Takatsugu Muramatsu’s Most Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

Main Theme from the film “Ōoku”Muramatsu Takatsugu8rank/position

Ōoku: Gender-Swapped OST – Main Theme

This piece served as the main theme for the film Ooku, starring Kazunari Ninomiya and Kou Shibasaki, vividly coloring the story’s world.

Set in a lavish Ooku where gender roles are reversed, the dignity and fragility of people living amid swirling fate are woven together through a grand orchestra enhanced by koto and wadaiko.

The powerful yet heartrending melodies crafted by Takatsugu Muramatsu feel like the very cries of the characters’ hearts.

The track is included on the album “Ooku (The Movie) Original Soundtrack,” released in September 2010, and it’s a delight that a ballad version of the same theme is also available!

When I used to hold my dollMuramatsu Takatsugu9rank/position

I think it refers to when Anna was a child—that’s what the song’s title, “When I Held a Doll,” means.

Anna was raised by her stepmother and struggles with relationships, suffering because she can’t connect well with others.

This song seems to tell the story of what might have happened in her past.

It’s a track that makes viewers feel the darker parts of this story—especially the sorrow of Anna’s past—even more deeply.

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Murakami Shinpei

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Song of LifeSakushi: Miyabi / Sakkyoku: Muramatsu Takatsugu10rank/position

Song of Life (Lyrics by Miyabi / Music by Takatoki Muramatsu / Choral arrangement by Tatsuya Tanaka)

A heartwarming ballad themed around gratitude for being alive and the preciousness of life.

Miyabi—Mariya Takeuchi—penned gentle, conversational lyrics that touch our hearts, reminding us how precious those ordinary moments spent with family and friends truly are.

Released as a single by Mana Kana in February 2009, the song was composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu and became beloved as an insert song in the NHK morning drama “Dandan.” In January 2012, Takeuchi recorded a self-cover, which was also used as the theme song for the NHK docudrama “Pioneers.” Its message, carried by a beautiful melody, is perfect for graduation ceremonies to express gratitude to parents and teachers who raised us.

Through choral singing, it becomes a moving piece that helps children feel the value of their own lives.

Two people on a boatMuramatsu Takatsugu11rank/position

Two People on a Boat (Piano) — from the film “When Marnie Was There”

The “Wet Marsh House” stands where, when the tide comes in, the path is swallowed by the sea.

The mansion where Marnie and Anna met and formed a bond is like a magical place that, as time passes, leaves you unable to return.

This arrangement of “Marnie,” used in the scene on the small boat that connected the two, is also a wonderful theme song—gentle and unhurried, yet imbued with a sense of mystery.

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Murakami Shinpei

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Hisako’s Story (1)Muramatsu Takatsugu12rank/position

Hisako’s Story (1) (Piano) – from the film “When Marnie Was There”

In When Marnie Was There, Hisako, who appears as a street painter, is also an indispensable character in telling the story.

This piece was used as the background music for the unforgettable, tear-jerking scene where Marnie’s past and personality are recounted.

Overlapping with Marnie’s tragic history, the music enriches the episode’s emotional depth.

Every time I listen to this piece, I feel as if I can hear Hisako’s gentle, storytelling voice.

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Murakami Shinpei

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Hisako’s Story (2)Muramatsu Takatsugu13rank/position

Hisako’s Story 2 / Takatsugu Muramatsu: Piano (Solo) / Intermediate

This is also a piece used in the scene where Hisako talks to Anna about Marnie, but whereas that version had a quiet, slightly shadowy arrangement, this one has a grand, expansive feel.

It serves as the perfect highlight during the climax of When Marnie Was There, in the scene where all the stories Anna has experienced come together.

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Murakami Shinpei

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Anna (Piano Arrangement)Muramatsu Takatsugu14rank/position

When Marnie Was There OST – Anna (Anna) Piano Cover

Hiromasa Yonebayashi of Studio Ghibli adapted Joan G.

Robinson’s children’s novel “When Marnie Was There” into an animated film, and the piece “Anna” that plays in the movie also has a piano version.

It is memorably performed by an orchestra in scenes such as when Anna and Setsu are preparing lunch and when Marnie and Anna say their goodbyes, but as a piano solo it feels delicate and heartrending, conveying Anna’s emotions beautifully.

The sheet music has been published as well, so if you play piano, it might be nice to try performing it while recalling the film’s scenes.

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sai-kisaragi

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