MS
Masaru Satō
Composer, Additional Credits
Born May 29, 1928Died December 5, 1999 (71 years)
Masaru Satō (佐藤 勝) was a Japanese composer of film scores. The youngest of six brothers, all of them music lovers, Masaru Sato decided early in life that he wanted to be a composer. His models were two other composers born, as he was, on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido: Akira Ifukube and Fumio Hayasaka. After hearing Hayasaka's score for Rashomon (1950), Sato decided Hayasaka was the only one he wanted for his teacher. He absorbed much of Hayasaka's modernist leanings, and grew to know Hayasaka's best friend Akira Kurosawa during this period. The year 1955 was a vast turning point for Sato: after scoring numerous insignificant pictures for various studios in Tokyo, Sato won the assignment for Gojira no Gyakushu (1955). Then his teacher Fumio Hayasaka died tragically young, while finishing the score for Kurosawa's Ikimono no Kiroku (1955). Sato stepped in to complete the score, uncredited. Kurosawa was sufficiently pleased with Sato to use him for all his pictures for the following ten years. Though the two had a falling-out after Akahige (1965), Sato remained one of Japan's most in-demand film composers, returning to the Gojira series several times and remaining a favorite of many other directors such as Kihachi Okamoto and June Fukuda. After scoring Dun-Huang in 1987, Sato had to call a brief halt to his career in order to tend to family interests in real estate in his native Hokkaido; but within a few years, the problems were wrapped up, and Sato was able to go back to film composing full time, at last reaching and surpassing his 300th movie score. Sato is almost unique among Japan's prolific film composers in that he has written extensively for his chosen field, but has never written for the concert stage.
Masaru Satō Filmography
| 2004 | |
| 2001 | |
| 1995 | |
| 1981 | |
| 1975 | |
| 1968 | |
| 1959 |
| 1999 | After the Rain · as Original Music Composer |
| 1995 | East Meets West · as Original Music Composer |
| 1995 | Himeyuri no Tô · as Original Music Composer |
| 1994 | Shinonomerô onna no ran · as Original Music Composer |
| 1994 | Free and Easy: Special · as Original Music Composer |
| 1992 | The Oil-Hell Murder · as Original Music Composer |
| 1991 | Free and Easy 4 · as Original Music Composer |
| 1991 | War and Youth · as Original Music Composer |
| 1991 | Heat Wave · as Original Music Composer |
| 1991 | Dai yûkai · as Original Music Composer |
| 1991 | Takeda Shingen · as Original Music Composer |
| 1990 | Lady Kasuga · as Original Music Composer |
| 1989 | Fancy Dance · as Songs |
| 1989 | Shogun's Shadow · as Original Music Composer |
| 1988 | Tonkô · as Original Music Composer |
| 1987 | Guys Who Never Learn · as Original Music Composer |
| 1987 | Tokyo Bordello · as Original Music Composer |
| 1986 | Yakuza Ladies · as Original Music Composer |
| 1986 | Death Shadow · as Original Music Composer |
| 1986 | Desperate Pursuit · as Composer |
| 1985 | Tracked · as Original Music Composer |
| 1985 | Oar · as Original Music Composer |
| 1984 | Kita no hotaru · as Original Music Composer |
| 1983 | The Geisha · as Original Music Composer |
| 1982 | Irezumi · as Original Music Composer |
| 1982 | The Highest Honor · as Original Music Composer |
| 1981 | At This Late Date, the Charleston · as Original Music Composer |
| 1981 | Willful Murder · as Original Music Composer |
| 1980 | Terra e... · as Original Music Composer |
| 1980 | A Distant Cry from Spring · as Original Music Composer |
| 1979 | The Shogun Assassins · as Original Music Composer |
| 1979 | Hunter in the Dark · as Original Music Composer |
| 1979 | Oh! The Nomugi Pass · as Original Music Composer |
| 1978 | Blue Christmas · as Original Music Composer |
| 1978 | Honoo no mai · as Composer |
| 1978 | Noisy Dynamite · as Original Music Composer |
| 1978 | August Without Emperor · as Original Music Composer |
| 1978 | The Glacier Fox · as Original Music Composer |
| 1977 | Sweet Revenge · as Original Music Composer |
| 1977 | The Yellow Handkerchief · as Original Music Composer |
| 1977 | The Love and Adventures of Kuroki Taro · as Original Music Composer |
| 1977 | Botchan · as Composer |
| 1977 | The Alaska Story · as Original Music Composer |
| 1976 | Shunkinsho · as Original Music Composer |
| 1976 | Fumô chitai · as Original Music Composer |
| 1975 | Kinkanshoku · as Original Music Composer |
| 1975 | Tidal Wave · as Original Music Composer |
| 1975 | Tokkan · as Composer |
| 1975 | Kokuso sezu · as Original Music Composer |
| 1974 | Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy · as Original Music Composer |
| 1974 | Violent Streets · as Original Music Composer |
| 1974 | Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla · as Original Music Composer |
| 1974 | Demon Spies · as Original Music Composer |
| 1974 | The Family · as Original Music Composer |
| 1973 | Submersion of Japan · as Original Music Composer |
| 1973 | Stray Dog · as Original Music Composer |
| 1973 | Men and War III · as Original Music Composer |
| 1972 | Home from the Sea · as Original Music Composer |
| 1972 | Kaigun tokubetsu nenshô-hei · as Original Music Composer |
| 1972 | Sapporo Winter Olympics · as Original Music Composer |
| 1971 | The Wolves · as Original Music Composer |
| 1971 | Battle of Okinawa · as Original Music Composer |
| 1971 | Men and War II · as Original Music Composer |
