List of Japanese composers
This is a list of Japanese composers, arranged by the field in which each is best known and, within each section, in order of birth year.
Western art music reached Japan in earnest only after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when the new government introduced Western-style music into the school curriculum and into the army and navy bands. The first generation of Japanese composers therefore wrote mainly shōka (school songs) and marches; a fully professional concert-music tradition emerged in the 1920s and 1930s around Kōsaku Yamada and the composers of the Shinkō Sakkyokuka Renmei. Since the 1950s Japanese composers have also become internationally prominent in film, television, animation and video game music, and those fields are listed separately below.
Inclusion criteria: entries should be composers who are the subject of an existing Wikipedia article, or whose notability is supported by an inline citation. Composers active in more than one field are listed once, in the section for which they are best known, with cross-references where useful. An empty death-year field indicates a living composer. Where reliable sources disagree on a date, the alternatives are noted.
Birth and death years in this list have been checked against the Japanese Wikipedia list of Japanese classical composers and against the sources cited for individual entries.[1]
Pre-Meiji and traditional Japanese music
Composers working within the indigenous hōgaku traditions (koto, shakuhachi, shamisen, gagaku and related genres).
- Yatsuhashi Kengyo (1614–1685) – koto composer; credited with Rokudan no Shirabe and with establishing the modern hirajōshi tuning
- Hiromori Hayashi (1831–1896) – gagaku musician of the Imperial Court; associated with the melody of "Kimigayo"
- Nakao Tozan (1876–1956) – founder of the Tozan-ryū school of shakuhachi
- Michio Miyagi (1894–1956) – koto composer and performer; "Haru no Umi" (1929)
- Yasuo Kuwahara (1946–2003) – composer for mandolin orchestra
Shōka, art song and children's song
Composers active chiefly in shōka (Meiji-era school song), dōyō (children's song) and Japanese art song. Those marked with an asterisk also appear in the classical table below.
- Isawa Shūji (1851–1917) – educator; head of the Music Study Committee (Ongaku Torishirabe Gakari), which introduced Western music into Japanese schools
- Sakunosuke Koyama (1864–1927) – "Natsu wa Kinu" (1896)
- Tokichi Setoguchi (1868–1941) – naval bandmaster; "Warship March" (1897)
- Nobu Kōda (1870–1946)*
- Teiichi Okano (1878–1941) – "Furusato" (1914), "Momiji" (1911)
- Rentarō Taki (1879–1903) – "Kōjō no Tsuki" (1901), Minuet in B minor (1900)
- Tadashi Yanada (1883–1959) – "Aoi Me no Ningyō" (1921)
- Nagayo Motoori (1885–1945) – "Shabondama" (1922)
- Kōsaku Yamada (1886–1965)* – "Akatombo" (1927)
- Kiyoshi Nobutoki (1887–1965) – "Umi Yukaba" (1937); cantata "Kaidō Tōsei" (1940)
- Shinpei Nakayama (1887–1952) – "Kachūsha no Uta" (1914), "Sendō Kouta" (1921)
- Ryūtarō Hirota (1892–1952) – "Hamachidori" (1919)
- Tamezō Narita (1893–1945) – "Hamabe no Uta" (1916)
- Kan'ichi Shimofusa (1898–1962)*
- Yūji Koseki (1909–1989)* – Tokyo Olympic March (1964)
- Yoshinao Nakada (1923–2000)* – "Chiisai Aki Mitsuketa" (1955)
Classical and contemporary concert music
Sorted by birth year; the table can also be re-sorted by clicking the column headers.
