Kei Anzai, who was active as one of the key figures in introducing the trends of so-called "experimental music" in the United States to Japan in the 1960s, was also a person who had early contact with minimalist music, attending the premiere of Steve Reich's piano piece "Piano Phase" (1967) and gaining the acquaintance of Terry Riley.

"Piano Media" (1974) and "Time Sequence" (composed in 1976 at the commission of pianist Haruna Hirao and revised the following year) can be said to be among Ichiyanagi's works that most strongly reflect the influence of minimalist music. The entire piece is woven from what can be called two "layers": the persistent repetition of a fixed motif and the repetition of motifs that appear one after another and gradually change. The temporal displacement arising from the differing number of notes and speeds of the repeated motifs in each layer creates a mysterious yet somewhat pleasant sense of propulsion.

In terms of performance, it can be said that mechanical technical skill is required, and in some cases, it might even seem more effective to perform it with a computer or synthesizer. However, according to the composer, this piece is a work that seeks to question "what humans should preserve in today's situation where our sensibilities and skills are being eroded and degenerating by mechanical civilization," and that "the meaning of this piece lies in its performance on a piano by human hands."