Let's set the record straight right here: what Miyazaki Hayao is to anime films, Hisaishi Jo is to anime music. It is then by no coincidence that the pair have collaborated on some of the best anime films of all time. More known for his orchestral pieces than his female counterpart Kanno Yoko, his influence is nonetheless equally, if not more, prominent in anime and music in general. To compare his symphonies with those of the legendary John Williams would be doing both a great service. Despite possessing such an incomparable amount of musical talent, little is known about this man.

Hisaishi Jo was born Fujisawa Mamoru on December 6th, 1950 in Nagano, Japan. A fan of Quincy Jones, Fujisawa gave himself the stage name of Hisaishi Jo in honor of his mentor; "Hisaishi" written in kanji can also be pronounced "Kuishi", which is phonetically similar to Quincy. "Jo" is a derivative of "Jones". Not willing to wait for his studies at Kunitachi Music School to finish before embarking on his career, he began to produce, play and compose contemporary minimalist music... all while trying to juggle his school work. His first major album, Information, was released in 1982.

His first collaboration with Miyazaki Hayao came during a casting call for someone to produce the Image Album for Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind. The producer, Takahata Isao, was so impressed by his work that he gave him the nod to perform the soundtrack, as well. When Miyazaki and Takahata jumped ship to the newly-formed Studio Ghibli, they brought Hisaishi Jo with them and quickly put him to work; his beautiful songs provided the much-needed emotional catalysts for Laputa: Castle in the Sky (in my honest opinion, his best work to date), My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

His feats don't stop with anime; Hisaishi Jo wrote the theme song and worked as executive producer for the 1998 Nagano Paralympics. He has also been awarded the Japanese Academy Award for Best Music on five separate occasions (1992, 1993, 1994, 1999 and again in 2000). It was his music for the Kitano Takeshi movie Kikujiro no Natsu that earned him his latest Academy Award. Another Kitano film, HANA-BI, for which Hisaishi was also in charge of the soundtrack, garnered the Best Movie Award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1997, he began to release compilations of his previous songs, in particular those done for Studio Ghibli, titled Works I, Works II and Works III. In 2002 Encore, which is a series of his own piano compositions, hit the market to much fanfare.

Today, Hisaishi Jo is recognized as one of the giants in the music industry. His calendar is filled with requests for live performances; the latest a concert on October, 2001 in South Korea, which was a huge success. In the face of it all, however, he remains as enigmatic as ever, rarely ever granting a simple interview. Perhaps he'd rather have his music do the talking for him.

Production Credits

Amazing Sarutobi
Arion
Birth
The Blazing Alpen Rose
Futari Daka
Galactic Gale Sasuraiger
Genesis Climber Mospeada
Howl's Moving Castle
The Invention of Destruction in the Imaginary Machines
Kiki's Delivery Service
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
My Neighbor Totoro
Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind
Porco Rosso
Princess Mononoke
Robot Carnival
Spirited Away
Tencho Police 21C
Venus Wars