brass, and layered percussion to create dense, polyrhythmic textures. He has also led long-running projects as a bandleader, including Orquesta Libre and Orquesta Nudge! Nudge!.
Kiyoshi Kitagawa (Japanese: 北川潔; December 5, 1958 – April 28, 2026) was a Japanese-American jazz double bassist.
Hirotaka Izumi (和泉宏隆, Izumi Hirotaka; September 28, 1958 – April 26, 2021) was a Japanese keyboardist, pianist, and…
Hirotaka Izumi (和泉宏隆, Izumi Hirotaka; September 28, 1958 – April 26, 2021) was a Japanese keyboardist, pianist, and composer who was a former member of the jazz fusion band T-Square. Besides T-Square, he was also active in the bands Pyramid (ピラミッド) and Voyage (ヴォヤージュ).
Tomoki Hasegawa (Japanese: 長谷川 智樹, Hepburn: Hasegawa Tomoki; born 19 July 1957) is a Japanese composer and arranger of…
Tomoki Hasegawa (Japanese: 長谷川 智樹, Hepburn: Hasegawa Tomoki; born 19 July 1957) is a Japanese composer and arranger of music from Osaka Prefecture, Japan, best known for his work on anime soundtracks. He has also done sound production work on albums for Mayumi Iizuka.
Jun Miyake (Japanese: 三宅 純 Hepburn: Miyake Jun, January 7, 1958, in Kyoto) is a Japanese composer. His music (e.g., the…
Jun Miyake (Japanese: 三宅 純 Hepburn: Miyake Jun, January 7, 1958, in Kyoto) is a Japanese composer. His music (e.g., the songs "Lilies in the Valley" and "The Here and After") was used in the film Pina, nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature in January 2012. He has also been awarded by the German critic's award, Der Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, as Best Album of the Year for his last three albums, Stolen from Strangers, Lost Memory Theatre act-1, and Lost Memory Theatre act-2. Miyake has now released 17 solo albums, and has worked on films, documentaries, dances, advertisement, and theatre pieces. His main instruments include the trumpet, flugelhorn, melodica, piano, keyboard, fender rhodes, and programming.
Tetsuo Sakurai (櫻井(桜井) 哲夫, Sakurai Tetsuo; born 13 November 1957) is a Japanese bassist. To date, he has released a…
Tetsuo Sakurai (櫻井(桜井) 哲夫, Sakurai Tetsuo; born 13 November 1957) is a Japanese bassist. To date, he has released a total of 37 albums as a member of Casiopea and Jimsaku and as a solo artist, and has also made 3 bass instructional videos.
Hidemi Suzuki (鈴木 秀美, Suzuki Hidemi; born 1957 in Kobe) is a Japanese cellist and conductor.
Yasuhiko Fukuda (福田 裕彦, Fukuda Yasuhiko; born May 3, 1957) is a Japanese composer and keyboardist.
Toshiyuki Honda (本多 俊之, Honda Toshiyuki; born April 9, 1957) is a Japanese jazz musician and composer. Honda's father…
Toshiyuki Honda (本多 俊之, Honda Toshiyuki; born April 9, 1957) is a Japanese jazz musician and composer. Honda's father was a jazz critic, whose name was also Toshiyuki Honda. As a jazz musician, he learned flute and saxophone, and worked in the late 1970s with George Otsuka and the Burning Waves ensemble. In the 1980s he worked with Chick Corea, Tatsuya Takahashi, and Kazumi Watanabe, as well as leading his own ensemble, Super Quartet. He was also a member of the ensemble Native Son. Starting in the late 1980s, Honda turned increasingly toward composing for film and television, as well as working in record producing. He composed the soundtrack for the Juzo Itami film A Taxing Woman in 1987, which raised his prominence as a film scorer. He went on to compose the score for all but one of the rest of Itami's films.
