Japanese Music Industry

Yoshiharu Abe is known as the father of personal multi-track recording in the audio engineering field.  He was one of the five founders of TEAC in 1957 and went on to become one of the company’s most important product designers.  Abe-san designed several landmark products over his long career including the 80-8 and the Portastudio series.  He later worked for Fostex and was a key player in the teams that created the B-13 and X-15.  Beginning in 1948 he also began writing extensively

 Takehiko Akaboshi, the legendary Japanese music therapist and founder of the world renowned Japan Music Volunteer Association, began his career as a popular singer who recorded traditional and new folk songs as early as the 1950s.  While singing around the country he began seeing the benefits of music on the ill and in 1972 created “ryouiku ongaku” or therapeutic music programs that have since been proven to reduce stress and pain in mind and body for his many patients.  Mr.

Toshio Akiyama was an internationally renowned figure, widely known for his contributions as the “father of the Japanese wind bands.” After receiving his education at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in the United States, Mr. Akiyama returned to Japan, where he served as Vice President of the All-Japan Band Association from 1961 to 1971 and later as President of the Japanese Band Directors’ Association from 1993 to 1997. After teaching in public schools for 19 years, Mr. Akiyama also conducted the Sony Concert Band.

Shiro Arai was the founder of Aria Guitars, a Japanese electric guitar company that gained great international success in the wake of the Beatles invasion—both in America and Japan.  Mr. Arai was an early pioneer of Japanese/American commerce, developing one dealer base that represented both countries.  When Mr. Arai established the company in 1956, his focus was on classical instruments, as he himself was a trained classical guitarist and educator. His products followed the demand in the era of garage bands, which became an important part of the growth of the market.  

Emiko Araki is a passionate musician and a proud member of the New Horizons Band at NAMM’s Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California. Originally from Japan, Emiko’s early love for music took root when she first picked up the recorder in elementary school. Her journey blossomed in middle school with the clarinet and even expanded to playing drums in a rock band during her teenage years. After a long break from the clarinet, her desire to reconnect with her musical side brought her to the New Horizons Band.

George Azuma remembered growing up in Tokyo and having many opportunities to play rock and roll along with his brother and several childhood friends.  After high school, George attended college in the United States where he continued to play music.

Tsutomu Chiba is the president for the Barock Music Company in Japan. He is also a musical instrument designer for many products. With the distribution company named PlayWood Professional Percussion Instruments, Chiba-San has introduced his own designed products ranging from drum sticks and mallets to triangles and cowbells. One of his most noted products are the food-shaped shakers. He expanded on the idea he saw with the egg shakers in a toy shop and created shakers in the shape and colors of food such as apples, peanuts, corn and strawberries. His innovative ideas have led to n

Kenji Chiwaki followed in the footsteps of Toru Hora as the president of Buffet Crampon Japan.  Hora-san opened the branch in Tokyo in 1967 and helped establish the brand within the Asian market.  Kenji joined the company in 1986 and has focused on the three elements he learned from his predecessor to be key to the business; the dealer base, music education and artist relations.  With a strong musical background, Kenji played trumpet as a kid and engineered synthesizers in recording studios, Kenji brought his passion to Buffet.

Yohsihiro Doi joined Yamaha in 1980 and worked in retail for the company for two years before transferring to the wholesale department within the musical instrument division. Doi-san worked with the Yamaha school programs as well as with the labor union before moving to Yamaha Corporation of America in 1995. He worked as the planning manager in the keyboard division before returning to Yamaha Corporation of Japan in 2003 as senior executive officer.  

Tadamichi Fukuda was the Chairman for the Global Corporation, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1975 based on the repairing of musical instruments, especially violins. Fukuda-San soon expanded the company to become the exclusive supplier of many brands in Japan including Jupiter Band Instruments, G. Leblanc and Gemeinhardt Flutes. Over the years Fukuda-San has focused on providing training for instrument repairs and was the founder of The Global Wind Instrument Technical Academy, which has provided instrument repair classes for hundreds of students

Hitoshi Fukutome has enjoyed a long and interesting career at the Yamaha Corporation.  He joined Yamaha in 1982 and has served in many roles for the company over the years including Manager of the Piano Division in Europe in 1990 and as president of Yamaha Music in Austria five years later. His most recent assignment, before coming to the US, was as president of Yamaha Music in Korea. In March 2013 he was named President of Yamaha Corporation of America and remarked that he very much enjoys working with so many employees that are passionate about music and music making.

