, born (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
-
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of
new-age music
New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation technique, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecs ...
.
He won the
Grammy Award for Best New Age Album
The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several ca ...
for ''
Thinking of You'' (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
for the original score to ''
Heaven & Earth'' (1993).
Early life: 1954–76
Masanori Takahashi was born in
Toyohashi, Aichi
is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 377,453 in 160,516 households and a population density of 1,400 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . By area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-lar ...
, Japan, and is a graduate of Sahid University.
Kitarō, which is his boyhood name meaning "man of love and joy", a practicing
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
himself, was born in a family of
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...
-Buddhist farmers.
After graduating his parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. In an effort to maneuver him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he did not show for the job without telling them, and managed to convince them to work on something he loved.
In high school Kitarō played electric guitar in a band that played American
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
of
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
and covers by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
.
After graduating, and learning to play drums and bass,
Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
. His first synthesizer was
analog
Analog or analogue may refer to:
Computing and electronics
* Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable
** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals
*** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...
, and he recalls having "just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's
digital sound
Digital audio is a representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, digital form. In digital audio, the sound wave of the audio signal is typically encoded as numerical samples in a continuous sequence. For example, in CD audio, samp ...
".
In the early 1970s he changed completely to keyboard and joined the Japanese
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
band and recorded four albums with them. While in Japan and Europe in 1975, he met the German
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...
and former
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...
member
Klaus Schulze
Klaus Schulze (4 August 1947 – 26 April 2022) was a German electronic music pioneer, composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried and was a member of the Krautrock bands Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, and The Cosmic Jokers ...
. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for controlling synthesizers.
In 1976, Kitaro left Far East Family Band and travelled through Asia (China,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, Thailand, India).
Solo career: 1977–present
Back in Japan, Kitaro started his solo career in 1977. The first two albums ''
Ten Kai'' and ''Daichi'' were released in 1978 and 1979. He performed his first symphonic concert at the "Small Hall" of the
Kosei Nenkin Kaikan in
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...
.
Silk Road
''The Silk Road: The Rise And Fall Of Civilizations'' is an
NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestri ...
Tokushu documentary series that first aired on 7 April 1980, with sequels being broadcast over a 10-year period. It took a total of 17 years from conception to complete what many consider a landmark in Japan's broadcasting television history. The intention of the program was to reveal how ancient Japan was influenced by the
Silk Road
The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...
trade route. The documentary was narrated by Ishizaka Koji with music composed by Kitaro, who insisted that the show be broadcast in stereo. The music was composed mainly using a
Minimoog
The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...
, Minikorg 700, and Maxikorg DV800. The score received a
Galaxy Award, and the series of soundtracks sold millions of copies. The success created from the program brought Kitaro international attention.
[
]
1984–1993
In 1984, Kitaro embarked on a "Live in Asia" tour. Notably, he was forced to cancel a leg in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
because he had long hair and at that time the country had a policy banning it.
He entered into a worldwide distribution arrangement with Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
in 1985–1986. This included a re-releasing of six prior albums entitled ''Ten Kai'' (aka ''Astral Voyage''), ''Daichi'' (aka ''Full Moon Story''), ''Millennia'', ''India'', ''Silver Cloud'' and ''Live in Asia'' (aka ''Asia'') (each packaged with Japanesque obi strip
An is a strip of paper looped around a book or other product. This extends the term ''obi'' used for Japanese clothing; it is written with the same ''kanji''. It is also referred to as a , or more narrowly as . Obi strips are most commonly foun ...
s) as well as a new album, aptly titled ''Toward the West''. Due to his combination of electronic and acoustic sounds, mellow music, and repeating chords which resembled the umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used ...
New age music
New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecstasy rather than tr ...
category in the United States and Europe, his music was labeled as "new age". While he's not comfortable with the term, it doesn't mean much to him: "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". On his music he noted that his outlook on life, study of philosophy, and responsibility to create music which has a good influence on society, influence his musical creation.
In 1987, he collaborated with Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...
of the Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
for the album '' The Light of the Spirit'' (which sold two million copies) and in 1992 with Jon Anderson
John Roy Anderson (born 25 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across thre ...
(Yes
Yes or YES may refer to:
* An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no
Education
* YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US
* YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...