Nobuyoshi Kuwano (桑野 信義, Kuwano Nobuyoshi; born April 4, 1957 in Ōta, Tokyo) is a Japanese television performer, former…
Nobuyoshi Kuwano (桑野 信義, Kuwano Nobuyoshi; born April 4, 1957 in Ōta, Tokyo) is a Japanese television performer, former member of Rats & Star. His nickname is "Kuwa-man" (桑マン). In Rats & Star, he took charge of the trumpet and vocals. After the group broke up, he shifted to a television comedian and co-starred with The Drifters' Ken Shimura and Masashi Tashiro. He took over as lead vocalist of Rats & Star during Masayuki Suzuki's solo concert tour. He appears in some Japanese television programs as a performer. He was disappointed by Masashi Tashiro's arrest. He also said to Tashiro in public, "It's disappointing. Please atone for your crimes and thoroughly cleanse your body and soul" following Tashiro's retirement from the entertainment world.
Masao Akashi (明石昌夫, Akashi Masao; March 25, 1957 – May 19, 2025) was a Japanese music arranger in distributors Being…
Masao Akashi (明石昌夫, Akashi Masao; March 25, 1957 – May 19, 2025) was a Japanese music arranger in distributors Being Inc., mainly in their label B-Gram Records. In 1988, he debuted as arranger in debut single Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite by Japanese hard-rock band B'z. By 1998, his arrangement work had been involved with many Being artists including Manish, Wands and Zard. Although Akashi was no longer working for Being Inc., he sometimes provided producing jobs for various artists such as Naomi Tamura, Maria, Color Bottle and Sonoda Band. Akashi died on May 19, 2025, at the age of 68.
Izumi Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 泉美, Hepburn: Kobayashi Izumi; born 25 March 1957) is a Japanese musician, record…
Izumi Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 泉美, Hepburn: Kobayashi Izumi; born 25 March 1957) is a Japanese musician, record producer, and business executive. Originally working for a funk band at a US military base, she formed the band ASOCA and won the EastWest '76 Best Keyboardist award, and she performed as a keyboardist for other musicians and bands. Working for CBS/Sony, she released several solo albums, either with the Mimie-Chan Super Band and its later iteration Izumi Kobayashi & Flying Mimi Band or solely with her own name. She also worked as a composer for Japanese media, including "Lum's Love Song" (the theme song for the Urusei Yatsura anime), and hosted TV Tokyo late-night show Rock in Japan. She later moved to London in 1985 and worked as a record producer and industry executive in Europe, serving as president of Cisco Records London.
Oki Kano (加納 沖, Kanō Oki), known professionally as OKI, is a Japanese musician of mixed Japanese Ainu ancestry.
Minoru Mukaiya (向谷 実, Mukaiya Minoru; born 20 October 1956) is a Japanese musician best known as the former keyboardist…
Minoru Mukaiya (向谷 実, Mukaiya Minoru; born 20 October 1956) is a Japanese musician best known as the former keyboardist of the jazz fusion band Casiopea and producer of the Train Simulator series of Japanese video games. Mukaiya joined Casiopea during its formation in 1977 (with guitarist Issei Noro, drummer Takashi Sasaki and bassist Tetsuo Sakurai) and remained in the group until their hiatus in 2006. Since leaving the band he has created his own musical production team, "Mukaiya Club." He also serves as the president and CEO of the company Ongakukan, which produces professional train simulators for Japanese transit systems and has distributed video games to the general public. Mukaiya has also appeared in the event of Nico Nico Douga. Mukaiya has composed around 200 distinct melodies for over 110 subway stations in Japan. In 2019, British television presenter James May interviewed Mukaiya for episode 3 of James May: Our Man in Japan, discussing Mukaiya's involvement in composing melodies for train stations. In episode 11 of Great Japanese Railway Journeys, broadcast in April 2026, Mukaiya was interviewed by Michael Portillo and a figure of about 300 melodies was given by Mukaiya.
