Famous Japanese saxophonists
How familiar are you with saxophone players active in Japan?
While overseas saxophonists often get most of the attention, Japan also has a wealth of outstanding musicians!
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of players—from superstars who have led the scene for many years to younger musicians who’ve been attracting attention in recent years.
We’re highlighting artists not only from the jazz and fusion worlds, but also those active in classical and pop scenes.
You might even discover the sax player who performed on one of your favorite songs.
Playlist
| Famous Japanese saxophonists | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| show_chart | Title | Playlist | Review |
| 1east | TRUTHHonda Masato | play_arrow | Known by the nickname “Hyper Sax Player”… |
| 2east | Orange ExpressWatanabe Sadao | play_arrow | You can’t talk about Japanese saxophonists without mentioning this person… |
| 3east | Florida to TokyoSugawa Nobuya | play_arrow | When people think of the saxophone, jazz and fusion tend to come to mind... |
| 4east | My Foolish HeartToki Eishi | play_arrow | Tsuchi..., who is also known as the father of singer Asako Toki, |
| 5east | IT’S MAGICItō Takeshi | play_arrow | Japan’s leading fusion band, T-S… |
| 6east | The Flight of the BumblebeeUeno Kohei | play_arrow | Born in 1992, and from the age of 8 was in the school band, sa… |
| 7east | SAX MACHINEhujiinaoyuki | play_arrow | Former Checkers saxophonist, Fujii… |
| 8east | Lover Come Back To MeYukko Mirā | play_arrow | Also known as the Kyary Pamyu Pamyu of the saxophone world... |
| 9east | Beat #5Katsuta Kazuki | play_arrow | Katsu, also known by the nickname 'katsuo,' ... |
| 10east | sunflowerSakata Akira | play_arrow | Akira Sakata is one of Japan’s leading saxophonists... |
| 11east | A Taxing WomanHonda Toshiyuki | play_arrow | Toshiyuki Honda is the son of jazz critic Toshio Honda... |
| 12east | YES OR NOTerakubo Erena | play_arrow | Terakubo, who had been playing the saxophone since the age of nine... |
| 13east | Nothing gonna change my love for youKobayashi Kaori | play_arrow | Between a mother who is a piano teacher and a father who is a photographer... |
| 14east | Only a handfulMiyazaki Takamutsu | play_arrow | The saxophonist who was a member of T-SQUARE... |
| 15east | Wind, screamTanaka Yasuhito | play_arrow | Yasuto Tanaka, born in Wakayama City in 1964, sa... |
| 16east | Take FiveHagiwara Takashi | play_arrow | A saxophonist from the prestigious wind ensemble program at Tenri University... |
| 17east | Take a wild guessOishi Masaki | play_arrow | Saxophone in classical and contemporary music… |
| 18east | Play That Funky MusicHonma Masato | play_arrow | Recordings by various artists... |
| 19east | Zuizui ZukkorobashiHirano Kimitaka | play_arrow | While inheriting the traditions of classical music, jazz... |
| 20east | Air on the G StringMasato Kumoi | play_arrow | Masato Kumoi, the saxophonist, won the 51st Japan... |
| 21east | Sky WalkerMALTA | play_arrow | Mr. MALTA, who is from Kurayoshi City in Tottori Prefecture. His real name is… |
| 22east | Deo VolenteKikuchi Naruyoshi | play_arrow | Not only as a saxophonist, but also as other arti... |
| 23east | In a sentimental moodKawashima Tetsurō | play_arrow | Tetsuro Kawashima engages in a wide range of activities centered on jazz... |
| 24east | Danny BoyMatsumoto Hidehiko | play_arrow | His narrow eyes looked as if he were asleep while performing... |
| 25east | MemoriaNakata Mamoru | play_arrow | Mamoru Nakata is a saxophonist from Okayama Prefecture, and … |
| 26east | OLEOTada Seiji | play_arrow | A veteran among Japan’s jazz saxophonists… |
| 27east | Rock With YouIse Kenji | play_arrow | Kenji Ise, a saxophonist from Tokyo, is sa... |
| 28east | ALL IS FINETakeda Shinji | play_arrow | In 1989, when I was in high school, I entered the Junon Super... |
| 29east | Nakamura Seiichi | play_arrow | Tenor saxophonist Seiichi Nakamura is a performer… |
| 30east | Georgia on My Mindheigen makoto | play_arrow | Mako Hirahara, who is also known as the father of Ayaka Hirahara... |
| 31east | Fade into LightNakamura Kensa | play_arrow | Mr. Kensa Nakamura, who is from Tokyo, ... at Aoyama Gakuin University. |
| 32east | Softly As In A Morning SunriseKōketsu Ayumi | play_arrow | Ayumi Koketsu, a female saxophonist born in Gifu Prefecture… |
| 33east | Rocking chairTakahashi Tatsuya | play_arrow | Tatsuya Takahashi is a jazz musician from Tsuruoka City in Yamagata Prefecture... |
| 34east | Tohoku (Solo Voice-and-Guitar ver.)Umezu Kazutoki | play_arrow | Known for performing primarily free jazz... |
| 35east | BE ALL SMILESKayō Masaki | play_arrow | While enrolled in the School of Science and Technology at Meiji University, the Yamano Big Band… |
| 36east | Take FiveMiyaji Suguru | play_arrow | Mr. Suguru Miyaji, the tenor saxophone player... |
| 37east | Chance has comeKONTA | play_arrow | In 1984, BARBEE BOYS’ vo… |
| 38east | Happy Selection of Neapolitan Folk SongsToshihisa Ogushi | play_arrow | Professor at Tokyo College of Music and Visiting Professor at Showa University of Music... |
