Marihiko Hara
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Composer
- pianist
- sound artist
- Piano
- Synthesizer
- Keyboard
Marihiko Hara 原摩利彦 | |
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| Born | August 14, 1983 Osaka, Japan |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
| Website | https://www.marihikohara.com/ |
Marihiko Hara (原 摩利彦, Hara Marihiko; born August 14, 1983) is a Kyoto-based composer and sound artist whose work explores the subtle boundaries between sound, silence, memory, and space. His compositions blend field recordings, acoustic instruments, and electronics into quiet, immersive soundscapes.[1]
Centered on the theme of strength within stillness, he creates music in various media, including piano-centered chamber music, field recordings, sound works using electronic sounds, stage performances, contemporary art, and film. He is a member of the Kyoto-based artist collective Dumb Type.[2]
Marihiko took piano lessons as a child, but he was a terrible student and quit around the age of 10. He didn't start playing the piano again until he was in junior high school. At age 13, he attended a concert by Ryuichi Sakamoto's trio at Festival Hall in Osaka in 1996, as part of the tour for the album "1996," where Jaques Morelenbaum and Everton Nelson performed together. He was so deeply impacted by the experience that it inspired him to become a composer. He began taking private composition lessons toward the end of his third year of junior high school and continued for three years. Although he excelled in harmony, he was not very skilled at piano performance or solfège. He initially aimed to attend music school but ultimately decided against going to a music university in Tokyo. He eventually enrolled and graduated from the Faculty of Education, Kyoto University. At university, he bought a Mac and started what's called DTM (Desktop Music). He had been composing since around junior high school, started using samplers, synthesizers and sequencers around high school, and then switched to computers when he entered university.[3] [4]
He withdrew from the Master's program in the Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University.[5]
He has a younger brother, Rurihiko Hara, who is a researcher of Japanese gardens and Noh theater.[6]
Works
Film
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Wandering Moon | Directed by Lee Sang-il | [7] |
| 2023 | Do Unto Others | Directed by Tetsu Maeda | [7] |
| 2025 | On Summer Sand | Directed by Shinya Tamada | [7] |
| 2025 | Kokuho | Directed by Lee Sang-il | [7] |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Koun na Hito | Directed by Masae Ichiki | [7] |
| 2024 | Deaf Voice | Directed by Kazutaka Watanabe | [7] |
Documentary Film
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Agniyogana | Co-music with Ryuichi Sakamoto | [7] |
| 2020 | Being | Directed by Moe Wada | [7] |
| 2023 | SHUNGA | Directed by Junko Hirata | [7] |
| 2024 | CACAO y los Japoneses | Directed by Moe Wada | [7] |
| 2024 | Dearest Viet | Directed by Kohei Kawabata | [7] |
| 2025 | Guardians of the Harvest | Directed by Riko Hiro | [7] |
Short Film
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | TRINITY | Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi | [7] |
| 2024 | A Tiny Story for TRINITY LES POCHES | Directed by Yuri Kanchiku | [7] |
Animation Film
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | COLUMBOS | Directed by KAWAI + OKAMURA | [7] |
| 2019 | MOOD HALL | Directed by KAWAI + OKAMURA | [7] |
Theatre/Performance
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE | Tokyo Olympics 2020 Opening Ceremony, performance by Mirai Moriyama | [8] |
| 2024 | JUNGLE | Korea National Contemporary Dance Company | [8] |
| 2026 | Yuzuru Hanyu REALIVE an ICE STORY project | Composed 10 songs for the 2nd half of the show, "Prequel: before the WHITE"
Setlist:
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[9][10] |
Awards
- Recipient of the Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Award Encouragement Prize for fiscal year 2021 [11]
- Kyoto City New Artist Award, 2025 [12]
- For the film Kokuho
- 67th Japan Record Awards - Special Award Winner (Broadcast on TBS Television and TBS Radio on December 30, 2025)[13]
- Winner of the Music Award at the 80th Mainichi Film Awards[14]
- The 49th Japan Academy Film Prize
- Winner of the Best Music Award[15]
- Winner of the Best Theme Song ("Luminance" by Marihiko Hara feat. Satoru Iguchi)[16]
- Osaka Cinema Festival 2026 Music Award Winner [17]