Daisuke Hinata (born July 2, 1956) is a Japanese music producer, composer, keyboardist, synthesist, synthesizer…
Daisuke Hinata (born July 2, 1956) is a Japanese music producer, composer, keyboardist, synthesist, synthesizer programmer, recording engineer, and studio designer. He is the owner/producer of VSA Studio, a recording studio located in California, US. He is also the owner of the record label “Hyperdisc” and "Global Disc". His older brother is Toshifumi Hinata, also a music composer and producer.
Shin-Ichi Fukuda (福田 進一, Fukuda Shin'ichi; born in Osaka, Japan on December 25, 1955) is a Japanese classical…
Shin-Ichi Fukuda (福田 進一, Fukuda Shin'ichi; born in Osaka, Japan on December 25, 1955) is a Japanese classical guitarist. He has released more than 60 albums, including in Memoriam: Takemitsu: Guitar Works, his interpretation of works by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. Shin-ichi Fukuda Official Website
Masanori Sera (Japanese: 世良公則) (born 14 December 1955) is a Japanese singer and actor from Fukuyama. He graduated from…
Masanori Sera (Japanese: 世良公則) (born 14 December 1955) is a Japanese singer and actor from Fukuyama. He graduated from Osaka University of Arts. As a singer Sera's rock band, Sera Masanori&TWIST appeared in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen twice (1978 and 1979). He made his solo debut with the single Tokyo rouge (Tokyo指紅) in 1982. As an actor, he appeared in popular detective drama Taiyō ni Hoero! from 1982 to 1984. In 1998, he won Best Supporting Actor award at the 22nd Japan Academy Prize (film award) for his role in Dr. Akagi.
Shinichi Mitsui (三井 進一, Mitsui Shin'ichi; born 12 December 1955), better known as Nakamura Baijaku II (二代目 中村 梅雀…
Shinichi Mitsui (三井 進一, Mitsui Shin'ichi; born 12 December 1955), better known as Nakamura Baijaku II (二代目 中村 梅雀, Nidaime Nakamura Baijaku), is a Japanese actor, bassist, and composer. He graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Ogikubo High School and later graduated from Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music. Nakamura also has relatives who are kabuki actors. Great-grandfather: Nakamura Kanemon II. Grandfather: Nakamura Kanemon III. Father: Nakamura Umenosuke IV. His trade name is Narikomaya (成駒屋) and debuted in 1965. Nakamura learned about kabuki and modern theater at the Zenshinza troupe. His initial name was Manabu Nakamura (中村 まなぶ, Nakamura Manabu). Nakamura took on the name of his great-grandfather Baijaku in 1980 during the 50th Anniversary Performance of Zenshinza and became "Baijaku II". At the final performance of Otose in 2007, Nakamura announced he was leaving Zenshinza and turning freelance.
Keiichi Oku (奥 慶一, Oku Keiichi; born October 14, 1955, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese keyboardist, composer…
Keiichi Oku (奥 慶一, Oku Keiichi; born October 14, 1955, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese keyboardist, composer and arranger. He was the keyboardist in the Japanese band Spectrum from 1979 to 1981. In 2009, he won the JASRAC International Award for the background music used in the Ashita no Nadja anime television series from Toei Animation.
Kyusaku Shimada (嶋田 久作, Shimada Kyūsaku; born April 24, 1955) is a Japanese actor.
Shigenori Kudo (工藤 重典, Kudō Shigenori; born September 26, 1954) is a Japanese flutist.
Yasuaki Shimizu (清水靖晃, Shimizu Yasuaki) (born 9 August 1954) is a Japanese composer, saxophonist and producer. He is…
Yasuaki Shimizu (清水靖晃, Shimizu Yasuaki) (born 9 August 1954) is a Japanese composer, saxophonist and producer. He is known for his interpretations of the music of J.S. Bach, in particular the "Cello Suites 1-6" re-arranged for and performed on tenor saxophone. Since 1981 he has composed, produced or arranged for artists as diverse as jazz vocalist Helen Merrill, composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, and DJ Towa Tei. During this time he has lived in London, Paris and Tokyo.
