Japanese musicians born in 1931
Here are 14 famous musicians from Japan were born in 1931:
Kōichi Kitamura
Kōichi Kitamura (December 18, 1931 Osaka Prefecture-October 2, 2007 Shinjuku) a.k.a. Koichi Kitamura, Kôichi Kitamura, 木村 一, Hajimu Kimura, 北村 弘一, Kimura Hajimu, Kitamura Kōichi or Kouichi Kitamura was a Japanese voice actor and actor.
Kōichi Kitamura started his career as an actor in the 1950s and starred in numerous Japanese films and television dramas. He began lending his voice to animated characters in the 1960s and became a prominent voice actor, voicing characters such as Doctor Eggman in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and Doraemon in the anime series of the same name. Kitamura was also a prolific narrator and lent his voice to various documentary films and television shows. In addition to his voice acting and acting work, Kitamura was also a published author and wrote several novels and essays throughout his career. He passed away on October 2, 2007 due to liver cancer at the age of 75.
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Ken Takakura
Ken Takakura (February 16, 1931 Kitakyushu-November 10, 2014) also known as Gouichi Oda, Goichi Oda, Takakura Ken, The Japanese Clint Eastwood or Oda Gōichi was a Japanese actor.
His albums: .
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Taeko Nakanishi
Taeko Nakanishi (February 11, 1931 Hiroshima-) otherwise known as 中西 妙子 or Nakanishi Taeko is a Japanese voice actor.
She began her career as a voice actor in 1955 and has since then contributed her voice to various character roles in anime, video games, and drama CDs. Some of her notable roles include the character of Granny Chiyo in the popular anime Naruto, and the character of Osono in the Studio Ghibli film Kiki's Delivery Service. In addition to voice acting, Nakanishi has also appeared in various live-action television dramas and films. She has been recognized for her contributions to the voice acting industry and was awarded the Merit Award at the 12th Seiyu Awards in 2018.
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Kinpei Azusa
Kinpei Azusa (May 1, 1931 Fukushima Prefecture-May 24, 1997 Ichikawa) also known as Mio Hashimoto, Mitsuo Hashimoto or Kinzō Azusa was a Japanese voice actor.
Starting his career in the 1950s, Kinpei Azusa was one of the most prolific voice actors in Japan. Over his long career, he provided the voice of many memorable characters in anime, video games, and other animated productions. Some of his most famous roles include Tetsuya Tsurugi in the anime and manga series "Getter Robo," the title character in "Akakage," and Maeterlinck in "Galaxy Express 999." Azusa was also an accomplished stage actor and appeared in many theatrical productions throughout his career. He won several awards for his voice acting work, including the 1987 Seiyu Award for Outstanding Achievement in voice acting. Despite battling cancer for several years, Azusa continued to work until just weeks before his death in 1997 at the age of 66.
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Yonehiko Kitagawa
Yonehiko Kitagawa (June 9, 1931 Tokyo Prefecture-) a.k.a. Kunihiko Takeda, Kitagawa Yonehiko, Takeda Kunihiko, Kunihiko Kitagawa or Kitagawa Kunihiko is a Japanese voice actor and actor.
He is best known for his voice acting work in anime and video games, including the roles of Dr. Kuseno in "One-Punch Man", Professor Ochanomizu in "Astro Boy", and Dr. Light in "Mega Man". He has also appeared in numerous live-action films and television dramas, such as "Monsters, Inc." and "Black Rain". Additionally, he has served as a dubbing director for foreign films and television shows in Japan, including "Dallas" and "Dynasty". Kitagawa has received several awards for his contributions to the entertainment industry, including the Best Supporting Actor award at the 11th Japan Academy Prize ceremony for his role in "Black Rain". He continues to work as a voice actor and actor to this day.
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Shuntarō Tanikawa
Shuntarō Tanikawa (December 15, 1931 Tokyo City-) otherwise known as Tanikawa Shuntarō, Shiyuntarou, Tanigawa, Tanigawa Shiyuntarou, Tanikawa Shuntaro, Shuntaro Tanikawa or S. Tanigawa is a Japanese poet, translator, screenwriter and lyricist. He has one child, Kensaku Tanikawa.
Tanikawa began his career in poetry in the 1950s, alongside other prominent Japanese poets of the time such as Shigeru Mizuki and Mitsuo Aida. He gained significant recognition for his unique style of poetry, which often combines traditional Japanese forms with modern themes and techniques. He has published numerous collections of poetry, including "Two Billion Light-Years of Solitude," "The Selected Poems of Shuntarō Tanikawa," and "Map: Collected and Last Poems."
In addition to his poetry, Tanikawa has also worked extensively as a translator, bringing the works of Western poets such as William Shakespeare and W.H. Auden into Japanese. He has also written screenplays for TV dramas and films, and has worked as a lyricist for popular musicians in Japan.
Throughout his career, Tanikawa has received numerous awards and honors, including the Yomiuri Prize for Literature, the Order of Culture, and the Robert Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime service to American poetry. He remains one of the most celebrated poets in Japan and beyond, with his works translated into many languages.