| Name | Birth year | Death year | Prominent works and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nobu Kōda | 1870 | 1946 | Violin Sonata in E-flat major (1895), Violin Sonata in D minor (1897); the first Japanese composer of Western-style sonatas |
| Kōsaku Yamada | 1886 | 1965 | Symphonic poem "Flower of Mandala" (1913), Sinfonia "Inno Meiji" (1921), Nagauta Symphony (1934); composer of the first Japanese symphony (1912) |
| Shukichi Mitsukuri | 1895 | 1971 | Co-founder of the Shinkō Sakkyokuka Renmei (1930) |
| Kan'ichi Shimofusa | 1898 | 1962 | Influential theory teacher at the Tokyo Music School |
| Hidemaro Konoye | 1898 | 1973 | Conductor and composer; made the first complete recording of Mahler's Fourth Symphony (1930) |
| Yasuji Kiyose | 1900 | 1981 | To Ancient Times for orchestra (1937); teacher of Toru Takemitsu |
| Saburō Moroi | 1903 | 1977 | Symphony No. 2 (1938), Violin Concerto (1939), Piano Sonata No. 2 (1939) |
| Noboru Ito | 1903 | 1993 | Early Japanese exponent of jazz-influenced concert music |
| Kunihiko Hashimoto | 1904 | 1949 | Symphony No. 1 in D (1940), Symphony No. 2 in F (1947) |
| Kikuko Kanai | 1906 | 1986 | Symphony No. 1 (1940), said to be the first symphony by a Japanese woman; drew extensively on Okinawan folk music. Some sources give her birth year as 1911.[2][3] |
| Tomojirō Ikenouchi | 1906 | 1991 | Studied with Henri Büsser in Paris; founding professor of composition at the Tokyo University of the Arts |
| Yoritsune Matsudaira | 1907 | 2001 | Theme and Variations for Piano and Orchestra (1951), U-mai (1957), Sa-mai (1958) |
| Isotaro Sugata | 1907 | 1952 | Orchestral works rediscovered and recorded from the 1990s |
| Hisato Ohzawa | 1907 | 1953 | Symphony No. 1 (1934), Piano Concerto No. 3 "Kamikaze" (1938) |
| Shirō Fukai | 1907 | 1959 | Quatre Mouvements Parodiques (1933/1936) |
| Kozaburo Hirai | 1910 | 2002 | Choral and vocal works drawing on Japanese traditional idioms |
| Kōmei Abe | 1911 | 2006 | String Quartet No. 7 (1950), Symphony No. 1 (1957) |
| Hisatada Otaka | 1911 | 1951 | Cello Concerto (1944), Flute Concerto (1948); the Otaka Prize is named after him |
| Kazuo Yamada | 1912 | 1991 | Conductor and composer |
| Saburō Takata | 1913 | 2000 | Choral cycle "Mizu no Inochi" (1964) |
| Akira Ifukube | 1914 | 2006 | Ballata Sinfonica (1943), Ritmica Ostinata for piano and orchestra (1961/1971); also the music for Godzilla (1954) |
| Fumio Hayasaka | 1914 | 1955 | Ancient Dances on the Left and on the Right (1941), Yukara (1955); film scores for Akira Kurosawa including Rashomon (1950) |
| Kiyoshige Koyama | 1914 | 2009 | Kobiki-Uta for orchestra (1957), Symphonic Suite "Nohmen" (1959) |
| Minao Shibata | 1916 | 1996 | Pioneer of serial and electronic music in Japan; also a musicologist and critic |
| Mareo Ishiketa | 1916 | 1996 | Sinfonia in fa diesis e do (1965) |
| Roh Ogura | 1916 | 1990 | Dance Suite (1953), Symphony in G (1968). Some sources give his birth year as 1915. |
| Hiroshi Oguri | 1918 | 1982 | Fantasy on Osaka Folk Tunes (1955); a staple of the Japanese wind band repertoire[4] |
| Yoshirō Irino | 1921 | 1980 | Sinfonietta (1953); composed the first Japanese twelve-tone work (1951) |
| Kan Ishii | 1921 | 2009 | Sinfonia Ainu (1959); operas and ballets |
| Sadao Bekku | 1922 | 2012 | Symphony No. 1 (1961), Violin Concerto (1969), Viola Concerto (1971) |
| Ikuma Dan | 1924 | 2001 | Opera "Yūzuru" (1952); six symphonies |
| Yasushi Akutagawa | 1925 | 1989 | Trinita Sinfonica (1948), Triptyque for string orchestra (1953), opera "Orpheus in Hiroshima" (1960), Concerto Ostinato for cello and orchestra (1969) |
| Teizo Matsumura | 1929 | 2007 | Achime (1957), Symphony No. 1 (1965), two piano concertos (1973, 1978), opera "Silence" (1993) |
| Toshiro Mayuzumi | 1929 | 1997 | Bacchanale (1954), Nirvana Symphony (1958), Mandala Symphony (1960), Bugaku (1962), opera "The Golden Pavilion" (1976) |