Masaaki Suzuki (鈴木 雅明, Suzuki Masaaki; born 29 April 1954) is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist, conductor, and the…
Masaaki Suzuki (鈴木 雅明, Suzuki Masaaki; born 29 April 1954) is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist, conductor, and the founder and music director of the Bach Collegium Japan. With this ensemble he is recording the complete choral works of Johann Sebastian Bach for the Swedish label BIS Records, for which he is also recording Bach's concertos, orchestral suites, and solo works for harpsichord and organ. He is also an artist-in-residence at Yale University and the principal guest conductor of its Schola Cantorum, and has conducted orchestras and choruses around the world.
Mayumi Miyata (宮田 まゆみ, Miyata Mayumi) is a Japanese player of the shō, a traditional Japanese mouth organ. Miyata was…
Mayumi Miyata (宮田 まゆみ, Miyata Mayumi) is a Japanese player of the shō, a traditional Japanese mouth organ. Miyata was born on April 1, 1954, in Tokyo and graduated from the Kunitachi College of Music, where she majored in piano. While in school, she began studying gagaku music from Ono Tadamaro of the Imperial Household Agency. From 1979 she performed in gagaku concerts at the National Theatre of Japan, and from 1983 she began giving solo shō recitals, which brought her wider public attention. Although the shō is generally associated with Japan's ancient gagaku court music, Miyata was among the first players of the instrument to specialize in contemporary classical music. She plays a specially constructed instrument with extra pipes, allowing for the use of more chromaticism. The US composer John Cage (1912–1992) composed a number of works for Miyata just before his death. Cage met her during the 1990 Darmstadt summer course. She has also premiered works by Tōru Takemitsu, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Maki Ishii, Joji Yuasa, Klaus Huber, Toshio Hosokawa, and Uroš Rojko, and has performed with major orchestras internationally, including the Saito Kinen Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa, the NHK Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit, the New York Philharmonic under André Previn, and the Czech Philharmonic under Vladimir Ashkenazy. In 1998, Miyata performed the Japanese national anthem, "Kimigayo", at the opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. In 2005, Miyata performed in three songs by the Icelandic musician Björk, for the soundtrack album to Drawing Restraint 9, a film by Björk's contemporary media artist boyfriend Matthew Barney, about Japanese culture and whaling. Miyata also appeared in the film, playing the shō in one scene. Previously, a piece written for and recorded by Miyata, "Music for Shō and Harp" by Cort Lippe, was sampled in the Björk single, "Venus as a Boy". She has performed in Japan, Australia, the United States, and Europe.
Takeshi Itō (伊東 毅, Itō Takeshi; born March 15, 1954) is a Japanese jazz fusion saxophonist and flute player. He is…
Takeshi Itō (伊東 毅, Itō Takeshi; born March 15, 1954) is a Japanese jazz fusion saxophonist and flute player. He is currently a part of the jazz fusion band T-Square.