Jim Funada has dedicated the past four decades to serving the music products industry with passion and commitment. His journey began at the Yamaha Corporation, where he delved into keyboard retailing and laid the foundation for a remarkable career. In the late 1960s, Jim took on the responsibility of overseeing Yamaha school programs across the San Francisco Bay Area, spearheading their success and subsequent expansion to multiple cities and states in the western region. His expertise led him to Yamaha's headquarters in Southern California, where he continued to contribute signifi

Takashi “Hagi” Hagiwara has been called the “godfather of Yamaha drums” as the unofficial ambassador of the company’s percussive products around the world.  His father was a silversmith in Tokyo, a profession he was thought to continue, however, he decided to take a part-time job as a teenager in a local music store.  Hagi found his personal passion in the music industry and was honored to be given a chance to work for Yamaha in the drum and percussion department at the Ginza store location.  His role expanded with Yamaha especially after the company decided to manufacture drums,

Kyoko Hara is proud to continue her family tradition of being involved in the music products industry. It all began in 1919 when her grandfather opened a small store. Her father, Ryoji Okamoto, expanded the company and began providing ukuleles for their customers. The ukulele was a key instrument for the company and provided deep pride within the family to provide instruments to their customers, especially students.  In 1998, Hara-San began teaching the ukulele in the store and witnessed first hand the power music making can have in a person’s life.

Motohichi Harada led the movement that brought the very first marching band to Japan, which took place in 1963.  He has since worked for the NHK for over thirty years and formed the Japan Marching Band Directors Association in 1971 and the Japan Marching Band Association the following year.  Both groups focused on raising an awareness and application for marching band as well as training for directors and musicians alike. Igniting the marching band movement within Japan has been his life's mission and his main focus in his retirement, a dedication for which he is very proud.

Karl Hirano was an electronic engineer for Yamaha in Japan during the great MIDI boom of the early 1980s. In fact, Karl was a member of the team that gathered at the 1983 NAMM Show to discuss the MIDI spec and agree on the protocol and how MIDI would be engineered into the vast number of new electronic keyboards and synthesizers that were in high demand at the time. Karl later played an important role in several MIDI organizations, presentations and focus groups, marking an important part of the music product industry’s history.  

Toshiaki Hirose, President of Shimamura Music in Japan, played a pivotal role in securing NAMM’s Oral History interview with the company’s founder, Mr. Mototsugu Shimamura, in 2007. His leadership journey began when the founder transitioned to chairman, a critical period that allowed Toshiaki to immerse himself in the company’s rich history, mission, and core values. With this deep understanding, he implemented a company-wide training program designed to empower new hires and foster meaningful career growth.

Akio Hiyoshi was on the engineering team at Yamaha in 1959 that designed the Electone Organ, which brought the small piano manufacturer into the electronic musical instrument market, where they would become dominant for decades.  The team also worked on the Clavinova, the CS 80 (Yamaha's last analog product) and developed the digital division for Yamaha. Akio recalls the special day that Stevie Wonder came in the factory to help review the early prototypes of the DX7.

Toru Hora was classically trained on the piano and attended Juilliard. He joined the Buffet Crampon company in 1964 and both established and served as president of the Buffet Japan branch three years later.  Much of his effort in Japan was to establish the brass instruments into the market and to provide high level training for each of their retail dealers.  The name was officially changed in 2011 to Buffet Crampon Japan. During his career as a composer, Toru-san provided the music for several national TV ads and jingles, which he often said is a young man's game.  He continued to

Masato Horibe is proud of the origins of his company, which date back to 1917 when Mr. Niimi opened a small store in Japan. He first began selling phonograph needles and later brought into the harmonica. After World War II, school band instruments became a major focus of the business, helping the company branch into wholesaling. Horibe-san’s strong background as a musician brought a special element to the business when he joined Niimi Gakki in 1993. Since then, he has also volunteered to serve the industry as Vice Chairman of the Japan Music Fair Association, helping to manage man

Yoshitada Hoshino is the president of Hoshino Gakki Company, a music company that has remained in his family since first opening in 1908 to sell sheet music in Japan. The distribution segment of the business began to grow throughout the next hundred years. Along the way the company developed the Ibanez Guitar line as well as the Tama Drum products. Yoshi was involved first hand in the creation of the company’s export business especially with regards to establishing the product names within the United States beginning in the 1960s with the Ibanez Guitar.