) for the album ''Dream
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
''. In 1988, his record sales soared to 10 million worldwide following a successful US tour. He was nominated three times for Grammy Award for Best New Age Album
The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several ca ...
during his tenure at Geffen Records. In 1990 was released studio album ''Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'', which was inspired by the Japense 8th century chronicle ''Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'', and it reached #159 on Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...
, and #1 on ''Billboard'' New Age albums chart. His soundtrack for the movie '' Heaven & Earth'' (1993) won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications o ...
. Kitaro also produced an album '' Scenes'' (1992) released by Shrapnel Records
Shrapnel Records is an American record label founded in 1980 by record producer Mike Varney.
History
Guitarist Marty Friedman (formerly of Megadeth and Cacophony), one of the label's most successful artists, first appeared on the album ''Unsu ...
with former Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
guitarist Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until ...
.
1994–present
Domo Records
Since his 1994 debut for Domo Records
Domo Records is an independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or S ...
, and the Grammy-nominated ''Mandala
A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...
'', Kitaro has released 24 studio albums. Among them, the live '' An Enchanted Evening'' (1995), '' Gaia-Onbashira'' (1998), and ''Ancient
Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian language, Sumerian c ...
'' (2001) were all Grammy nominated. In 1999, '' Thinking of You'' won the Grammy for Best New Age Album
The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several c ...
. Kitaro and Randy Miller's soundtrack album ''The Soong Sisters
The Soong sisters () were Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling, and Soong Mei-ling, three Shanghainese (of Hakka descent) Christian Chinese women who were, along with their husbands, amongst China's most significant political figures of the early 20 ...
'' (2000) received Best Original Music Award from the Hong Kong Film Award
The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, act ...
(1998), as well as the Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival and Award (1997).
Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai series
Kitaro’s music has long been recognized for its messages of peace and spirituality. In the wake of 9/11
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
, during which time the conceptual endeavor, which he envisioned as an artistic means to help unify people globally, the artist began recording '' Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai'' (2003), a series of peace-themed albums inspired by the Shikoku Henro Pilgrimage, the travel of Kūkai
Kūkai (; 27 July 774 – 22 April 835Kūkai was born in 774, the 5th year of the Hōki era; his exact date of birth was designated as the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Japanese lunar calendar, some 400 years later, by the Shingon sec ...
more than 1100 years ago. The four volumes in the album series were released in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2011, respectively. Every track on the 4 volumes of ''Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai'' contains samples from ancient Japanese temple bells (Peace Bells) from 88 sacred temples on the island of Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
, Japan.
Impressions of the West Lake
In 2007, Kitaro composed the music for ''Impression West Lake'', a large-scale opera, directed by the renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...
. The opera reflects Hangzhou city’s history and culture through music and dance. Using modern technology, the stage is 75 centimeters below the lake’s surface during the day so as not to affect the landscape and boating activities. In the evening, the stage is a few centimeters below the lake’s surface so actors can walk and perform freely over a surprising water mirror that compose with the lights and colors. The one-hour event had its opening night in March 2007. In 2009, Domo Records released the original soundtrack album ''Impressions of the West Lake
''Impressions of the West Lake'' is an album by Japanese new age musician Kitarō, released in April 2009. It was nominated for Grammy Award for Best New Age Album, Best New Age Album at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Track listing
Awards
Per ...
'' which was nominated for the Grammy in Best New Age Album category.
Recent projects
Kitaro's latest studio album is '' Final Call'', which is a homage to Kitaro's lifetime reverence for nature and was released in September 2013. A year later, in September 2014, his latest live album '' Symphony Live in Istanbul'' was released. It was recorded live at the Halic Congress Center in Istanbul, Turkey during Kitaro's Symphonic World Tour, balancing the artist's trademark signature sound and expanding it to new heights with the addition of a 38-piece chamber symphony orchestra. Both ''Final Call'' and ''Symphony Live in Istanbul'' were nominated for Best New Age Album
The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several c ...
, becoming Kitaro's 15th and 16th career Grammy Award nominations. More recently he has reissued his critically acclaimed studio albums ''Kojiki'' in 2015 and ''Tenku'' in 2016.
Touring and other activities
In 2007 to 2009, he launched the "Love and Peace World Tour," an international tour with which Kitaro hoped to inspire his message of world peace with his music. Kitaro toured Southeast Asia in 2007, Greece in 2008 and Hong Kong, Japan, Southeast Asia in 2009. During his visit to Greece, Kitaro met Greek composer Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...
, and exchanged musical experience and creative ideas.
