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Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
Japanese video game composer
1
Kenji Ito
Kenji Ito
musician
2
The Black Mages
The Black Mages
Japanese instrumental rock band
3
Hitoshi Sakimoto
Hitoshi Sakimoto
Japanese composer
4
Masashi Hamauzu
Masashi Hamauzu
Japanese composer and pianist
5
Hiroki Kikuta
Hiroki Kikuta
Japanese composer
6
Yasunori Mitsuda
Yasunori Mitsuda
video game composer
7
Jonne Valtonen
Jonne Valtonen
Finnish composer
8
Noriko Matsueda
Noriko Matsueda
Japanese composer
9
Yuzo Koshiro
Yuzo Koshiro
Japanese video game music composer, electronic music producer, and audio programmer
10
Masayoshi Soken
Masayoshi Soken
Japanese composer
11
Yoko Shimomura
Yoko Shimomura
Japanese composer and pianist
12
Takahito Eguchi
Takahito Eguchi
Japanese musician
13
Kow Otani
Kow Otani
Japanese composer
14
Masaharu Iwata
Masaharu Iwata
Japanese composer
15
Junya Nakano
Junya Nakano
Japanese composer
16
Kumi Tanioka
Kumi Tanioka
Japanese composer
17
Ryuji Sasai
Ryuji Sasai
Japanese musician
Koichi Sugiyama
Japanese composer, arranger, conductor (1931-)

Koichi Sugiyama

Intro
Japanese composer, arranger, conductor (1931-)
Awards Received
CEDEC Awards - Special Award
The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
Person of Cultural Merit

Koichi Sugiyama (すぎやま こういち, Sugiyama Kōichi, born April 11, 1931) is a Japanese composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He is known for composing the music for the Dragon Quest franchise, along with several other video games, anime, film, and television shows. Classically trained, he is considered a major inspiration for other Japanese game music composers.

Sugiyama is also a council member of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers, and Publishers (JASRAC), board member of the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, and honorary chairman of the Japanese Backgammon Society. He was named a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government in 2020. Sugiyama also engages in activism outside of music, such as the denial of Japanese war crimes and the promotion of Japanese nationalism.