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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November StepsTakemitsu Tōru
One of the most internationally renowned and historically significant masterpieces by Toru Takemitsu—the modern Japanese composer Japan proudly presents to the world—is November Steps.
Scored for a standard Western orchestra with the addition of biwa and shakuhachi soloists, it is an epoch-making work in which Western music and Japanese traditional music face each other across both temporal and cultural divides; its premiere was realized by none other than the New York Philharmonic.
Originally commissioned to celebrate the New York Philharmonic’s 125th anniversary, the title November Steps derives from the fact that the premiere took place on November 9, 1967, and from the work’s musical architecture, which consists of eleven “steps.” Since its triumphant debut, the piece has continued to be performed worldwide, and it is also well known that most of the biwa and shakuhachi solos were long performed by Satsuma-biwa player Kinshi Tsuruta and shakuhachi player Katsuya Yokoyama.
Even today, after the passing of the composer Takemitsu as well as Tsuruta and Yokoyama, their spirit lives on through younger performers.
Piano ConcertoYashiro Akio
Akio Yashiro, born in Tokyo in 1929, was immersed in Western music from an early age and displayed precocious talent in piano performance and composition.
Influenced by the great European composers yet creating works imbued with his own distinctive aesthetic, Yashiro sadly passed away at the young age of 46.
Often cited as his masterpiece—and renowned as a pinnacle of piano concertos by a Japanese composer—his Piano Concerto was completed in 1967.
The premiere took place in July 1967, performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Hiroshi Wakasugi with pianist Hiroko Nakamura.
Consisting of three movements, each with a distinct sound world, the work is performed worldwide as a masterpiece that has left its mark on music history since the 20th century.
It is also known for demanding a high level of technique from the pianist; listening not only to the celebrated premiere performance by Hiroko Nakamura but also to recordings by other pianists and orchestras can help one grasp the work’s essential appeal.
SF Symphony Fantasy No. 1Ifukube Akira
Akira Ifukube, a native of Hokkaido, is one of Japan’s leading composers, active in both classical and film music.
His works are characterized by a unique style that fuses Japanese folk music with Western orchestration.
This piece is a concert orchestral work that reconstructs music Ifukube composed for Toho’s special effects films, distilling scores from movies such as Godzilla.
Powerful rhythms, memorable melodies, and distinctive performance techniques are interwoven to brilliantly capture the world of kaiju cinema.
It’s a highly recommended piece not only for fans of tokusatsu films, but also for classical music enthusiasts.
Rhapsody for OrchestraToyama Yuzo
Composed in 1960 by Yuzo Toyama, who was also active as a conductor, this orchestral work was created for the NHK Symphony Orchestra’s overseas concert tour.
Its melody incorporates phrases from Japanese folk songs, and the instrumentation includes traditional Japanese instruments such as taiko drums, emphasizing a distinctly Japanese atmosphere.
It’s an interesting attempt to fuse Japanese tradition with the mainstream of orchestral music, and it seems to convey the joy of the symphony as well.
The traditional instruments, used as accents at key moments, also vividly communicate the world of the piece.
Rhapsody of JapanIfukube Akira
If you’re not very familiar with classical music, you’ve probably encountered Akira Ifukube’s name mainly in connection with film scores.
Starting with the ultra-famous theme from Godzilla—which everyone has heard at least once—Ifukube composed the music for countless Japanese films and is an indispensable figure in film history.
That said, since the purpose of this article is “masterpieces of classical music,” I’d like to introduce Ifukube’s orchestral masterpiece, Japanese Rhapsody, composed by a largely self-taught Ifukube.
Written in 1935, it was his first orchestral work and won first prize in a competition organized by the Russian-born composer Alexander Tcherepnin, marking a milestone that led to his international debut.
It’s astonishing to think that Ifukube, then 21 years old, wrote the piece while working as a forestry officer for the Hokkaido prefectural government.
The percussion-forward ensemble projects a powerful, festival-like energy that transcends nations and cultures, and when you hear its melodies tinged with Japanese poignancy, you can’t help but feel a deep, ineffable nostalgia.
Overture in D majorYamada Kōsaku
This is Japan’s first full-fledged orchestral work, composed by Yamada Kōsaku, a composer who represents modern Japanese music.
Completed in 1912 while he was studying in Berlin, the piece is structured in a classical sonata form influenced by Mendelssohn and Schumann.
From the outset, a bright and vigorous theme is presented by the strings, and the development is marked by a rich flow and shifting contrasts.
Although it is a brief work of about three and a half minutes, it holds historical significance in the development of Japanese classical music.
Since its premiere at the Imperial Theater in May 1915, it has continued to exert a major influence on Japan’s musical world.
It is a recommended piece not only for classical music enthusiasts but also for anyone interested in the history of Japanese music.
Ihatov SymphonyTomita Isao
This is a grand symphony by Isao Tomita, one of Japan’s foremost composers.
Expressing Kenji Miyazawa’s fantastical literary world through music, it premiered at Tokyo Opera City in November 2012.
The innovative approach of featuring the virtual singer Hatsune Miku as a soloist alongside orchestra and chorus drew significant attention.
Created as a symbol of hope for recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, it is imbued with love for people and the primal landscapes overflowing with the nature of Tohoku to which Miyazawa devoted his life.
Its otherworldly, monumental sound world—merging synthesizers with traditional orchestral sonorities—is recommended for those interested in the fusion of classical music and modern technology.