In 2010, Kitaro performed in Singapore in March, in Mexico for the Zacatecas Cultural Festival in April, in Xi'an, China for the opening event of Daming Palace
The Daming Palace was the imperial palace complex of the Tang dynasty, located in its capital Chang'an. It served as the imperial residence of the Tang emperors for more than 220 years. Today, it is designated as a national heritage site of China ...
National Heritage Park in September, in Aichi, Japan, for the Thousand Drums Event at COP10 for the Convention on Biological Diversity in October. From March to April, 2011, Kitaro was on tour titled The Silk Road – East & West, visiting Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. He donated part of the CD sales and concert profits to Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami Relief. For the same purpose he participated in the 2011 edition of Musicians United for Safe Energy
Musicians United for Safe Energy, or MUSE, is an activist group 1979 in music, founded in 1979 by Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Harvey Wasserman and John Hall (New York), John Hall. The group advocates anti-nuclear, against the use ...
. In 2012 he released ''Let Mother Earth Speak
''Let Mother Earth Speak'' is a collaboration album, by Japanese new age musician Kitaro and Native American activist Dennis Banks
Dennis Banks (April 12, 1937, in Ojibwe – October 29, 2017) was a Native American activist, teacher, and ...
'', a collaboration album with Native American activist Dennis Banks
Dennis Banks (April 12, 1937, in Ojibwe – October 29, 2017) was a Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968 to represent urb ...
.
Personal life
From around 1983 to 1990, Kitarō was married to Yuki Taoka, daughter of . They have a son. In the early 1990s, he moved from Japan to the United States. In the mid-1990s, he married Keiko Matsubara, a musician who played on several of his albums. Along with Keiko's son, the couple lived in Ward, Colorado
Ward is a home rule municipality in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The population was 150 at the 2010 census. The town is a former mining settlement founded in 1860 in the wake of the discovery of gold at nearby Gold Hill. Once one ...
, on a 180-acre (72.85 hectare) spread and composed in his 2500-square-foot (230 m²) home studio "Mochi House" (it is large enough to hold a 70-piece orchestra). Around 2005, they relocated to Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol ( ) is a city in Sonoma County, in California with a recorded population of 7,521, per the 2020 U.S. Census.
Sebastopol was once primarily a plum and apple-growing region. Today, wine grapes are the predominant agriculture crop, a ...
. Kitaro subsequently divorced Keiko (you can see her absence from the performances during 2020-2021 period) and Kitaro married Brazilian artist Franci Shimomaebara on 24th February 2022 in a private ceremony attended by friends and relatives. Both have collaborated in album “Franci- Symphony of my Dreams” where Franci recorded vocal renditions of some of Kitaro’s famous pieces including the Silk Road.
Discography
;Studio albums
*''Tenkai
was a Japanese Tendai Buddhist monk of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. He achieved the rank of ''Daisōjō'', the highest rank of the priesthood.
His Buddhist name was first , which he changed to Tenkai in 1590. Also known as , he ...
'' (1978)
*''Daichi'' (1979)
*''Oasis'' (1979)
*''Ki'' (1981)
*''Silver Cloud'' (1983)
*''Toward the West'' (1985)
*''Tenku'' (1986)
*'' The Light of the Spirit'' (1987)
*''Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'' (1990)
*''Dream
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
'' (1992)
*''Mandala
A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...
'' (1994)
*'' Peace on Earth'' (1996)
*''Cirque Ingenieux'' (1997)
*'' Gaia-Onbashira'' (1998)
*'' Thinking of You'' (1999)
*''Ancient
Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian language, Sumerian c ...
