Born in Kushiro, Hokkaido in 1914, Akira Ifukube grew up while listening to traditional Ainu folk songs and pioneer’s songs. He also liked to play the guitar and the violin, and from the time he was about 13 years old, he studied composition by himself.

While majoring in forestry at Hokkaido University, Ifukube developed his music activities. In 1933, he composed “Piano Suite”, his only solo piano piece. In 1934, he formed “New Music League” in Sapporo with Fumio Hayasaka, Miura Atsushi and others. They brought a new inspiration to the Japanese music world which was influenced a lot by German music.

After graduating from university in 1935, he composed while working in a forestry office in Hokkaido as a forestry researcher. In the same year, the first orchestra work “Japanese Rhapsody” won the first prize in an international competition for young composers promoted by Alexander Tcherepnin. In 1938, “Piano Suite”, written in his school days, received an honourable mention at the I.C.S.M. festival in Venice, and he gained worldwide attention. His musical style was nationalistic, featuring traditional Japanese melodie and strong ostinato which persistently repeats motif.

In 1941 during the Pacific War, he announced “Symphony Concertante for Piano and Orchestra”, which has an exceptional avant garde sound by using modern composition techniques as a symbol of scientific civilization. In “Ballata Sinfonica” composed in 1943, Ifukube used nostalgic melodies of North Asia and Eurasia which decided his later style. In addition, this work was awarded 1st prize in the Victor Orchestra Contest, and the recording received Award of the Minister of Education.

After the war, in 1946, Ifukube came up to Tokyo, and specialized in music works. He taught at the Tokyo Music School (Currently named, Tokyo National University of Arts) and Tokyo College of Music, and mentored many composers such as Yasushi Akutagawa, Toshirō Mayuzumi, Akio Yashiro, Minoru Miki, Maki Ishii, Teizō Matsumura. He also actively put his hand to music of films and ballets. Especially in the field of film music, he left over 300 pieces of music for films. Some of these films are “Godzilla”, “Zatoichi” and “Burmese Harp”.

There are other works such as “Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra” (1951), “Sinfonia Tapkaara” (1954), “Ritmica Ostinata for Piano and Orchestra” (1961) etc. He also wrote the books titled “Introduction to Music” and “Method of String Music”. He won several prizes, among them are the Medal with Purple Ribbon, the Third Class Order of the Sacred

Treasure, Japan Cultural Design Grand Prize and Person of Cultural Merit. In 2006, he died at the age of 91.