Japanese composers

Hello,
I'm not really familiar with older Japanese film, so on that front I'll leave it to the others. But for more modern Japanese composers, I can leave a few name drops:

1. Joe Hisaishi
A pen name for his real name "Mamoru Furasawa". Composed music for all of director Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli animations, and quite a few of recent films.
Sample of his credits include:
- Animation: The Wind Rises, Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, etc.
- Film: Departures, I Want to be a Shellfish, etc.
- Game: Ni No Kuni

2. Yoko Kanno
Known for her work on several animations, including "Cowboy Bebop", "A Kid on the Slope", and most recently "Zankyou no Terror", her work often include an element of jazz to some degree.
Sample of the credits: As mentioned above, plus "Wolf's Rain", "Ghosts in a Shell: Stand Alone Complex"

3. Yuki Kajiura
Typecast quite a bit, as most of her work on animations often include an element of darker theme. Often incorperate her invented language "Kajiuran" into song lyrics.
Sample of the credits include: Kara no Kyoukai, Madoka Magica, Mai-Hime, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles.

4. Kenji Kawai
Credits include: Ghost in a Shell, Avalon, Death Note film

5. Naoki Sato
His recent credits include "Priceless", "Kano", "Space Battleship Yamato"

6. Other works of note
Shigeru Umebayashi - House of Flying Daggers
Satoshi Takabe - From Up on Poppy Hill (animation)
Takashi Masakatsu - Wolf Children (animation)
Taro Iwashiro - Red Cliff
Toshiyuki Watanabe - Space Brothers (animation)
Tamiya Terashima - Tales from Earthsea (animation)

That should give you a bit of a start. Maybe others could offer other list.

Thor has forgotten to mention the Japanese composer who has worked the most in Western film making, and who just happens to be my favourite Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, known for his works with Bernardo Bertolucci ( The Sheltering Sky, The Last Emperor, Little Buddha ) and Brian DePalma ( Snake Eyes, Femme Fetale )

Kitaro?

Thank you all very much! I was already familiar with Yoko Kanno, but I thought she was more into jazz stuff, not really film composing. As I am already a fan of Cowboy Bebop, I will look for something more from her!

I will listen to Pilgrim's list (which is incredible, thank you very much!) and all your suggestions! In a little while I shall come here with further comments on the music!

I still haven't watched Ghost in the Shell and Evangelion, from those super-intellectual animes, maybe this should tackle me to watch them soon!

Once again, thank you all so much!

Many of my favorite Japanese composers have already been mentioned, but here are some scores of theirs that I like.

Naoki Sato
Ryomaden - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBqfB_D1Nqc
Umizaru series - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_KCRV6uGw4
Always Sunset on Third Street - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsP_lDWg3qU
Ballad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QooF23yMLg
Assault on the Pacific - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZj8Dm9x6KQ Never been able to find this one anywhere but this video and one other.

Taro Iwashiro
Red Cliff - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lyk8t3tN6U
Yoshitsune - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN4srFJR-mo
Blade & Soul - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmdibla3Tk0
If you like one of his scores, you'll probably like them all. The same goes for the opposite.
If you can find them, the best two albums of his to get would be the compilation albums named Tact Taro.

Joe Hisaishi
Obviously all of his Ghibli scores are worth hearing.
Legend of the Four Gods - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJtiBw8xbI8
Men of the Yamato - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KKf7KppLPk

Yugo Kanno He's not talked about much, but he is very very good, and a contender for my best composer of 2014.
Resident - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkx2q4IcGWA
Psycho Pass - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isdqBMZzhZk
Not much of his music is on youtube unfortunately.

Toshiyuki Watanabe
Space Brothers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXiiCvqDryQ
Shenmue - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zvfqw5Vukg

Masamichi Amano
Super Atragon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnWsiawGmO0
Onimusha 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNiXg3YUGb4&list=PL25B61C619033F1A7

Toshihiko Sahashi
Gundam Symphony - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWdEm5st_Qg
Gundam Seed Destiny - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEZ_a8h8Jk8, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8aH_TcIZ5Y

Masashi Hamauzu wrote quite a bit of Final Fantasy X's score despite Uematsu getting all of the credit, and he did most if not all of FFXIII's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-njbPpZVq8

It's also worth checking out the orchestral albums of the Resident Evil games - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptEQKTVfDl4 - and the music from the Monster Hunter concerts - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq8_FAOlrzM. Beautiful Katamari also has surprisingly good orchestral music, but I can't find it right now.


I agree, her style within individual scores isn't consistent enough and can be quite irritating, but when at her best there are very few who come close. Her orchestral music for Macross Frontier and Aquarion is at times incredible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt3J15J1t0Y

Some people say how great it is without knowing it's a pretty big rip.

I do like it though. In fact the whole soundtrack apes other composers styles.

James Horner

Man, that's a bold one!


<-- That fellow looks Chinese, doesn't he?

To anyone who is interested in the overall input of Japanese composers and releases, this is a great data base:

https://vgmdb.net/

In all these years, it never ceases to amaze me how much is being released.