Michio Miyagi

Michio Miyagi (1894–1956) was a Japanese musician, famous for his koto playing. He was born in Kobe. He lost his sight in 1902, when he was 8 years old, and started his study in koto under the guidance of Nakajima Kengyo II, dedicating the rest of his life to the instrument. In 1907 he moved with his family to Incheon, in southern Korea. When he was 14 years old, in 1909 he finished his first composition, Mizu no Hentai. At 18 he reached the rank of kengyo, the highest rank for a koto performer. Miyagi moved to Tokyo in 1917, and in 1919 he did his first recital of his own compositions. In 1930 he became a lecturer at the Tokyo College of Music (current Tokyo University of the Arts), until he was appointed professor in 1937. After the Second World War, in 1948, he was appointed to the Academy of Arts of Japan. On 25 June 1956 he died after falling from a train in Kariya, Aichi during one of his tours. He wrote more than 500 pieces, and improved Japanese string instruments.