Yasunori Imamura (今村 泰典, Imamura Yasunori; born 19 October 1953 in Sakai, Osaka) is a Japanese lutenist. Imamura has…
Yasunori Imamura (今村 泰典, Imamura Yasunori; born 19 October 1953 in Sakai, Osaka) is a Japanese lutenist. Imamura has appeared on more than 150 CDs, both as a soloist and as a member of ensembles. His solo recordings include the complete lute works by Johann Sebastian Bach (two versions : for Naxos in 2018 and for Etcetera in 1991), three volumes of lute sonatas by Silvius Leopold Weiss (for Claves and Capriccio), pièces pour théorbe by Robert de Visée, Spanish music for vihuela from the time of Charles V (Querstand) and the complete lute fantasies by Simone Molinario (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi). His teachers included lute with Eugen Müller-Dombois and Hopkinson Smith at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where, in 1981, he received his soloist's diploma. In addition, he studied interpretation and basso continuo with Ton Koopman and Johann Sonnleitner and composition with Wolfgang Neininger. Imamura has collaborated with such artists as Cecilia Bartoli, Teresa Berganza, Gérard Lesne, Marc Minkowski, Michael Schneider, Martin Gester, Maurice Steger, Masaaki Suzuki, Alan Curtis and Paul Goodwin. Mr. Imamura is a member of La Stagione Frankfurt, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Camerata Köln, Le Parlement de Musique and Il Complesso Barocco. Imamura created the ensemble "Fons Musicae" in 1997. They have released five recordings - "Airs de cour" (Michel Lambert), and recording dedicated exclusively to works by Giovanni Bononcini, Agostino Steffani, Antonio Caldara, Francesco Gasparini and Barbara Strozzi. These recordings have received awards including "Classica" (France) and "Star of the Month" (Germany). Imamura teaches lute at the Conservatoire National de Région, Strasbourg since 1984. In 1989, he began teaching at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. He gives master-classes in Europe and throughout the Far East.
Hiroyuki Namba (難波 弘之, Nanba Hiroyuki; born September 9, 1953) (occasionally credited as Hiroyuki Nanba) is a Japanese…
Hiroyuki Namba (難波 弘之, Nanba Hiroyuki; born September 9, 1953) (occasionally credited as Hiroyuki Nanba) is a Japanese musician. He has composed for and arranged songs from Japanese anime, OVA and video games. Notably, Hiroyuki Namba composed for Dallos, the first anime Original video animation. However, in the United States, he is known for composing the soundtrack to the Armitage III film. Namba plays keyboards in Sense of Wonder, a Japanese progressive rock band.
Akira Inoue (井上鑑) (born 8 September 1953), is a Japanese keyboard player, composer, arranger and producer. He was the…
Akira Inoue (井上鑑) (born 8 September 1953), is a Japanese keyboard player, composer, arranger and producer. He was the recipient of the 23rd Japan Record Awards arranger award.
Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則, Takahashi Masanori; born February 4, 1953), professionally known as Kitarō (喜多郎), is a…
Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則, Takahashi Masanori; born February 4, 1953), professionally known as Kitarō (喜多郎), is a Japanese musician, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).
Yoshiaki Miyanoue (born October 7, 1953 in Tokyo, Japan) is a jazz guitarist. Like Wes Montgomery, who exercised strong…
Yoshiaki Miyanoue (born October 7, 1953 in Tokyo, Japan) is a jazz guitarist. Like Wes Montgomery, who exercised strong influence on Miyanoue, he plucks the strings with his thumb, not using a pick. He worked with organist Jimmy Smith, Dr. Lonnie Smith, drummer Philly Joe Jones, and bassist Andrew Simpkins among others.
Tsugutoshi Gotō (後藤 次利, Gotō Tsugutoshi), born February 5, 1952, is a Japanese songwriter, bassist and music producer.…
Tsugutoshi Gotō (後藤 次利, Gotō Tsugutoshi), born February 5, 1952, is a Japanese songwriter, bassist and music producer. Gotō broke into the Japanese music industry playing bass on tour for artists like Sadistic Mika Band, Bread & Butter and Shiro Kishibe. He went on to write and produce songs for other artists including Kenji Sawada, Miyuki Nakajima, Shizuka Kudō, and various idol singers. In 1980, Gotō won Song of the Year at the Japan Record Award for his work on Kenji Sawada's song "Tokio". In 1983, Gotō married former idol singer and actress Midori Kinouchi. The pair divorced four years later. In 1987, he contributed the soundtrack for the Famicom/NES version of the video game Ultima III: Exodus. In 1994, he married former Onyanko Club member Sonoko Kawai. Gotō also joined several musical units like Draw4 in 1990, gym in 2003, Non-Chords in 2004 and WAIP in 2006.