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Makoto Shinohara
Makoto Shinohara (December 10, 1931 Osaka-) a.k.a. 篠原 眞 or Shinohara Makoto is a Japanese , .
Makoto Shinohara is a Japanese artist known for his avant-garde works such as paintings, sculptures, and installations. He studied at the Osaka University of Arts before moving to Tokyo in the 1950s to pursue his art career. Shinohara was a member of the Neo-Dadaism movement in Japan, which was influenced by the Fluxus movement in Europe and America. Throughout his career, he has exhibited his works in various galleries and museums in Japan and abroad, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Venice Biennale. Shinohara's works often combine elements of traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern Western styles, showcasing his unique artistic vision. He is considered one of Japan's most important contemporary artists, with his works exploring the themes of nature, the human condition, and cultural identity.
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Junpei Takiguchi
Junpei Takiguchi (April 17, 1931 Funabashi-August 29, 2011 Tokyo) also known as Kouhei Takiguchi, Junpei Taniguchi, Kōhei Takiguchi, Takiguchi Kōhei or Takiguchi Junpei was a Japanese actor and voice actor.
Junpei Takiguchi had an extensive career in both live-action and animation. He appeared in many popular TV dramas and films in Japan, including "The Unfaithful Wife," "Black Rain," and "Conflagration." He was also a prolific voice actor, lending his voice to many iconic anime characters such as Dracula in "Captain Tsubasa," Don Patch in "Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo," and Mr. Satan in "Dragon Ball Z." In addition to his acting work, Takiguchi was also a successful narrator, providing voiceovers for documentaries and other programs. He was known for his deep, distinctive voice and his ability to portray strong, authoritative characters. Despite suffering from ill health in his later years, Takiguchi continued to work in the entertainment industry until his death in 2011 at the age of 80.
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Shintaro Katsu
Shintaro Katsu (November 29, 1931 Chiba Prefecture-June 21, 1997 Kashiwa) also known as Katsu, Shintarou, Katsu-shin, Toshio Okumura, Katsu Shintarō, Katsutoshi Gatsu, Okumura Toshio, Shintarô Katsu or Katsumaru Kineya was a Japanese film producer, actor, singer, television director, screenwriter, film director and musician. His children are Ryu Gan and Masami Okumura.
His albums: 勝新太郎ベスト.
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Ken Utsui
Ken Utsui (October 24, 1931 Koto, Tokyo-March 14, 2014 Nagoya) was a Japanese actor. He had one child, .
Ken Utsui was a well-known actor in Japan, best known for his roles in the popular superhero film franchise, "Super Giant." He played the title character in the films, which were produced by Shintoho from 1957 to 1959. Utsui also appeared in numerous other films and television dramas throughout his career. He was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1994 for his contributions to Japanese culture. In addition to his acting work, Utsui was also known for his philanthropy, particularly his efforts to support people with disabilities. He founded the "Ken Utsui Smile Safari" program in 1987, which took children with disabilities on trips to various locations around Japan. He continued to work as an actor until his death in 2014 at the age of 82.
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Hikaru Hayashi
Hikaru Hayashi (October 22, 1931 Tokyo-January 5, 2012 Tokyo) also known as Hayashi Hikaru, 林 光 or はやし ひかる was a Japanese film score composer, conductor, pianist and composer.
His albums: Tan Dun: Pipa Concerto / Hayashi: Viola Concerto / Takemitsu: Nostalghia. Genres he performed include Film score.
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Hachidai Nakamura
Hachidai Nakamura (January 20, 1931 Qingdao-June 10, 1992) was a Japanese composer.
Genres he performed: Jazz and Pop music.
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Yuzo Toyama
Yuzo Toyama (May 10, 1931 Tokyo-) a.k.a. Yūzō Toyama, Toyama, Yuzo or Yuzō Toyama is a Japanese composer and conductor.
Toyama studied composition under Tomojirō Ikenouchi at Tokyo University of the Arts. He began his career as a film composer in the 1950s and later composed music for television dramas, including the popular 1970 series, "Daitsuiseki". One of his most famous works is the "Rhapsody for Orchestra", which was premiered in 1957 and is still performed by orchestras worldwide. In addition to composing, Toyama served as the conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1986 and was appointed as the principal conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in 1994. He has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1991 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2003.
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Koichi Sugiyama
Koichi Sugiyama (April 11, 1931 Taitō-) otherwise known as Sugiyama, Kouichi, Koichi Sugiyama, Sugiyama Koichi, Koichi Sugiyma, Kooichi Sugiyama, Sugiyama, Koichi or Kouichi Sugiyama is a Japanese musician, composer and conductor.
His most important albums: Dragon Quest IV on Electone, Dragon Quest VIII Original Soundtrack, Dragon Quest II Symphonic Suite, Dragon Quest IV, , Dragon Quest Suite, 交響シンセ組曲「46億年物語」, Dragon Quest Live Best, and E.V.O. Synthesizer Suite: Tale of 4.6 Billion Years - The Theory of Evolution. His related genres: Film score, Jazz, Classical music, Electronic music, Video game music, Chiptune and Music in Japanese animation.
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