Noriyuki Asakura
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese music composer
and vocalist. He is famous for composing the soundtracks to the anime
series Rurouni Kenshin
and the popular video game franchises Tenchu
and Way of the Samurai
. He is well-known for combining traditional Japanese music with elements of rock, jazz, and other world music.
He is a native of Itabashi, Tokyo
, and entered the music industry in the early 80's, composing music for television programs and movies, as well as producing music for a number of Japanese pop stars during the 80's and early 90's. In 1995, he composed the soundtrack to Rurouni Kenshin
, where, through the duration of the series, combined rock with a more traditional Japanese sound, giving it the spirit of classic Jidaigeki
movies, but also incorporated modern elements—such as electric guitars
and breakbeats--into the score, giving the soundtrack a contemporary feel to it. He was very noted for this achievement, and applied this style to his later works. His work has been released on numerous CDs, and has aspirations of composing music for a major Hollywood motion picture.
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
, at his wife's request. "Sadame", the theme song for Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
, and "Kurenai No Hana", the theme song for Tenchu: Fatal Shadows
, were performed in Japanese.
Asakura lives in Tokyo and operates his own music studio, Mega-Alpha. He composes music for television programs, anime, and video games.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese music composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and vocalist. He is famous for composing the soundtracks to the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin
, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
and the popular video game franchises Tenchu
Tenchu
Tenchu is the title of a stealth game series of video games originally developed by Acquire wherein the player assumes the role of a ninja....
and Way of the Samurai
Way of the Samurai
Way of the Samurai is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game released in 2002.Set in 19th Century Japan, the player takes on the role of a ronin who wanders into a remote village and becomes involved in a conflict between rival clans...
. He is well-known for combining traditional Japanese music with elements of rock, jazz, and other world music.
He is a native of Itabashi, Tokyo
Itabashi, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Itabashi City. Itabashi has sister-city relations with Burlington, Ontario in Canada; Shijingshan District in Beijing, People's Republic of China; and Bologna in Italy....
, and entered the music industry in the early 80's, composing music for television programs and movies, as well as producing music for a number of Japanese pop stars during the 80's and early 90's. In 1995, he composed the soundtrack to Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin
, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
, where, through the duration of the series, combined rock with a more traditional Japanese sound, giving it the spirit of classic Jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
movies, but also incorporated modern elements—such as electric guitars
Electric Guitars
Electric Guitars were formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport and Richard Hall who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Saunders , Matt Salt and Dick Truscott , they also later added two backing singers: Sara and Wendy...
and breakbeats--into the score, giving the soundtrack a contemporary feel to it. He was very noted for this achievement, and applied this style to his later works. His work has been released on numerous CDs, and has aspirations of composing music for a major Hollywood motion picture.
Contrary to popular belief, "Add'ua", the theme song to the first Tenchu
Tenchu
Tenchu is the title of a stealth game series of video games originally developed by Acquire wherein the player assumes the role of a ninja....
game was not sung in Japanese, but rather in the West African language of Hausa
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
, at his wife's request. "Sadame", the theme song for Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven is a stealth game developed by K2 LLC and published by Activision in North America and Europe and From Software in Japan for the PlayStation 2 in 2003....
, and "Kurenai No Hana", the theme song for Tenchu: Fatal Shadows
Tenchu: Fatal Shadows
Tenchu: Fatal Shadows , is a stealth game developed by K2 LLC and published by From Software in Japan and Sega in North America and Europe for the PlayStation 2 in 2004.- Plot :...
, were performed in Japanese.
Asakura lives in Tokyo and operates his own music studio, Mega-Alpha. He composes music for television programs, anime, and video games.
External links
- Composer N. Asakura (official site)
- RocketBaby's Interview