[Column] Joe Hisaishi and Studio Ghibli - 40 years of music-woven stories

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01 Nov 2025

[Column] Joe Hisaishi and Studio Ghibli - 40 years of music-woven stories

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. A 40-year musical journey, 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.

1984年の『風の谷のナウシカ』以来、宮崎駿監督との協働によって築かれた音楽的宇宙は、アニメーション映画の文脈を越え、国際的な評価を得ている。
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. 幼少期からピアノに親しみ、東京国立音楽大学作曲科で学んだ。学生時代には現代音楽、とりわけミニマル・ミュージックに関心を寄せ、スティーヴ・ライヒやフィリップ・グラスの影響を受けたとされる。

卒業後、藤澤守名義で現代音楽家として活動し、電子音響作品やテレビ番組用の楽曲を多数制作した。
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.

第2章：名前の由来 ― 「久石譲（Joe Hisaishi）」誕生

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” and ““hisaishi”. 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

1984年、徳間書店とトップクラフトによる映画『風の谷のナウシカ』の音楽担当に選ばれた久石は、
アニメーション音楽としては異例の、シンセサイザーと民族楽器を組み合わせた構成を採用した。

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 an ““environmental 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. この成功をきっかけに、宮崎と久石の長期的なコラボレーションが始まった。

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

1986年の『天空の城ラピュタ』では、久石はよりオーケストラ的なサウンドへと舵を切った。
The magnificent theme song ““Kimi wo Seite’’ performed by strings and brass has received high praise both domestically and internationally.

この作品では、旋律の単純さと反復構造が巧みに設計されており、
There is an attempt to integrate the ideas of minimal music into a classical context.

『ラピュタ』は、ジブリ音楽における「感情の普遍性」を確立した作品といえる。

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

『となりのトトロ』は、宮崎駿作品の中でも特に音楽が物語と密接に結びついた例である。
久石は、ピアノ・木管・ストリングスを中心に、温かみのあるサウンドを作り上げた。

The representative songs “Sanpo” and “Kaze no Torimichi” contain a faint melancholy in the brightness 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

1997年、『もののけ姫』の音楽制作において、久石はフルオーケストラと合唱を用い、宗教的な深みを持つサウンドを構築した。
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. 主題歌「いつも何度でも」（作曲：久石譲、歌：木村弓）は、第25回日本アカデミー賞最優秀音楽賞を受賞。

音楽は、旋律の透明感と「間（ま）」の美しさを特徴とし、物語の幻想性を高めている。
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

2004年の『ハウルの動く城』では、メインテーマ「人生のメリーゴーランド」が作品全体を貫く構造を持つ。
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 a nursery rhyme-like purity. 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	魔女の宅急便	宮崎駿	「海の見える街」	都市的リズム感
1992	Porco Rosso	Hayao Miyazaki	“Days of No Return”	Nostalgic Waltz
1997	もののけ姫	宮崎駿	「もののけ姫」	合唱と管弦の融合
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

代表的サウンドトラック

映画作品	英題	サウンドトラック	リンク	備考
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind*	Original Soundtrack – Toward the Faraway Land	Amazon	Hisaishi and Miyazaki’s first collaboration
My Neighbor Totoro	My Neighbor Totoro	Original Soundtrack	Amazon	Includes the famous song “Kaze no Tori Michi”
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[space of resonance] 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 live]