Classical music by Japanese composers. Recommended classical music.
When we hear the term “classical music,” many of us immediately think of works by well-known foreign composers.
These pieces are often used in various everyday contexts with different arrangements, and there are many works that people have naturally heard at least once and can name right away.
However, if you’re asked to name classical works by Japanese composers, fewer people may be able to answer quickly.
Here, we focus on classical music composed by Japanese composers and highlight representative works.
This is recommended even for those who regularly enjoy classical music but haven’t listened much to works by Japanese composers.
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regretTaki Rentarō
Rentaro Taki, who composed children’s songs and art songs that every Japanese person knows—such as “Kojo no Tsuki” (Moon Over Ruined Castle) and “Oshogatsu” (New Year)—left an indelible mark on the history of Japanese music.
Although he died far too young at the age of 23, his best-known works are the songs mentioned at the outset.
Yet in the dawn of Western music in Japan during the Meiji era, Taki was deeply influenced by German music and studied in Germany as the third Japanese musician sent to Europe.
He also became the first Japanese composer to write a piano solo piece, the “Minuet.” The piece introduced here, “Kan” (Regret), is one of Taki’s rare piano works and effectively his final composition.
Characterized by a beautiful yet faintly wistful melody, “Kan” is said—just as its title suggests—to embody Taki’s poignant feelings as he sensed his own approaching death.
One can’t help but wonder how the history of music in Japan and the world might have unfolded if Taki had lived longer; it may be worthwhile to listen to this piece while imagining such possibilities.
sand ripplesHoshina Hiroshi
Hoshina Hiroshi is a composer highly regarded in the field of wind band music.
His piece “Fūmon” (Wind Patterns) was selected as a set piece for wind band competitions and has been performed at contests known as the “Kōshien of wind ensembles,” moving many performers and audiences alike.
The work is a delicate and beautiful composition that musically evokes the patterns the wind forms on the surface of water, drawing inspiration from natural phenomena and the landscapes of Japan.
In 2015, Hoshina received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, and his many years of educational and instructional activity have also been highly praised.
This piece is recommended not only for lovers of wind bands and orchestral music, but also for those who wish to experience Japan’s traditional sense of beauty.
Interoceptive cosmosYuasa Joji
Born in Fukushima Prefecture in 1929, Joji Yuasa is a pioneer of contemporary and experimental music in Japan.
He holds a unique view of music as “the spatial and temporal transition of an acoustic energy body,” and this piece, too, creates atonal music reminiscent of Scriabin.
The piano’s star-like, twinkling melodies envelop the listener.
Cyber Bird ConcertoYoshimatsu Takashi
This is a representative work by Takashi Yoshimatsu, known as a composer who has pioneered new frontiers in Japan’s classical music scene.
While featuring the saxophone as the main instrument, it also uses piano and percussion in a soloistic manner, and is characterized by a style that incorporates jazz rhythms and improvisational elements.
Comprising three movements—each titled “Birds in Colors,” “Birds in Sorrow,” and “Birds in the Wind”—the piece premiered in March 1994.
It carries the composer’s feelings for his sister, who passed away during its creation, unfolding a unique worldview that overlays the near-futuristic image of birds in cyberspace with birds as symbols of nature and life.
It is a recommended piece for those who wish to enjoy a fusion of classical, pop, and jazz.
Fantasy on Osaka Folk SongsŌguri Yutaka
This is an orchestral piece by Hiroshi Ōguri, one of the composers who represent Japan’s classical music scene.
Born in Osaka, Ōguri is known for his distinctive style that fuses Western musical forms with local folk songs and popular tunes as thematic material.
A revised version for wind ensemble was completed in 1970, and it received its premiere by the Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band on May 30, 1974.
The piece employs melodies that evoke the climate, culture, and everyday lives of the people of Osaka, making it a captivating work that conveys the city’s history and sentiment.
It is recommended for those interested in traditional Japanese music and for listeners curious about expressing regional culture through music.
BugakuMayuzumi Toshirō
This work has attracted attention as a piece that fuses Japanese traditional culture with contemporary music.
Released in 1962, the composition was inspired by the traditional Japanese dance form bugaku, and its innovative musical expression had a major impact on the music scene of the time.
It employs strings, percussion, and woodwinds, featuring tense tempo shifts and subtle dynamics.
Structured in two parts, it unfolds a generally minimal sonic and rhythmic texture throughout both sections.
Mayuzumi’s attempt to blend traditional Japanese music with modern orchestration has been highly acclaimed as an experimental endeavor that merges the classical with the contemporary.
It is a must-listen for anyone interested in Japanese classical music.
Classical music by Japanese composers. Recommended classical music (21–30)
Warship MarchSetoguchi Fujikichi
Known for its stirring melody that makes you sit up straight, “Warship March” (Gunkan Kōshinkyoku), more commonly loved as “Gunkan March,” is a famous piece! In Japan, it’s sometimes counted among the “world’s three great marches” alongside America’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and Germany’s “Old Comrades.” It also serves as a ceremonial piece for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and many in the Showa generation may remember it as background music in pachinko parlors.
Composed by Tokichi Setoguchi, who served as a Navy bandmaster in the Meiji era, “Warship March” transcends the category of a typical military song to become a national favorite.
Setoguchi, who also wrote pieces such as the prewar favorite “Patriotic March,” is even known as the “Father of Japanese marches.” The lyrics, originally written by Kei Toriyama in 1893, came first; Setoguchi later composed the music, and “Warship March” was born in 1900.
Did you know that the middle section of the piece actually incorporates “Umi Yukaba,” a prewar national song?