Eitetsu Hayashi (林英哲, Hayashi Eitetsu) (born February 2, 1952) is an acclaimed Japanese musician best known for his…
Eitetsu Hayashi (林英哲, Hayashi Eitetsu) (born February 2, 1952) is an acclaimed Japanese musician best known for his solo performance work in taiko. Hayashi joined the group Ondekoza at an early age. Later, after parting from group, helped found the taiko group Kodo, though he quickly left to begin a solo career. Hayashi has performed in notable venues such as Carnegie Hall in 1984 and was the first featured taiko performer at the institution. He is also the recipient of multiple awards recognizing the cultural value of his work.
Akio Sasajima (笹島 明夫, Sasajima Akio) (born 1952) is a jazz guitarist born in Japan and currently based in Sapporo…
Akio Sasajima (笹島 明夫, Sasajima Akio) (born 1952) is a jazz guitarist born in Japan and currently based in Sapporo, Japan. His playing style incorporates bebop, hard bop, and jazz fusion. He recorded several albums as a leader for Muse and Enja in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Midori Takada (Japanese: 高田みどり) (born December 21, 1951) is a Japanese composer and percussionist. She has been…
Midori Takada (Japanese: 高田みどり) (born December 21, 1951) is a Japanese composer and percussionist. She has been described as a pioneer of ambient and minimalist music.
Masataka Matsutoya (松任谷 正隆, Matsutōya Masataka; born November 19, 1951) is a Japanese arranger, composer, music…
Masataka Matsutoya (松任谷 正隆, Matsutōya Masataka; born November 19, 1951) is a Japanese arranger, composer, music producer, and motor journalist. He currently resides in Setagaya, Tokyo. He is a graduate of Keio Senior High School and Keio University (literature department). His wife is singer-songwriter, composer, and lyricist Yumi Matsutoya (née Arai). His mother, Kazuko, is the auditor of Kirarasha, the firm Masataka established after his marriage to Arai.
Tōru Yasunaga (安永 徹, Yasunaga Tōru; born November 14, 1951, in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese violinist. Yasunaga is…
Tōru Yasunaga (安永 徹, Yasunaga Tōru; born November 14, 1951, in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese violinist. Yasunaga is an active chamber musician and soloist, and was a member of the Berlin Philharmonic from 1977, serving as concertmaster from 1983 until his retirement from the orchestra in March 2009.
Ken Tanaka (田中健, Tanaka Ken; born 6 March 1951) is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in more than 40 films since 1974.
Christopher Yohmei Blasdel (クリストファー遙盟, born 1951 in Canyon, Texas) is a shakuhachi performer, researcher and writer…
Christopher Yohmei Blasdel (クリストファー遙盟, born 1951 in Canyon, Texas) is a shakuhachi performer, researcher and writer specializing in the music of Japan and Asia. He studied under well known masters, holds a 5th-degree black belt in Aikido, and has made significant contributions to the promotion of Japanese music globally through performances, teaching, and publications in both English and Japanese. Blasdel's work has been recognized with awards, including the Sixth Rennyo Prize for Non-Fiction.
Hideaki Katō (Japanese: 加藤秀明, Hepburn: Katō Hideaki; born October 9, 1950), known professionally as Reichi Nakaido…
Hideaki Katō (Japanese: 加藤秀明, Hepburn: Katō Hideaki; born October 9, 1950), known professionally as Reichi Nakaido (仲井戸麗市, Nakaido Reichi) and nicknamed Chabo, is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as one of the guitarists and vocalists of the rock band RC Succession. Nakaido was voted the third greatest Japanese guitarist in a 2019 poll held by goo.
Fumiaki Miyamoto (宮本文昭, Miyamoto Fumiaki) (born November 3, 1949) is a Japanese classical oboist and conductor.
