【コラム】久石譲とスタジオジブリ ― 音楽が紡いだ40年の物語

Column en Anime Jpop Soundtrack

01 Nov 2025

Prologue: When music moves the story

Text: mmr

Theme: A long column that looks back on the history of collaboration between Joe Hisaishi and Studio Ghibli, based on facts.Tracing 40 years of musical history, from the origin of the name to the main soundtrack

In the history of Japanese film, the existence of composer Joe Hisaishi (English name: Joe Hisaishi) is unique. His music is not just ``movie accompaniment’’, but has functioned as an important component that forms the world of the work itself.

Since 1984’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, the musical universe created in collaboration with director Hayao Miyazaki has transcended the context of animated films and received international acclaim. This column carefully traces the relationship between Joe Hisaishi’s musical history and Studio Ghibli works, based on facts.

Chapter 1: Early life and musical foundation

Joe Hisaishi (real name: Mamoru Fujisawa) was born on December 6, 1950 in Nakano City, Nagano Prefecture. He became familiar with the piano from an early age and studied at the Department of Composition at Tokyo National College of Music.During his student days, he became interested in contemporary music, especially minimal music, and is said to have been influenced by Steve Reich and Philip Glass.

After graduating, he worked as a contemporary musician under the name Mamoru Fujisawa, producing many electronic acoustic works and songs for television programs. From this period, the idea of merging electronic sounds and live music began to emerge, which would lead to the style of later film music.

Chapter 2: Origin of the name - Birth of “Joe Hisaishi”

In the late 1970s, Mamoru Fujisawa began using his stage name as he expanded his activities into pop music and commercial music. His name is Joe Hisaishi.

He has publicly stated that the name was invented in honor of American composer and producer Quincy Jones. Quincy → It is said to be a play on the Japanese pronunciation kuinshi'' andhisaishi’’. Furthermore, “Joe” was taken from the “Joe” of “Jones”, resulting in the English notation “Joe Hisaishi”. This name was first used officially on the 1981 album Information.

``I wanted to do music that transcends genres like Quincy Jones. That’s why I chose my name to symbolize “musical freedom.”” ― Joe Hisaishi (from NHK “SWITCH Interview”)

Chapter 3: “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” (1984) - The first encounter between film and music

In 1984, Hisaishi was chosen to be in charge of the music for the film ``Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind’’ by Tokuma Shoten and Top Craft. The song uses a combination of synthesizers and ethnic instruments, which is unusual for animation music.

Initially, director Hayao Miyazaki is said to have wanted music that would make you feel the breath between nature and machinery.'' In response, Hisaishi proposed anenvironmental music approach’’ that depicts a worldview through rhythm and tone.

The main theme, “Legend of the Wind,” later became one of Hisaishi’s signature songs. This success began a long-term collaboration between Miyazaki and Hisaishi.

Chapter 4: “Castle in the Sky” (1986) - Establishment of the symphonic scale

For 1986’s Castle in the Sky, Hisaishi turned to a more orchestral sound. The magnificent theme song ``Kimi wo Seite’’ performed by strings and brass has received high praise both domestically and internationally.

In this piece, the melodic simplicity and repetitive structure are cleverly designed. There is an attempt to integrate the ideas of minimal music into a classical context.

Laputa'' can be said to be a work that established theuniversality of emotion’’ in Ghibli music.

Chapter 5: “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988) and “Memory of Time”

``My Neighbor Totoro’’ is an example of Hayao Miyazaki’s works in which music is closely tied to the story. Hisaishi created a warm sound centered around piano, woodwinds, and strings.

The representative songs “Sanpo” and “Kaze no Torimichi” contain a faint melancholy in the cheerfulness of nursery rhymes. “Children’s time” is expressed through sound.

Through this work, Hisaishi became widely recognized as a ``composer who expresses emotions through sound.’’

Chapter 6: “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (1989) - Growth and urban rhythm

Kiki’s Delivery Service, released in 1989, features a light and airy sound centered on piano and brass. Since the story is set in a modern European city, Hisaishi introduced elements of jazz and pop.

This diversity influenced his later works, showing that Hisaishi’s musical idioms were oriented toward ``crossing genre boundaries.’’

Chapter 7: “Porco Rosso” (1992) - Music of romance and nostalgia

Porco Rosso'' adopted a style that was conscious of European music from the 1920s and 1930s. The main theme,When the cherries ripen,’’ and the waltz in the play express the emotion and romance of the interwar period.