'' (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)
Tours
*1986: "Japan Tour" (17 cities)
*1987: "1st North American Tour" (24 cities, 26 shows)
*1989: "1st Europe Tour" (15 cities, 16 shows)
*1990: "Kojiki World Tour" U.S., Japan, Europe (39 cities, 41 shows)
*1992: "Dream World Tour" U.S., Japan, Asia
*1992: "Her Majestry Queen" Sirikit Birthday Anniversary Concert, in Bangkok, Thailand
*1994: "The Kitaro Mandala World Tour" Latin America Tour (4 cities, 6 shows)
*1994: "The Kitaro Mandala World Tour" The USA Tour (32 shows)
*1995: "Southeast Asia tour" (4 cities, 9 shows)
*1995: "Kitaro Enchanted Evening Tour" (22 cities, 22 shows)
*1997: "Kitaro's Peace on Earth Holiday Tour" in USA (5 cities, 5 shows)
*1998: "Europe Tour" (13 cities)
*1999: "Kitaro 1999 New Millennium World Tour in USA" (21cities)
*1999: "Kitaro 1999 New Millennium World Tour in South America"
*2000: "Kitaro Asia 2000" in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong
*2002: "The Silk Road Tour in USA" (6 cities)
*2002: "The concert for 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and China" in China (2 cities)
*2004: "Asia Tour 2004" (7 cities, 8 shows)
*2007: "Love & Peace World Tour 2007" in Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand
*2008: "Love & Peace World Tour 2008" in Athens
*2009: "Love & Peace Planet Music Tour 2009" in Malaysia, Singapore, India, Japan, Hong Kong
*2009: "31st Harmony Festival" in Santa Rosa, California
*2009: "Silk Road Arts Festival" in Hong Kong, China
*2010: "Love & Peace Planet Music Tour 2010" in Singapore
*2010: "Zacatecas Cultural Festival" in Mexico
*2010: "Opening Ceremony for 32nd Harmony Festival" in Santa Rosa, California
*2010: "Opening Event of Daming Palace National Heritage Park" in Xi'an, China
*2010: "Thousand Drums Event at COP10 for Convention on Biological Diversity" in Aichi, Japan
*2010: "Asian Art Museum" in San Francisco, California
*2011: "Silk Road East & West Tour" in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Singapore and Malaysia
*2011: "Closing Ceremony for 33rd Harmony Festival" in Santa Rosa, California
*2011: "Opening Ceremony for Musicians United For Safe Energy (MUSE) Benefit Concert" in Mountain View, California
*2012: "Festival International Farosor 2012" in Montevideo, Uruguay
*2014: " Symphonic World Tour 2014"
Awards
Grammy Awards
, -
, , , '' The Field'' , , Best New Age Performance , ,
, -
, , , ''Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'' , , Best New Age Album
The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several c ...
, ,
, -
, , , ''Dream
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , ''Mandala
A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...
'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' An Enchanted Evening'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' Gaia Onbashira'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' Thinking Of You'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , ''Ancient
Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian language, Sumerian c ...
'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , ''An Ancient Journey'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Volume 1'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai Volume 2'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai Volume 3'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , ''Impressions Of The West Lake
''Impressions of the West Lake'' is an album by Japanese new age musician Kitarō, released in April 2009. It was nominated for Grammy Award for Best New Age Album, Best New Age Album at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Track listing
Awards
Per ...
'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai Volume 4'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' Final Call'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' Symphony Live In Istanbul'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
, -
, , , '' Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Vol. 5'' , , Best New Age Album , ,
Golden Globes
, -
, 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, , '' Heaven & Earth'' , , Best Original Score , ,
Golden Horse Award (Hong Kong)
Kitaro and Randy Miller won a Golden Horse Award
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
for Best Original Score for the film ''Soong Sisters
The Soong sisters () were Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling, and Soong Mei-ling, three Shanghainese people, Shanghainese (of Hakka people, Hakka descent) Christian Chinese women who were, along with their husbands, amongst China's most significant ...
'' in 1997.
Hong Kong Film Award
Kitaro was nominated at the Hong Kong Film Award
The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, act ...
s for Best Original Film Score for ''Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
'' in 1985. Kitaro and Randy Miller won a Hong Kong Film Award
The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, act ...
for Best Original Score for ''Soong Sisters
The Soong sisters () were Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling, and Soong Mei-ling, three Shanghainese people, Shanghainese (of Hakka people, Hakka descent) Christian Chinese women who were, along with their husbands, amongst China's most significant ...
'' in 1998.
Japan Gold Disc
Kitaro won a Gold Disc Award in the category of Fusion Instrumental for his album ''Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'' in 1991.
See also
*List of ambient music artists
This is a list of ambient music artists. This includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as those who have been on a major label). This list does not include little-known ...
References
External links
Kitaro's Official Website
(English)
Kitaro's Official Channel
on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitaro
1953 births
Living people
Geffen Records artists
Golden Globe Award-winning musicians
Grammy Award winners
Japanese electronic musicians
Japanese expatriates in the United States
Ambient musicians
New-age synthesizer players
Musicians from Aichi Prefecture
People from Toyohashi
People from Boulder County, Colorado
People from Sebastopol, California
Gramavision Records artists
Domo Records artists