Joe Hisaishi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joe Hisaishi
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| 久石 譲 | |
Hisaishi in 2011
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Mamoru Fujisawa
December 6, 1950 Nakano, Nagano, Japan
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| Education | Kunitachi College of Music |
| Children | Mai Fujisawa |
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| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Classics |
Mamoru Fujisawa (born December 6, 1950), known professionally as Joe Hisaishi, is a famous Japanese composer. He is also a musical director, conductor, and pianist. He is well-known for creating over 100 film scores and solo albums. His music often mixes different styles, like minimalist music, electronic music, and Western classical music.
Joe Hisaishi is especially famous for his work with director Hayao Miyazaki. He has written music for almost all of Miyazaki's animated films since 1984. He also composed music for filmmaker Takeshi Kitano and the video game series Ni no Kuni.
Contents
About Joe Hisaishi
Early Life and Music
Joe Hisaishi was born in Nakano, Nagano, Japan. His birth name is Mamoru Fujisawa. He started learning the violin when he was four years old. He also loved watching many movies with his father.
In 1969, he went to the Kunitachi College of Music. There, he studied music composition. He also worked with artists who made Minimalist music.
In the 1970s, Hisaishi's music was influenced by Japanese pop music and electronic music. He started with minimalist ideas and then added more orchestral sounds. His first album, MKWAJU, came out in 1981. He chose the name "Joe Hisaishi" because it sounded like "Quincy Jones," a famous American musician.
Music for Anime Films
In 1983, Joe Hisaishi was asked to create music for Hayao Miyazaki's film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. This was the start of a long and successful partnership. Many people compare their work together to that of director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams.
In 1985, Hisaishi started his own recording studio called Wonder Station. He then composed music for many other Studio Ghibli films. These include Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso (1992), and Princess Mononoke (1997). His music became a key part of the early anime style.
He also composed for many other TV shows and movies. Some of these are Mospeada (1983), Arion (1986), and Robot Carnival (1987). Besides film scores, he arranged and composed theme songs for anime like Mahō Shōjo Lalabel (1980) and Voltron (1981).
Later Career and Awards
In 1998, Hisaishi created the soundtrack for the 1998 Winter Paralympics. The next year, he composed music for the film Kikujiro. The main song from this film, Summer, became one of his most recognized pieces.
In 2001, he worked on another Kitano film, Brother. He also composed for Hayao Miyazaki's animated film Spirited Away. The opening song, One Summer's Day, became very popular. That same year, he directed his first film, Quartet. He also wrote its music and script.
Miyazaki's film Howl's Moving Castle came out in 2004. Its main theme, Merry-Go-Round, became Hisaishi's most successful movie score. In 2005, he composed music for the Korean film Welcome to Dongmakgol.
In 2008, Hisaishi composed music for the Academy Award-winning film Departures. In August 2008, he held a special concert. It celebrated 25 years of working with Hayao Miyazaki. Over 1200 musicians performed, and it sold out the famous Nippon Budokan arena.
In 2013, Hisaishi joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This group recognizes people who have made great contributions to movies. In 2016, he became the art director of the Nagano City Art Museum.
More recently, in 2020, he released the album Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi. In 2022, he worked on the Royal Shakespeare Company's play My Neighbour Totoro. In 2023, he signed a special recording agreement with Deutsche Grammophon. He also composed the soundtrack for the film Silent Love, released in 2024.
Awards and Recognition
Joe Hisaishi has won many awards for his music.
- He has won seven Japanese Academy Awards for Best Music.
- He received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Howl's Moving Castle in 2005.
- In 2009, the Government of Japan gave him the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon.
- In 2023, he received the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class.
- He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for The Boy and the Heron in 2023.
- In 2024, he won the Winsor McCay Award at the Annie Awards. This award recognizes his amazing work in animation.
Selected Music Works
Here are some of the famous films and games Joe Hisaishi has composed music for:
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
- Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)
- My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
- Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
- A Scene at the Sea (1991)
- Porco Rosso (1992)
- Sonatine (1993)
- Kids Return (1996)
- Princess Mononoke (1997)
- Hana-bi (1997)
- Kikujiro (1999)
- Brother (2000)
- Spirited Away (2001)
- Dolls (2002)
- Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
- Ponyo (2008)
- Departures (2008)
- Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (2011)
- The Wind Rises (2013)
- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
- Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (2018)
- The Boy and the Heron (2023)
See also
In Spanish: Joe Hisaishi para niños