Masahiro Iijima enjoyed working as an engineer in the music industry and was hopeful to one day create his own company and brands.  He worked for KORG in Japan for 5 years, which is where he developed a strong friendship with the associate, who established the company together, Mr. Michi Nozokido.  When Masahiro established Zoom Corporation, his goal was to honor Kato-san and all that he learned in KORG, engineering, management, quality control etc., by building a new company from foundation. Zoom launched its first product, the Zoom 9002, in 1989 and effects processors and record

Haruhiko Ikebe developed a novel way of approaching music retailing, creating Super Pro Shops that stock vintage and new instruments along with accessories and knowledgeable sales staff for a very specific item. In other words, Mr. Ikebe created a saxophone store, a guitar store, a flute store and several others that market and sell to all musicians that play that given instrument. His passion for music included his involvement with music education programs, which were close to his heart.  

Takeshi Inomata was the noted jazz drummer who, among other things, helped design the first percussive instruments for Yamaha.  His work with Yamaha took place during the early 1960s when the company began providing drum and percussive instruments and accessories.  It was a contribution Takeshi was always proud to take part in and since then has often endorsed for several Yamaha products.  Although he has played and endorsed for many different products, he stayed loyal to the first snare drum he ever played, inspired by his hero Gene Krupa, the Slingerland snare.

Kazuo Ishibashi spent over 25 years in the Special Equipment Division of JVC (Japan Victor Corporation) and headed their musical instrument engineering section.  JVC marketed electronic organs and portable keyboards in Japan under the "Victron" label and exported them under the "JVC" brand. In the late 1970s, the Lowrey Organ Company and JVC entered into an agreement in which JVC manufactured a series of deluxe portable keyboards for Lowrey under the "Micro Genie" name.  The popular product was an important innovation that came at the end of the organ boom. This was at the beginni

Kiyokazu Ishibashi is proud to be in the music products industry and to follow the path of his father, who started the business following World War II. The music store was small in the beginning and in fact first carried sporting goods as well as musical instruments. When Kiyokazu was just 12 years old his father passed away and his mother began running the business. During his years as head of the business the number of locations has grown to 15 stores and includes a strong music lesson program as part of his business model to develop and encourage music makers.  

Kenji Ito has committed himself to music education and the safety of those who take lessons from his music studios and stores. As Chairman of Ito Music Corporation in Japan, he prays each day for the care and safety of the more than 20,000 students that learn music from his some 600 teachers. He is also in charge of the public safety commission in the area of Chiba. As an active member of the community, Ito-San is also a Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce for Chiba.

Shuji Ito began his career with Yamaha Corporation in 1965 and has since held a series of positions in Japan, the United States and in Europe including managing director and senior managing director. He served as president and representative director for Yamaha from 2000 until 2007. Mr. Ito has been a strong supporter of the Yamaha Music Foundation, the Yamaha Music Support Programs and the Yamaha Music Schools.  

Akira Jimbo, a drummer out of Japan, has been playing drums since he was 17. Akira has released over 10 solo albums throughout his career and has demonstrated a passion for education through his instructional videos. In his 2008 interview, Akira talks about his unique playing style and how others can create their own.

Ikuo Kakehashi’s passion for music developed early in his life. Of course, he was exposed to many innovative electronic musical instruments being the son of synthesizer pioneer and Roland Corp founder Mr. Ikutaro Kakehashi. However, it was the acoustic percussive instruments that fascinated Ikuo and led him to learn percussive instruments from around the World as well as academic music. His career as a professional musician started in 1985, first playing for a premier singer and helping the band with MIDI gear his father developed.

Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of Roland Corporation, created more than a successful business with a host of important innovations in electronic musical instruments; he has also paid tribute throughout his career to those who first inspired him. Mr. Kakehashi was born in Japan and formed Ace Electronics in 1964 with the goal of improving the electronic organ, following up on the work of his heroes, Mr. Hammond and Mr. Leslie. With the expansion of electronics in the late 1960s, he formed the Roland Corporation, which soon became one of the leaders in the industry. Perhaps the only

Hideo Kamimoto wrote the book on guitar repair!  He built his first guitar in the late 1950s and soon discovered he had a true passion as a luthier.  Within a decade he opened H. Kamimoto Instrument Repairs in Oakland, California.