Kitarō facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kitaro
Kitarō playing in Tehran, October 2014
Background information
Native name	喜多郎
Birth name	Masanori Takahashi
Born	(1953-02-04) February 4, 1953 (age 72) Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
Genres	Electronica, world, folk, classical, new-age
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, record producer, arranger
Instruments	Keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, Japanese flutes, drums, percussion
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Geffen/Warner Bros. Records (US) Geffen/MCA Records (US) Domo Records Nippon Columbia Vertigo Records
Associated acts	Far East Family Band

Masanori Takahashi (born February 4, 1953) is a Japanese musician. He is known professionally as Kitarō. He creates electronic instrumental music. Many people see him as a very important artist in new-age music.

Kitarō won a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for his album Thinking of You in 1999. He has been nominated for this award 16 times, which is a record! He also won a Golden Globe Award for the music he wrote for the movie Heaven & Earth in 1993.

Kitarō's Early Life and Music Journey

Growing Up in Japan (1953–1976)

Masanori Takahashi was born in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan. His childhood nickname was Kitarō, which means "man of love and joy." His family were farmers who followed Shinto and Buddhism.

When Kitarō finished school, his parents wanted him to get a regular job. But Kitarō really wanted to make music. He quietly showed them how much music meant to him, and they eventually agreed.

In high school, Kitarō played electric guitar in a band. They played American rhythm and blues songs and music by The Beatles. After high school, he learned to play drums and bass. He moved to Tokyo to be part of the music scene. There, he found the synthesizer, which is an electronic musical instrument. He loved the "analog sound" of his first synthesizer.

In the early 1970s, Kitarō started playing keyboards. He joined a Japanese progressive rock band called Far East Family Band. They recorded four albums together. In 1975, he met a German electronic musician named Klaus Schulze. Schulze helped Kitarō learn more about synthesizers. In 1976, Kitarō left the band and traveled through Asia.

Kitarō's Solo Career Begins

Starting Out Alone (1977)

After his travels, Kitarō returned to Japan and began his solo career in 1977. His first two albums, Ten Kai and Daichi, came out in 1978 and 1979. He performed his first big concert in Tokyo.

The Famous Silk Road Music

Kitarō became famous around the world because of his music for The Silk Road. This was a very popular Japanese TV documentary series. It showed the history and culture of the ancient Silk Road trade route.

Kitarō wrote all the music for the show. He used synthesizers like the Minimoog and Korg. His music for The Silk Road won an award and sold millions of copies. This success brought him international attention.

Worldwide Recognition (1984–1993)

Kitaro playing live in the early 1990s

In 1984, Kitarō went on a "Live in Asia" tour. He had to cancel a show in Singapore because the country had a rule against men with long hair at that time.

In 1985–1986, his music was released worldwide by Geffen Records. His music was called "new age" because it mixed electronic and acoustic sounds. Kitarō himself said, "Whether people say my music is new age or not, it's OK with me. I'm just going to keep calling it Kitaro's music." He believes his music is influenced by his life views and his desire to create music that has a good effect on society.

Kitarō worked with other famous musicians during this time. In 1987, he made the album The Light of the Spirit with Mickey Hart from the band Grateful Dead. In 1992, he worked with Jon Anderson from the band Yes on the album Dream. By 1988, he had sold 10 million records worldwide.

His album Kojiki (1990) was inspired by an old Japanese book called Kojiki. This album was very popular. Kitarō also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for his music in the movie Heaven & Earth (1993).

Later Career and Special Projects

Joining Domo Records (1994–Present)

Since 1994, Kitarō has released many albums with Domo Records. His album Thinking of You won a Grammy Award in 1999. He also won awards for his music in the movie The Soong Sisters (2000).

The Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Series

After the events of 9/11, Kitarō started a special album series called Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai (2003). He wanted this music to help bring people together around the world. The albums were inspired by a spiritual journey in Japan called the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

Each song in this series uses sounds from ancient Japanese temple bells. These bells come from 88 sacred temples on the island of Shikoku, Japan.

Music for Impressions of the West Lake

In 2007, Kitarō created the music for a large outdoor opera called Impression West Lake. This show was directed by the famous Chinese film director Zhang Yimou. The opera tells the story of Hangzhou city's history using music and dance. The stage for the show is actually in a lake! It's a few centimeters below the water's surface at night, making a beautiful water mirror effect. Kitarō's soundtrack for this show was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2009.

Recent Albums and Tours

Kitaro playing in Tehran, October 2014

Kitaro playing with the orchestra in Tehran, 2014

Kitarō's album Final Call (2013) is a tribute to his love for nature. His live album Symphony Live in Istanbul (2014) was recorded with a 38-piece orchestra. Both of these albums were nominated for Grammy Awards.

From 2007 to 2009, Kitarō went on a "Love and Peace World Tour." He wanted to share his message of world peace through his music. He has toured many places, including Southeast Asia, Greece, and Japan. He also donated money from his concerts to help with the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in 2011. In 2012, he worked with Native American activist Dennis Banks on an album called Let Mother Earth Speak.

Kitarō's Personal Life

Kitarō has been married. He lived in the United States for many years, first in Ward, Colorado, and later in Sebastopol, California. He had a large home studio where he composed his music. In 2022, he married Franci Shimomaebara, an artist from Brazil. They had worked together on music before, including songs on his Grammy-nominated album Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Volume 1.

Kitarō's Music Albums

Here are some of Kitarō's studio albums:

• Tenkai (1978)
• Daichi (1979)
• Oasis (1979)
• Ki (1981)
• Silver Cloud (1983)
• Toward the West (1985)
• Tenku (1986)
• The Light of the Spirit (1987)
• Kojiki (1990)
• Dream (1992)
• Mandala (1994)
• Peace on Earth (1996)
• Cirque Ingenieux (1997)
• Gaia-Onbashira (1998)
• Thinking of You (1999)
• Ancient (2001)
• An Ancient Journey (2002)
• Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Vol. 1 (2003)
• Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Vol. 2 (2005)
• Spiritual Garden (2006)
• Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Vol. 3 (2007)
• Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Vol. 4 (2010)
• Final Call (2013)
• Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Vol. 5 (2017)

Awards and Honors

Kitarō has won many awards for his music.

Grammy Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Other Awards

• Kitarō and Randy Miller won a Golden Horse Award in 1997. This was for Best Original Score for the film Soong Sisters.
• Kitarō and Randy Miller also won a Hong Kong Film Award in 1998 for Best Original Score for Soong Sisters.
• Kitarō won a Gold Disc Award in 1991 for his album Kojiki.

See also

In Spanish: Kitarō para niños

• List of ambient music artists