Kazuya Sato

Kazuya Sato

Born on Japan's southern island of Kyushu, Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. His first encounter with the Japanese flute was as a junior high-school student, when he learned to play a traditional song for the local Karatsu Kunchi Festival. He then spent his teenage years immersed in music, as he learned to play the piano, the drums and the guitar. After graduating from university, he discovered the shinobue bamboo flute and felt mesmerized by its sound. He soon realized that this was the instrument which could best help him express himself, and thus chose the path of a shinobue bamboo flute player. In June 2012, he had the honor of performing during a special Buddhist ceremony at the Yakushi-ji Temple, Nara Prefecture, which is one of Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Over the years, he has also been active as a songwriter. In 2013, he took part in the composition of NHK TV drama "Gochisosan"'s theme song, "Ame nochi Hareruya", which was performed by popular Japanese music duo Yuzu, and for which his original song Sakura-iro no Waltz was selected as motif. The next year, "Ame nochi Hareruya" was granted the Song of the Year Award at the 2014 Japan Record Awards. Kazuya Sato's music, while often associated with a feeling of nostalgia, is the product of his sincere experience living in the here and now. His subtle melodies, simple, yet marked by the distinctive sound of the Japanese shinobue, come together to form a gentle sound - somehow warm, somehow familiar, a wordless song that transcends all borders.