Kazutoki Umezu (梅津和時, Umezu Kazutoki; born October 17, 1949 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture) is a Japanese jazz…
Kazutoki Umezu (梅津和時, Umezu Kazutoki; born October 17, 1949 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture) is a Japanese jazz saxophonist. He has performed with Tom Cora, Samm Bennett, Ruins, Michiyo Yagi and Susumu Hirasawa.
Shunzo Ohno (大野 俊三, Ōno Shunzō; born 22 March 1949) is a Japanese trumpeter, composer and arranger. In 1974 Ohno…
Shunzo Ohno (大野 俊三, Ōno Shunzō; born 22 March 1949) is a Japanese trumpeter, composer and arranger. In 1974 Ohno accepted Art Blakey's offer and went to the U.S. He made recordings in cooperation with famous musicians, and some of his songs sold very well. He played active parts as a member of MACHITÖ Y SUS AFROCUBANAS and became known in Europe and South America. In 1984, he won a Grammy Award for his album Machito and His Salsa Big Band. Four years later, he also won for Live at Sweet Basil. Ohno was a passenger in an automobile accident in 1988 severing his lip, concussion, and broke teeth. He had to take months to re establish his embouchure to play trumpet 3 months later he played on the Buster Williams 'Something More" album with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Al Foster. In 2014, he won the Grand Prize in the International Songwritting Competition. The first Jazz artist to win the Grand Prize and became the first Japanese composer/musician to win the Grand Prize The song is one of his most well known compositions, "Musashi".
Fumio Itabashi (板橋 文夫, Itabashi Fumio; born March 8, 1949 in Tochigi) is a Japanese pianist and composer. Itabashi…
Fumio Itabashi (板橋 文夫, Itabashi Fumio; born March 8, 1949 in Tochigi) is a Japanese pianist and composer. Itabashi began playing piano when he was eight years old, and studied music formally at Kunitachi College of Music, where he first started playing jazz. In the 1970s he worked with Terumasa Hino, Takeo Moriyama, and Sadao Watanabe, in addition to leading his own small ensembles. In the 1980s he did several international tours as a sideman with Ray Anderson and Elvin Jones, and in the 1990s worked with Leo Etoh in a traditional Japanese percussion ensemble called Wa Daiko. In addition to his work in jazz, Itabashi also works as a film score composer, and has done soundtracks for Chinese and Japanese motion pictures.
Hiroyuki Fujikake (born 1949), also known by his pen name Hiro Fujikake, is a Japanese composer, conductor and…
Hiroyuki Fujikake (born 1949), also known by his pen name Hiro Fujikake, is a Japanese composer, conductor and synthesizer player.
Shigeharu Mukai (向井 滋春, Mukai Shigeharu; born January 21, 1949 in Nagoya) is a Japanese jazz trombonist. Mukai attended…
Shigeharu Mukai (向井 滋春, Mukai Shigeharu; born January 21, 1949 in Nagoya) is a Japanese jazz trombonist. Mukai attended Doshisha University but left before obtaining his degree to become a professional musician. Early in his career he worked with Yoshio Otomo, Ryo Kawasaki, and Hiroshi Fukumura, then led his own ensemble, including a performance at the Shinjuku Jazz Festival. He went on to work with Terumasa Hino, Akira Sakata, Kazumi Watanabe, and Yosuke Yamashita, as well as the ensemble Spik and Span and international musicians like João Bosco, Billy Hart, and Elvin Jones. In the 1970s, while living in Musashino, Tokyo, Mukai performed at Peter Cat, the jazz café that novelist Haruki Murakami opened and ran. In the 1990s and 2000s he taught jazz at Senzoku Gakuen school of music.
Toru Miura (三浦 徹, Miura Tōru) is a Japanese euphonium player and professor at Kunitachi College of Music. He is a…
Toru Miura (三浦 徹, Miura Tōru) is a Japanese euphonium player and professor at Kunitachi College of Music. He is a founding member of the International Tuba Euphonium Association (ITEA), formerly named Tubist Universal Brotherhood Association (TUBA).