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is a Japanese composer and vocalist, best known for composing the soundtracks to the
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening o ...
series ''
Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work ...
'' and the video game franchises '' Tenchu'' and ''
Way of the Samurai ''Way of the Samurai'', known in Japan as , is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game developed by Acquire and released in 2002. Set in 19th century Japan, the player takes on the role of a rōnin who wanders into a remote village and becomes in ...
''. He is well known for combining traditional Japanese music with elements of rock, jazz, and other world music. He established the music production studio Mega-Alpha in 2003, which composes for various types of media.


Career

Asakura was born in
Itabashi, Tokyo is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it calls itself Itabashi City. Itabashi has sister-city relations with Burlington, Ontario, in Canada; Shijingshan District of Beijing in the People's Republic of China; and B ...
and raised in
Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Tokush ...
. Asukara was interested in music since childhood, but gained a greater interest after listening to
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, performing for multiple amateur rock bands as a guitarist and vocalist. While attending
Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. It is one of Japan's leading private universiti ...
, Asakura entered the music industry professionally in 1982, marking his debut by performing the theme song for ''Keiji Yoroshiku'' as Noriyuki Asakura & GANG. He has since began composing music for television programs and movies, as well as producing music for a number of Japanese pop stars during the 1980s and early 1990s. He debuted in the anime industry by composing 1987's ''Junk Boy'', followed by '' Time Travel Tondekeman'' and the ''
Shakotan Boogie is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1986 to 1996, with its chapters collected in 32 ''tankōbon'' volumes. It fo ...
''
original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
. Asakura composed his first video game score for '' Crime Crackers'', which released in 1994. In 1996, he composed the soundtrack to ''
Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work ...
'', which combined traditional Japanese music with rock, giving the soundtrack a contemporary feel. His compositions for the series would influence his style and later work. In 1998, Asakura composed the soundtrack to '' Tenchu: Stealth Assassins'', after being introduced to producer Masami Yamamoto and delivering a sample from a previous project, which became the game's opening theme. Contrary to popular belief, "Add'ua", the theme song to the first Tenchu game was not sung in Japanese, but rather in the West African language of
Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...
. "Sadame", the theme song for '' Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven'', and "Kurenai No Hana", the theme song for '' Tenchu: Fatal Shadows'', were performed in Japanese. Following his work on ''Tenchu'', Asakura composed the soundtrack for Acquire's ''
Way of the Samurai ''Way of the Samurai'', known in Japan as , is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game developed by Acquire and released in 2002. Set in 19th century Japan, the player takes on the role of a rōnin who wanders into a remote village and becomes in ...
''. Asakura composed and performed "THE BUSTER," serving as the ending theme for '' Siren'', which released in 2003. In 2003, Asakura established Mega-Alpha, a music production company, in order to compose music for television programs, anime, and video games. Under Mega-Alpha, Asakura composed for multiple anime series, including ''
Ragnarok the Animation ''Ragnarok: The Animation'' is a Japanese-Korean anime television series based on the MMORPG '' Ragnarok Online''. The story happens in the same world of Rune-Midgard. An evil entity called the Dark Lord wants to create chaos in the world with ...
'', ''
Major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicat ...
'', and '' Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc''. In 2008, Asakura returned to the ''Tenchu'' franchise, composing '' Tenchu: Shadow Assassins'', taking influence from his prior compositions and
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical m ...
. In 2014, Asakura composed Kadokawa Games'
tactical role-playing game Tactical role-playing games (abbreviated TRPGs), also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as (both abbreviated SRPGs), are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical (turn-b ...
'' Natural Doctrine'', which included an arrangement of "'' The Court of the Crimson King''" by
King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical music, classical, jazz, folk music, folk, heavy metal music, heavy metal, ...
as the ending theme song. Asakura composed additional music for '' Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice'', which released in March 2019. In 2020, Asakura composed ''Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story'', a spin-off of the ''Way of the Samurai'' franchise. Asakura was to compose for '' Tokyo Babylon'' at King Records, which was set to premiere in 2021. The series was canceled following investigation of plagiarism regarding character designs by the production company, with a new anime production to be produced by a different studio.


Style

Motivated by a desire to take a different approach to soundtracks for historical Japanese fiction, Asakura combines traditional Japanese music with elements of rock, as well as folk music from multiple Asian countries including China, Thailand, and Turkey. Asakura further developed this style with ''Tenchu'' and '' Way of the Samurai''. Asakura's style is also influenced by the way progressive rock musicians expanded on rock music in the 1970s, adopting a more experimental approach to traditional music in order to expand the horizons of its conventions.


Works


References


External links


Composer N. Asakura
(official site) *
RocketBaby's Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asakura, Noriyuki 1954 births Anime composers Japanese film score composers Japanese male film score composers Japanese male musicians Living people Musicians from Tokyo People from Itabashi Video game composers