Difficult past, a blessing: Japanese pianist

Japanese pianist Yuhki Kuramoto poses in this undated photo. Courtesy of Yuhki Kuramoto

By Park Ji-won

Japanese new age pianist and composer Yuhki Kuramoto says his difficult past didn't bring him down, but rather helped him find his passion for music.

“When I was a teenager, it was difficult to continue practicing piano as I had no piano at home (because my parents went bankrupt,)” Kuramoto, one of the most renowned pianists, told The Korea Times in a recent email interview.

“However, while playing the cello, I was able to play the piano on behalf of harp as a member of school orchestra in my middle and high schools… I learned how to play the piano with other musical instruments there which was lucky for me to learn the ensemble being surrounded by good friends and a teacher.”

Kuramoto became famous among Koreans in the 1990s when the Korean government lifted its ban on Japanese cultural content. His music started to be used in various TV commercials and his nature-inspired soft and melodic sound resonated with many Koreans. Since then, he has participated in various composition projects with Korean media, and visits here more than five times a year for concerts.

His success, however, didn't come overnight. He didn't go to music school and ended up studying applied physics at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, one of the most prestigious universities in Japan, as he thought he would not be able to make money out of music.

However, he didn't give up playing the piano, spending countless nights practicing at the university. He dreamed to become a pianist.

“There was a piano in the university which was for the student orchestra and chorus. I played the piano as much as I could. It is not something advisable, but I missed many classes to play the piano. (Sometimes I started practicing at 9 a.m. and finished at 5 p.m.) I did so because I was purely motivated by the self-determination that I want to become a better pianist.”

Studying physics, however, wasn't a waste of time, but it was a detour to his current career, he recalls.

“Music was one of my hobbies before getting into the university. My knowledge of physics is helping me understand instruments and harmony. And my knowledge of electronics is helping me understand recording and synthesizers. But spending a lot of time studying them was a detour to my music career.”

He was able to make money out of playing popular music in his first year at university and bought his own piano. Juggling two jobs as a physicist and pianist for a while, he decided to become a full-time musician and became actively engaged in composing music.

Kuramoto maintains his enthusiasm for his musical professional, spending most of his time composing or arranging and playing his music while being inspired by various things such as classical music and traveling.

“I spend most of my time composing and arranging new music and playing my music. But I spend more time on the arrangement before concerts… Above all, I was inspired by classical music. Not only did I listen to it, but also I played and analyzed it. Because I am not a machine, I also create some time to fill my soul with nutrition. I get inspiration while travelling or walking in nature. I also think it is good to go to a random street and watch movies, performances and reading books… Sometime I play jazz to get inspired.”

He pledged to remain trying to heal people with his new age music.

“Music becomes meaningful when people listen to it. In the future, I will continue to make new albums and hold concerts in various places. My music is soft and calm, so I hope many people will be able to heal their lives through it.