One of the most influential companies in the film industry over the past four decades has been Studio Ghibli. From the iconic Totoro to two Oscar-winning films, you are most likely familiar with the Japanese studio and its products. Without Ghibli, the film industry wouldn’t be the same. Many factors contribute to the massive success of the studio. From Hayao Miyazaki’s brilliant mind to the cozy atmospheres of its films, there is much to love about these animated masterpieces. But one unsung hero is the genius composer Joe Hisaishi.
Born Mamoru Fujisawa in Nagano, Japan, 74 years ago today, Hisaishi has had a major influence on film composition over his 43 years of scoring. He changed his name to the Kanji translation of the late Quincy Jones, a musician he deeply revered. He released his first album in 1981, which included a piece he composed for Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow. Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki caught wind of Hisaishi’s talent and asked him to compose for the first “Ghibli” film in 1984, an adaptation of a manga Miyazaki wrote called Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Although Nausicaä was produced by the Ghibli team, the film predates the Ghibli name, which was officially founded the following year, in 1985. The first official film under the Studio Ghibli name was Castle in the Sky, for which Hisaishi also composed the score. Since then, Hisaishi has composed the music for every Miyazaki film under the Studio Ghibli banner.
Being associated with such an up-and-coming team skyrocketed Hisaishi to popularity as a composer in Japan. While he is famous for his Ghibli scores, Hisaishi has also worked on many other films outside of the beloved anime studio. He has collaborated frequently with celebrated Japanese director Takeshi Kitano, scoring some of his most well-known films, such as Kikujiro and Brother.
In 1996, Disney acquired the distribution rights to Studio Ghibli films, and in 2002, the English-dubbed version of Spirited Away was released in the United States. This drew the Western world’s attention to Studio Ghibli and, ultimately, to Hisaishi’s music. With Western audiences captivated by Ghibli films, the studio continued to release back-to-back hits. Films like Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, The Wind Rises, and more recently, The Boy and the Heron have all been highly acclaimed outings from Miyazaki and Hisaishi.
As the world embraced Ghibli films, Hisaishi’s compositions grew even more popular. Many children grew up with Ghibli films and now hold a deep appreciation for his music because of the memories and beauty associated with it. Often called the “Japanese John Williams,” Hisaishi has scored over 100 films and won 40 awards—and counting.
Starting his career back in 1981, Joe Hisaishi has become renowned for his atmospheric and calming scores and is one of the most influential film composers still working today.