| Akio Yashiro | 1929 | 1976 | Symphony (1958), Cello Concerto (1960), Piano Sonata (1961), Piano Concerto (1967) |
| Joji Yuasa | 1929 | 2024[5] | Projection for Seven Players (1955), Chronoplastic (1972), Scenes from Bashō; member of Jikken Kōbō |
| Michio Mamiya | 1929 | 2024 | Three Compositions for Chorus (1958–68); opera "Narukami" (1974) |
| Toru Takemitsu | 1930 | 1996 | Requiem for string orchestra (1957), The Dorian Horizon (1966), November Steps (1967), A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden (1977); Japan's most internationally performed concert composer |
| Minoru Miki | 1930[6] | 2011[7] | Founder of the ensemble Pro Musica Nipponia; operas including "Jōruri" (1985) |
| Makoto Moroi | 1930 | 2013 | Piano Concerto No. 1 (1966), Concerto for shakuhachi and 17-string koto (1975) |
| Ryōhei Hirose | 1930 | 2008 | Cello Concerto "Triste" (1971), Shakuhachi Concerto (1976) |
| Toshiya Sukegawa | 1930 | 2015 | Owari no Nai Asa ("The Eternal Morning"); also a critic and editor-in-chief of the journal Ongaku no Sekai |
| Hifumi Shimoyama | 1930 | 2023[8] | Reflection for three string orchestras (1969, ISCM World Music Days); the Fūmon series |
| Hikaru Hayashi | 1931 | 2012 | Symphony in G (1953), Viola Concerto "Elegia" (1995); also film music for Kaneto Shindo |
| Sei Ikeno | 1931 | 2004 | Rapsodia Concertante for violin and orchestra (1983) |
| Yuzo Toyama | 1931 | 2023 | Rhapsody for Orchestra (1960), Violin Concerto No. 1 (1963) |
| Makoto Shinohara | 1931 | 2024[9] | Studied with Olivier Messiaen and at the Cologne electronic music studio; assistant to Karlheinz Stockhausen |
| Yoriaki Matsudaira | 1931 | 2023 | Serial and indeterminate music; son of Yoritsune Matsudaira |
| Toshi Ichiyanagi | 1933 | 2022 | Violin Concerto "Circulating Scenery" (1983), Symphony "Berlin Renshi" (1989); introduced John Cage's music to Japan |
| Akira Miyoshi | 1933 | 2013 | Trois mouvements symphoniques (1960), Piano Concerto (1961), Violin Concerto (1965), Requiem (1970), Litania pour Fuji (1988) |
| Shuko Mizuno | 1934 | Jazz Orchestra 75, Symphonic Metamorphosis (Kokyoteki Hen'yo), Dies irae (Ikari no Hi); known for combining jazz, improvisation and orchestral writing81) | |
| Takekuni Hirayoshi | 1936 | 1998 | Choral and piano music |
| Maki Ishii | 1936 | 2003 | Sō-gū II for gagaku and orchestra (1971); son of Kan Ishii |
| Keiko Abe | 1937 | Marimba virtuoso and composer; central to the creation of the modern marimba repertoire | |
| Kikuko Masumoto | 1937 | Composer and scholar of gagaku | |
| Yoshihisa Taira | 1937 | 2005 | Worked mainly in France; the Hiérophonie series |
| Yūji Takahashi | 1938 | Pianist, composer and writer; premiered works by Iannis Xenakis | |
| Takehisa Kosugi | 1938 | 2018 | Fluxus artist; music director of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company |
| Meiko Shiomi | 1938 | Fluxus artist; the "Spatial Poem" event series | |
| Shigeaki Saegusa | 1942 | Radiation Missa (1981), opera "Chūshingura" (1997) | |
| Shin-ichiro Ikebe | 1943 | Symphony No. 2 "Trias" (1979), Symphony No. 3 "Ego Phano" (1984); film scores for Akira Kurosawa and Shohei Imamura | |
| Atsutada Otaka | 1944 | 2021 | Image for orchestra (1981), Fantasy for organ and orchestra (1999); son of Hisatada Otaka |
| Jo Kondo | 1947 | Sen no Ongaku ("linear music"); theorist and teacher | |
| Somei Satoh | 1947 | Litania (1973); works built on resonance and slow harmonic motion | |
| Michio Kitazume | 1948 | Side by Side (1989); orchestral and percussion works | |
| Akira Nishimura | 1953 | 2023 | Kecak for percussion ensemble (1979), Heterophony for two pianos and orchestra (1987), Canticle of Light (1996) |
| Takashi Yoshimatsu | 1953 | Threnody to Toki (1980), The Age of Birds (1986), Pleiades Dances (1986–2001) | |
| Toshio Hosokawa | 1955 | Operas Hanjo (2004) and Matsukaze (2010); Circulating Ocean (2005) | |
| Mamoru Fujieda | 1955 | The Patterns of Plants series | |
