The world’s first gagaku business development and spatial production by Taro Ishida, the composer who worked on the SHOGUN soundtrack.

The world’s first gagaku business development and spatial production created by composer Taro Ishida, who worked on the SHOGUN soundtrack ​
Drifter Co., Ltd. Press release: April 24, 2025 The world’s first gagaku business development and spatial production by Taro Ishida, the composer who worked on the SHOGUN soundtrack. The Japanese composer who surprised the world with the music of SHOGUN is now aiming for the “global reconstruction of gagaku”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/92027/8/92027-8-54a0d38e2c920bc699200d0e3067d03e-1728×2520.jpg SHOGUN In 2024, the drama “Shogun” became a hot topic all over the world. Composer Taro Ishida was at the core of the Japanese music part that overwhelmed the world. He has created original music centered around Japanese traditional music, “Gagaku.” Gagaku is Japan’s oldest music, with a history of over 1,300 years. The music, which has been played at ceremonies in the imperial court, boasts a scale and spirituality unparalleled anywhere else in the world. However, until now, this music has rarely been redefined within modern spaces and values. Ishida reconstructed Gagaku with a modern aesthetic sense and international sound sense. Through its use in “SHOGUN,” one of the world’s biggest dramas, it demonstrated the power of “authentic Japanese music.” Furthermore, gagaku is a music that is on the verge of disappearing in modern Japanese society. However, there is a movement overseas to highly value the depth and silence of this music, and the paradoxical reality is that it is in fact sought after all over the world. In response to this critical situation, Ishida is pursuing new initiatives with a sense of mission to preserve Gagaku as a “cultural resource” for the future. After SHOGUN, gagaku is introduced to the world as “spatial music” In the spring of 2025, following the success of SHOGUN, Drifter Co., Ltd. will fully launch a new music business centered on gagaku. We are looking at a variety of developments that cross genres and formats, not only spatial music, but also videos, games, stages, art installations, and even
international cultural projects and educational programs.This project is the first step in implementing “Modern Gagaku” into a variety of fields and expanding its possibilities. What SHOGUN proved was the fact that “Gagaku is music that lives in modern times as a soundtrack for video works.” Since then, Ishida has received numerous offers from within Japan and abroad. This is because it showed the world that gagaku is a form of visual music that can be used today. Building on this success, Ishida is now taking on a new phase of expanding gagaku into a wider range of fields, including high-quality spaces, cultural facilities, luxury accommodation experiences, games, digital art, and XR spaces. Ishida’s gagaku raises the value of the lodging experience itself, and directly leads to practical benefits in hotel management, such as “increasing the unit price of a room,” “extending the length of stay,” and “naturally spreading the word on SNS.” Especially for wealthy people overseas, this space where they can enjoy Japanese traditional music as an experience of tranquility and beauty is unique and greatly contributes to differentiating us from our competitors. In addition, there are various implementation forms. ・Introduction of gagaku sound source limited to suite rooms
・Environmental sound production in the in-house lounge/spa space ・Custom provision of music according to seasons and themes ・Concerts and cultural talk events exclusively for hotel guests Flexible development is possible to suit the space and concept. In fact, we have a track record in high-quality spaces such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. By merging cultural values ​​and spatial presentation, we are creating a new form of hospitality.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/92027/8/92027-8-09660ba4fde454718b8d05cbb05cf75c-2048×1365.jpg Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum “Brazilian Indigenous Chair Exhibition” Gagaku is not just background music, but a cultural experience. For people all over the world, especially wealthy people, who seek tranquility, essence, and depth Ishida’s Gagaku music is sure to leave a deep impression on you as an unforgettable Japanese experience. And why has Gagaku not spread as commercial music in Japan? The reason for this is the uniqueness of its historical background and tradition. However, the challenge of “adapting Japanese traditional culture to modern times” is what is needed right now.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/92027/8/92027-8-06013c9564a055c5ed066054e69e133a-2048×1365.jpg Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum “Brazilian Indigenous Chair Exhibition” Why can only Ishida do it?
