Tadanobu Satō (佐藤 忠信, Satō Tadanobu; born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Tadanobu Asano (浅野 忠信…Tadanobu Satō (佐藤 忠信, Satō Tadanobu; born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Tadanobu Asano (浅野 忠信, Asano Tadanobu), is a Japanese actor, director, and musician, who has had an extensive career working in both Japanese and international cinema. He has been nominated for five Japan Academy Film Prizes, twice for Best Actor and three times for Best Supporting Actor, and is a winner of its Most Popular Performer award. Among his best-known roles are in Hirokazu Kore-eda's Maboroshi no Hikari (1995) and Distance (2001), Hyozo Tashiro in Gohatto (1999), Kakihara in Ichi the Killer (2001), Hattori Genosuke in Zatoichi (2003), Kenji in Last Life in the Universe (also 2003), and Temujin in Mongol (2007). He has also appeared in Hollywood films, notably as Hogun in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Lord Kira Yoshinaka in 47 Ronin (2013), the Interpreter in Silence (2016), Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi in Midway (2019), and Raiden in Mortal Kombat (2021), based on the fighting video game of the same name. He gained additional recognition in 2024 for his portrayal of Lord Kashigi Yabushige on the American television series Shōgun, based on the James Clavell novel, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. Asano has worked with some of the most prominent and acclaimed directors in Japanese cinema, including Hirokazu Kore-eda, Takeshi Kitano, Nagisa Ōshima, Takashi Miike, Nobuhiko Obayashi and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, along with international directors Martin Scorsese, Kenneth Branagh, Wong Kar-wai, Roland Emmerich, Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Sergei Bodrov. Among other accolades, he has twice won the Best Actor Award at the Yokohama Film Festival, the Upstream Prize for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, and the Best Actor Award at the Moscow International Film Festival.
Mitsuru Igarashi (五十嵐 充, Igarashi Mitsuru; born 17 May 1969 in Tokyo) is the former keyboardist and songwriter of…Mitsuru Igarashi (五十嵐 充, Igarashi Mitsuru; born 17 May 1969 in Tokyo) is the former keyboardist and songwriter of Japanese pop group Every Little Thing. He founded the band in early 1996 with his old friend Ichirō Itō and then 18-year-old singer Kaori Mochida. He left Every Little Thing in April 2000 after releasing the third album, Eternity. Since leaving the band, he started producing music for the band Day After Tomorrow which disbanded in 2005. Currently he plays keyboards and is a songmaker and producer in band Rushmore. He was also involved in composing and writing song lyrics for Every Little Thing's ninth album, Change.
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.
Mitsuyoshi Yoshino (吉野 光義, Yoshino Mitsuyoshi; born 13 December 1951), known professionally as Mickie Yoshino (ミッキー吉野…Mitsuyoshi Yoshino (吉野 光義, Yoshino Mitsuyoshi; born 13 December 1951), known professionally as Mickie Yoshino (ミッキー吉野, Mikkī Yoshino), is a Japanese keyboardist, composer, producer, and arranger. Yoshino is known for leading the rock band Godiego. In 2005, he won a Japan Academy Prize for his music. Yoshino's compositions were used in the film Swing Girls (Altamira Pictures). Yoshino still produces music with groups such as Godiego and EnTRANS.
Kazuhiko Katō (加藤 和彦, Katō Kazuhiko; March 21, 1947 – October 17, 2009), nicknamed "Tonovan" (トノヴァン), was a Japanese…Kazuhiko Katō (加藤 和彦, Katō Kazuhiko; March 21, 1947 – October 17, 2009), nicknamed "Tonovan" (トノヴァン), was a Japanese record producer, songwriter and singer. He sometimes used the spelling of "Kazuhiko Katoh".
Hiroshi Yoshimura (吉村 弘, Yoshimura Hiroshi; 22 October 1940 – 23 October 2003) was a Japanese musician and composer. He…Hiroshi Yoshimura (吉村 弘, Yoshimura Hiroshi; 22 October 1940 – 23 October 2003) was a Japanese musician and composer. He is considered a pioneer of ambient music in Japan. His music lies mostly in the minimalist genre of kankyō ongaku, or environment music—soft electronic melodies infused with the sounds of nature: babbling brooks, steady rain, and morning birds. However, not all Yoshimura's work included nature sounds. Green (1986) only had them in the United States release, as they were excluded in the Japanese version.