| Masamichi Amano | 1957 | Orchestral works and film scores | |
| Karen Tanaka | 1961 | Techno Etudes (2000); works often on ecological themes | |
| Hikari Ōe | 1963 | Composer with a developmental disability; son of the novelist Kenzaburō Ōe | |
| Keiko Fujiie | 1963 | Concertos and vocal works | |
| Jun Nagao | 1964 | Wind band and orchestral works | |
| Hiroyuki Yamamoto | 1967 | ||
| Motoharu Kawashima | 1972 | Works using theatrical and gestural performance | |
| Dai Fujikura | 1977 | Opera Solaris (2015); works for the Ensemble Intercontemporain and others |
Film, television and anime
- Chumei Watanabe (1925–2022) – Mazinger Z, Kikaider, the Super Sentai series[10]
- Masaru Sato (1928–1999) – film scores for Akira Kurosawa and Ishirō Honda
- Shunsuke Kikuchi (1931–2021) – Dragon Ball, Doraemon
- Kunio Miyauchi (1932–2006) – Ultra Q, Ultraman, The Human Vapor
- Takeo Watanabe (1933–1989) – Mobile Suit Gundam
- Joe Hisaishi (born 1950) – scores for Hayao Miyazaki and Takeshi Kitano
- Shirō Sagisu (born 1957) – Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Yoichiro Yoshikawa (born 1957)
- Jun Miyake (born 1958)
- Akira Senju (born 1960)
- Michiru Oshima (born 1961) – film, television and video game scores
- Shinkichi Mitsumune (born 1963)
- Yoko Kanno (born 1963) – Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex[11]
- Taro Iwashiro (born 1965) – Red Cliff
- Yuki Kajiura (born 1965) – Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Sword Art Online
- Hiroyuki Sawano (born 1980) – Attack on Titan
Video game music
- Koichi Sugiyama (1931–2021) – Dragon Quest
- Nobuo Uematsu (born 1959) – Final Fantasy
- Koji Kondo (born 1961) – Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda
- Michiru Yamane (born 1963) – Castlevania
- Yoko Shimomura (born 1967) – Street Fighter II, Kingdom Hearts
- Yasunori Mitsuda (born 1972) – Chrono Trigger
Popular and other music
- Koga Masao (1904–1978) – originator of the kayōkyoku style known as the "Koga melody"
- Isao Tomita (1932–2016) – pioneer of synthesizer music; Snowflakes Are Dancing (1974)
- Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023) – Yellow Magic Orchestra; Academy Award-winning score for The Last Emperor (1987)
- Yoko Noge (born 1957) – blues and jazz composer and bandleader
- Yoshiki (born 1965) – X Japan; "Anniversary", written for the tenth anniversary of the reign of Emperor Akihito (1999); theme for the Golden Globe Awards
See also
- Music of Japan
- Japan Composer's Association
- Japan Federation of Composers
- Shinkō Sakkyokuka Renmei
- List of composers by nationality
References
- ↑ 日本のクラシック音楽の作曲家一覧. Japanese Wikipedia (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ 沖縄／日本／アメリカ、女／男の分断を超えた視点の構築－作曲家・金井喜久子を中心に (in Japanese). National Museum of Japanese History. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ 島が誇るメロディー ～沖縄音楽の母 金井喜久子～ (in Japanese). Japan Private Broadcasting Education Association. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Rehrig, William H. (1991). "Oguri, Hiroshi". The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music: Composers and Their Music. Integrity Press. pp. 585–586. ISBN 978-0-919048-08-9.
- ↑ 湯浅譲二さんが死去 現代音楽作曲家、94歳. Nikkei (in Japanese). 4 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Randel, Don Michael, ed. (1996). The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 588. ISBN 978-0-674-37299-3.
- ↑ 作曲家の三木稔さんが死去 オペラや現代邦楽. 47news.jp. 8 December 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ↑ 下山一二三. Japanese Wikipedia (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ 篠原眞氏が死去 作曲家. Nikkei (in Japanese). 4 March 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ 作曲家 渡辺宙明さん死去 96歳「マジンガーZ」など手がける (in Japanese). NHK. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ "Composer Yoko Kanno Holds Open Audition for Male Singer". Anime News Network. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.