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/92027/8/92027-8-227f1f6cb437c3c792ece7641d5c5bb1-3900×2600.jpg (Taro Ishida/Ryoou Ranjo Concert) Currently, there are very few composers in Japan who can compose gagaku from scratch, and it is said that there are fewer than 20 composers. Furthermore, there are very few people in the world who can turn it into a relaxing “work” that the general public can enjoy, and put it together in a way that fits the space. After completing graduate school at Tokyo University of the Arts, Ishida has continued to research and practice traditional Japanese music, freely crossing over classical, contemporary, and electronic music. In addition, SHOGUN was co-produced with Hollywood composer Atticus Ross, who won the Emmy Award for Best Composition and Best Theme Song. On the basis of Western music that they had built, Ishida proposed ideas and melodies using gagaku, and sublimated the song. However, there were still limited opportunities for gagaku to be used on the world stage. After receiving worldwide recognition through SHOGUN, Ishida became strongly aware of his mission to “connect gagaku to the future.” And above all, the gagaku that Ishida creates is “high quality, tranquil, and beautiful.” The sound that emphasizes the “blank space” and “lingering sound” sought after by wealthy people around the world has a presence that sets it apart from commercial music. As part of the response, in 2024, Shigesato Itoi appeared on “Hobonichi Gakko” and recorded an unprecedented number of views despite the theme of Gagaku.
https://img.youtube.com/vi/3eIvVDFeqW4/sddefault.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eIvVDFeqW4 [Taro Ishida Profile] Born in Boston. Spent his childhood in San Francisco. He began studying music at the age of 23 and was accepted to the Faculty of Music at Tokyo University of the Arts the following year. After graduating from the Graduate School of Tokyo University of the Arts, he took on the challenge of composing gagaku music in 2014, and his original piece “Hone Uta” was praised by Ryuichi Sakamoto. After suffering from severe mental illness, he moved to Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture. At one point, he almost gave up on his career in music, but during this time he fundamentally reconsidered his musical philosophy and rebuilt it. Back to music. Shortly after, in 2022, he accepted an offer to collaborate with Academy Award-winning composer and Nine Inch Nails member Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, and Nick Tuba. This will be the soundtrack for SHOGUN. SHOGUN’s music has received acclaim all over the world, winning and being nominated for many awards including the Emmy Award, Grammy Award, and Golden Globe Award. Since then, his works that fuse gagaku, contemporary music, and Western music have received high acclaim both domestically and internationally, and he has expanded his activities to include music direction and production for cultural events. Past achievements In addition to SHOGUN, so far Produced spatial music for the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum’s “Brazilian Indigenous Chairs Exhibition” featuring gagaku and gaku biwa solo pieces. In addition, we have created many high-quality spaces using traditional Japanese music, such as creating music based on gagaku for Toppan Printing’s digital museum, creating music for a Nebuta-themed stage show every day at Hoshino Resorts, and creating music for the world’s first gagaku-based news program for NHK’s news program “Tochigi 630.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/92027/8/92027-8-54a9ef5b5e74c651e6424102f8be64ce-2048×1152.jpg (Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya “Michinoku Festival”)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/92027/8/92027-8-3dad16e759137e0813199e21cb4fabee-3840×2160.jpg (Toppan Digital Museum) Future prospects and the future of gagaku Currently, as Drifter Co., Ltd., we are proceeding with and proposing the following developments: ・European concert tour ・Release of an album that combines gagaku and classical music The true Japanese art of gagaku, which gained attention after SHOGUN, Rather than ending it as a temporary topic, maximize its value as a cultural resource. We aim for sustainable development as a business. While collaborating with various industries such as tourism, hospitality, arts, and entertainment, We intend to continue our efforts to expand Gagaku to the world market. [Sound source/video samples] You can see examples and sound sources of Taro Ishida’s gagaku and spatial music below: 1. Official interview regarding “SHOGUN” soundtrack (udiscovermusic) https://www.udiscovermusic.jp/stories/shogun_arranger_interview 2. [Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum] Production of spatial music using gagaku and its background (our blog)
https://drftr.co.jp/?works=asobi_teien 3. [Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya] Introduction to the “Michinoku Festival” music performance (our blog) https://drftr.co.jp/?works=michinokumatsuriya *In addition to the sound sources listed in this release, there are songs and video materials tailored to various facilities and contents. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us and we will provide you with further information. Drifter Co., Ltd. 1023-9 Toyohara-ko, Nasu-cho, Nasu-gun, Tochigi Prefecture 329-3211 Email: kikumi@drifter.co.jp (Yoshioka) Website Instagram Youtube