| 39east | The song of BirdsYamamoto Takuo | play_arrow | Versatile performances that transcend genre boundaries, and flexible… |
| 40east | Complete ShotWatanabe Faia | play_arrow | Saxophonist Watanabe Fire, who bears a blazing name... |
| 41east | Clean UpMiyazato Yota | play_arrow | Yota Miyazato is a delicate yet passionate saxophonist… |
| 42east | NaadamHayashi Eiichi | play_arrow | Eiichi Hayashi is in the Japanese jazz scene... |
| 43east | Arai Yasushi | play_arrow | Yasushi Arai, who is from Gunma Prefecture, when he was a sixth-grader in elementary school... |
| 44east | Sound RiverOtokawa Eiji | play_arrow | I’ve been playing the guitar since junior high school, and when I was in high school… |
| 45east | masehiroko | play_arrow | A soprano saxophone you don’t see very often… |
| 46east | Twilight in Upper West (tribute to Hirotaka Izumi)Miho Terachi | play_arrow | Miho Terachi took up the alto saxophone in high school... |
| 47east | Fujiryo Masahiro | play_arrow | Masahiro Tohryo, beginning with the Tropical Jazz Big Band... |
| 48east | BUT NOT FOR MEMatsuda Yasuhiro | play_arrow | Nicknamed the “Japanese David Sanborn”… |
| 49east | Confirmation ~ You Like Whisky, Don’t You?Yano Saori | play_arrow | Previously, a “high school girl alto sax player”… |
| 50east | Cool Like JesusYasutake Hiroaki | play_arrow | Mr. Genko Yasutake is an alto saxophonist from Fukuoka Prefecture… |
| 51east | Rhapsody in BlueAoyagi Makoto | play_arrow | Keyboard & tenor saxo of Naniwa Express… |
| 52east | Tenor HunterYonezawa Miku | play_arrow | Miku Yonezawa traverses a wide range of genres... |
| 53east | Lover come back to meAbe Kaoru | play_arrow | Kaoru Abe was known in Japan as a saxophonist, and... |
| 54east | Make It Happen!Nakazono Ami | play_arrow | Ami Nakazono is involved in a wide range of musical genres... |
| 55east | I Want To Talk About YouNishimura Akio | play_arrow | Akio Nishimura is a Te... from Tosashimizu City, Kochi Prefecture. |
| 56east | Double TorusTanaka Kunikazu | play_arrow | A very warm, thick timbre, a dense mass of sound... |
| 57east | Katayama Hiroaki | play_arrow | Hiroaki Katayama, a jazz saxophonist from Chiba Prefecture... |
| 58east | Kimura Kayoko | play_arrow | Kayoko Kimura is a saxophone player, ho... |
| 59east | How About This CatYoshimoto Akihiro | play_arrow | Also as a composer, in one of the world’s largest competitions… |
| 60east | Fly Me to the MoonOda Koji | play_arrow | In 1990, the horn section of Kome Kome Club... |
| 61east | They Say It’s WonderfulAkamatsu Jirō | play_arrow | Active as a saxophonist in both classical and jazz genres... |
| 62east | Super Mario BrosTakeda Kazuhiro | play_arrow | Various saxophones, flutes, and other multi-… |
| 63east | Furuya Mitsuru | play_arrow | He passed away in September 2020, but… |
| 64east | LIFEKayukawa Natsuki | play_arrow | The video is the promo video for the album “LIFE,” so it’s cut off… |
| 65east | In a dreamshimizu yasuyuki | play_arrow | A sa... |
| 66east | In sweet delightYoshida Mitsuri | play_arrow | Mitsusato Yoshida is a sack ... born in 1975. |
| 67east | Paradise Has No Bordersakanakun | play_arrow | Visiting Associate Professor and Honorary Doctor of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, and… |
| 68east | Dreaming CindyChīpu Hiroishi | play_arrow | Mr. Cheap Hiroishi playing “Dreaming Cindy”... |
| 69east | Georgia On My MindIde Shinji | play_arrow | Active with various bands such as The Shocking... |
| 70east | Asamoto Chika | play_arrow | During my university years, I went to a university in Los Angeles as an exchange student... |
| 71east | LenaArakawa Tatsuhiko | play_arrow | He made his professional debut in 1964, and Blue... |
| 72east | ParadeYaguchi Hiroyasu | play_arrow | Hiroyasu Yaguchi was born on April 23, 1958... |
| 73east | Fear NotMaeda Sara | play_arrow | Maeda, who was born in 1991 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture... |
| 74east | hurricaneInoue Daisuke | play_arrow | Scouted by Jackie Yoshikawa and the Blue Comets... |
| 75east | Introduction and Rondo CapricciosoHanawa Misato | play_arrow | Hanawa, who is from Ibaraki Prefecture and graduated from Senzoku Gakuen College of Music... |
| 76east | ETHNIC MINORITYYokota Hiroyuki | play_arrow | As it's called DJ sax, various... |
| 77east | Heineken SerenadeWatanabe Hiroshi | play_arrow | A tenor saxophonist and jazz musician… |
| 78east | Lovely youShinoda Masami | play_arrow | “Su…” performed by saxophonist Masami Shinoda |
| 79east | So Far AwayKanzaki Hisaaki | play_arrow | Saxophone player Hisa Kanzaki, a native of Kochi Prefecture... |
| 80east | MISTY BLUESaeka | play_arrow | From classical to jazz to pop, ja... |
| 81east | Dream ShadowUranabe Masayoshi | play_arrow | He was a late bloomer who first picked up the alto sax at 20... |
| 82east | Swing GrooveOta Ken | play_arrow | A saxophonist who continues to shine in the world of jazz… |


play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow
play_arrow