Masaru Satô

One of the most prolific composers in film history, Masaru Sato was born on May 29, 1928, in Toru City, Hokkaido. He was raised in Sapporo, and studied at the National Music Academy. He later served as an assistant at Toho Studios under Akira Kurosawa’s composer, Fumio Hayasaka, and his official career began at age 27, when he completed the unfinished score to Akira Kurosawa’s I Live in Fear: Record of a Living Being. From 1956-1965, he worked with Kurosawa on such films as Throne of Blood, Sanjuro and Red Beard.

Sato’s award-winning credits include over 300 compositions for film and TV, including an astonishing 18 film scores in 1959. His diverse body of work includes dramas, thrillers, comedies, documentaries, animes, as well as four Godzilla films. He is particularly known for using popular Western styles and jazz in his music. Sato passed away on December 5, 1999, in Tokyo. —AnimEigo