With this work, Hisaishi first constructed ``imaginary period music’’ and demonstrated that music functions as part of the period setting.

Chapter 8: Princess Mononoke (1997) - An orchestral exploration of spirituality

In 1997, when creating the music for Princess Mononoke, Hisaishi used a full orchestra and chorus to create a sound with religious depth. The theme of this work is the coexistence of nature and humans, and Hisaishi’s music also develops in a way that supports this idea.

The use of a mixed chorus, the profound sound of the timpani, and the placement of silence show the maturity of Hisaishi’s musical diction. That year, Hisaishi also composed the music for Takeshi Kitano’s ``HANA-BI’’, which received high acclaim in a different context at the same time.

Chapter 9: Spirited Away (2001) - Establishing a worldwide reputation

In 2001, Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away was released, and Hisaishi’s music attracted international attention. The theme song ``Always Again and Again’’ (composed by Joe Hisaishi, sung by Yumi Kimura) won the Best Music Award at the 25th Japan Academy Awards.

The music is characterized by the clarity of the melody and the beauty of the “ma”, which enhances the fantasy of the story. This work won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003, and Hisaishi’s name spread around the world.

Chapter 10: After Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) - Waltz and Circular Structure

In 2004’s Howl's Moving Castle,'' the main themeLife’s merry-go-round’’ has a structure that runs through the entire work. The melody, based on a waltz in triple time, symbolizes the work’s ``circulating time.’’

In his follow-up, Ponyo on the Cliff (2008), he pursued the purity of a nursery rhyme. The Wind Rises (2013) featured quiet, restrained piano pieces.

Throughout these works, Hisaishi’s music becomes an element that governs the ``inner time of the story.’’

Chapter 11: “How do you live?” (2023) - Sound abstraction and new challenges

How do you live?, which will be released in 2023, is director Hayao Miyazaki’s first full-length film in 10 years. Joe Hisaishi was once again in charge of the music.

This work uses an abstract sound structure, emphasizing resonance and texture rather than melody. Hisaishi conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and achieved a high standard of music production in both recording and performance.

This work is the latest example of Hisaishi’s continued bridging of film music and classical music.

Chronology: List of Joe Hisaishi x Studio Ghibli collaborative works

Year	Title	Director	Theme song/Representative song	Notes
1984	Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind	Hayao Miyazaki	“Legend of the Wind”	First collaboration
1986	Castle in the Sky	Hayao Miyazaki	“Put You on”	Symphonic composition
1988	My Neighbor Totoro	Hayao Miyazaki	“Walk” and “The Path of the Wind”	Expression of Childhood
1989	Kiki’s Delivery Service	Hayao Miyazaki	“City with a Sea View”	Urban Rhythm
1992	Porco Rosso	Hayao Miyazaki	“Days of No Return”	Nostalgic Waltz
1997	Princess Mononoke	Hayao Miyazaki	“Princess Mononoke”	Fusion of chorus and orchestra
2001	Spirited Away	Hayao Miyazaki	“Always and Again”	Academy Award Winner
2004	Howl’s Moving Castle	Hayao Miyazaki	“The Merry-Go-Round of Life”	Waltz Structure
2008	Ponyo on the Cliff	Hayao Miyazaki	“Ponyo on the Cliff”	Nursery Rhyme Melody
2013	The Wind Rises	Hayao Miyazaki	“Journey”	The tranquil world of music
2023	How do you live? Hayao Miyazaki	―	Abstraction of sound

Representative soundtrack

Movie	English title	Soundtrack	Link	Notes
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind*	Original Soundtrack – Toward the Faraway Land	Amazon	Hisaishi and Miyazaki’s first collaboration
My Neighbor Totoro
Princess Mononoke	Princess Mononoke	Original Soundtrack	Amazon	Fusion of chorus and orchestra
Spirited Away	Spirited Away	Original Soundtrack	Amazon	Received worldwide acclaim
Howl’s Moving Castle	Howl’s Moving Castle	Original Soundtrack	Amazon	A masterpiece in the form of a waltz

Illustration: Joe Hisaishi’s musical structure (Mermaid)

graph TD A[Joe Hisaishi's musical philosophy] --> B[Minimalism] A --> C [Memory of melody] A --> D [Sounding space] B --> E[Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind] C --> F[My Neighbor Totoro] D --> G[Princess Mononoke] G --> H[Spirited Away] H --> I [How do you guys live?]

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