Disney-produced, Hiroyuki Sanada Starred "SHOGUN" Soundtrack

Disney's venture, "SHOGUN Shogun," starring and produced by Hiroyuki Sanada, features Taro Ishida as the chief music arranger.

Amidst a two-year production effort by a Hollywood composer team, Ishida contributed remotely from Japan.

SHOGUNサウンドトラック

Music Production Backstory

SHOGUNサウンドトラック

The SHOGUN soundtrack was crafted by Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, and Nick Chuba, globally acclaimed musicians.

Notably, Atticus Ross has garnered several Academy Music Awards while performing with the band Nine Inch Nails, thus enjoying widespread acclaim.

Their dedication extended over two years to the production of the SHOGUN soundtrack.

This resulted in a soundtrack that not only boasts grandeur and power but also intricately layers various sounds and epochs, weaving complexity with finesse.

Background

SHOGUNサウンドトラックレコーディング

Ishida is among the rare composers in Japan known for composing Gagaku.

He has a background in creating music with Gagaku instruments for exhibitions at Tokyo University of the Arts and the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum.

This led to a recording offer from Nick via Instagram, involving him in this project.

Composers capable of composing Gagaku are scarce in Japan.

Moreover, Ishida specializes not just in Gagaku but also in music for films and spatial audio.

His dual expertise in Gagaku and cinematic music is likely what prompted the offer.

Arrangement Process

SHOGUNサウンドトラックレコーディング

he project began with Gagaku recordings. While Nick's team was in Los Angeles, Ishida gathered traditional Japanese musicians in a Tokyo studio for remote recording sessions.

The scope broadened over time to include various instruments like the shamisen, shakuhachi, kokyū, and conch shells, and even unique recordings and arrangements,

such as shōmyō by Tendai sect monks in a temple in Kashiwa.

The experience was enriching, thanks to an unprecedented budget scale and innovative ideas not typically seen in Japanese soundtracks.

Generally, Atticus's team would send music sketches or more refined pieces for each scene. Discussions would often revolve around adapting certain sketches with traditional Japanese instruments or what additional instruments Ishida would recommend, leading to his arrangement suggestions and participation in recordings.

Their open-minded approach to traditional Japanese music facilitated the creation of novel soundscapes and musical atmospheres.

Episode

SHOGUNサウンドトラックレコーディング

There was an instance when Atticus's team, working on music in Hollywood, emailed about the sound of the hichiriki, a Gagaku instrument.

The sound, intended for a solemn scene, inadvertently caused laughter among the staff, appearing comically out of place to them.

They inquired about Ishida's opinion.

At times, such inquiries were made to understand nuances specific to Japanese sensibility, which might be obscure to Americans.

In this case, Ishida saw no humorous element, and the hichiriki sound was retained.

Hitomi Nakamura, a participant in the recording, remarked that the hichiriki could indeed provoke laughter in children during concerts, highlighting its unique nature.

The depth of Gagaku instruments is profound...!

By the way, the hichiriki produces sounds like this.

Involvement with Japanese Traditional Music

SHOGUNサウンドトラックレコーディング

We constantly contemplate how to effectively transmit the legacy of Japanese traditional music, including Gagaku, and traditional arts to future generations.

Being fully commissioned by Hollywood, the heart of global entertainment, to arrange and record Japanese traditional music was immensely gratifying.

We take great pleasure in witnessing the spread of Japanese culture to places unreachable by Gagaku or traditional music alone.