| 1970 | Where Spring Comes Late · as Original Music Composer |
| 1970 | Song of the Horse · as Original Music Composer |
| 1970 | The Battle of Manchuria · as Original Music Composer |
| 1970 | The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan · as Original Music Composer |
| 1970 | Incident at Blood Pass · as Original Music Composer |
| 1970 | The Ambitious · as Composer |
| 1969 | Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | Red Lion · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | Shirikurae Magoichi · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | Battle of the Japan Sea · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | Hitokiri · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | The Steel Edge of Revenge · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | Futari no koibito · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | Vagabond Schemer · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | Samurai Banners · as Original Music Composer |
| 1968 | The Human Bullet · as Original Music Composer |
| 1968 | Aniki no koibito · as Original Music Composer |
| 1968 | Admiral Yamamoto · as Original Music Composer |
| 1968 | Kill! · as Original Music Composer |
| 1968 | Golden Eyes · as Original Music Composer |
| 1968 | Sôshun · as Composer |
| 1967 | Son of Godzilla · as Original Music Composer |
| 1967 | Japan's Longest Day · as Original Music Composer |
| 1967 | Zoku soshiki bôryoku · as Original Music Composer |
| 1967 | Portrait of Chieko · as Original Music Composer |
| 1967 | Soshiki bôryoku · as Original Music Composer |
| 1967 | The Age of Assassins · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | Ebirah, Horror of the Deep · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | Koto: The Lake of Tears · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | Zero faita dai kûsen · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | Moment of Terror · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | The Sword of Doom · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | Cash Calls Hell · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | Ironfinger · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | Fort Graveyard · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | Sanshiro Sugata · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | Red Beard · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | Hiyameshi to Osan to Chan · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | Irezumi hangan · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | Samurai Assassin · as Original Music Composer |
| 1964 | 間諜 · as Original Music Composer |
| 1964 | Kanchô · as Composer |
| 1964 | Â bakudan · as Original Music Composer |
| 1964 | Jinsei gekijo: Shin Hishakaku · as Original Music Composer |
| 1964 | Jakoman and Tetsu · as Original Music Composer |
| 1964 | Samurai from Nowhere · as Original Music Composer |
| 1963 | The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman · as Original Music Composer |
| 1963 | A House in the Quarter · as Original Music Composer |
| 1963 | Samurai Pirate · as Original Music Composer |
| 1963 | Rikugun zangyaku monogatari · as Original Music Composer |
| 1963 | 500,000 · as Original Music Composer |
| 1963 | Sengoku yarô · as Original Music Composer |
| 1963 | Jinsei gekijô: Hishakaku · as Original Music Composer |
| 1963 | High and Low · as Original Music Composer |
| 1962 | Yama-neko sakusen · as Original Music Composer |
| 1962 | Dobunezumi sakusen · as Original Music Composer |
| 1962 | Kumo ni mukatte tatsu · as Original Music Composer |
| 1962 | Sanjuro · as Original Music Composer |
| 1961 | Procurer of Hell · as Original Music Composer |
| 1961 | Suke-san Kaku-san oabare · as Original Music Composer |
| 1961 | Yojimbo · as Original Music Composer |
| 1961 | Blueprint of Murder · as Original Music Composer |
| 1960 | Dokuritsu gurentai nishi-e · as Original Music Composer |
| 1960 | The Bad Sleep Well · as Original Music Composer |
| 1960 | Daigaku no sanzôkutachi · as Original Music Composer |
| 1960 | The Gambling Samurai · as Original Music Composer |
| 1960 | Intimidation · as Original Music Composer |
| 1960 | The Last Gunfight · as Original Music Composer |
| 1959 | Dokuritsu gurentai · as Original Music Composer |
| 1959 | Kaitei kara kita onna · as Composer |
| 1959 | Otoko nara yume o miro · as Composer |
| 1959 | Gigantis: The Fire Monster · as Original Music Composer |
| 1959 | I Want to Be a Shellfish · as Original Music Composer |
| 1958 | The Hidden Fortress · as Original Music Composer |
| 1958 | |
| 1958 | Escape from the Wall of Death · as Composer |
| 1958 | Hi no ataru sakamichi · as Original Music Composer |
| 1958 | Rusty Knife · as Original Music Composer |
| 1958 | Half Human · as Original Music Composer |
| 1957 | I Am Waiting · as Original Music Composer |
| 1957 | The Lower Depths · as Original Music Composer |
| 1957 | Throne of Blood · as Original Music Composer |
| 1956 | Okinawa no tami · as Composer |
| 1956 | Crazed Fruit · as Original Music Composer |
| 1956 | Season of the Sun · as Original Music Composer |
| 1956 | Kyûketsu-ga · as Original Music Composer |
| 1956 | Crossroads of Death · as Original Music Composer |
| 1955 | I Live in Fear · as Original Music Composer |
| 1955 | Taira Clan Saga · as Original Music Composer |
| 1955 | Jû jin yuki otoko · as Original Music Composer |
| 1955 | Rokunin no ansatsusha · as Original Music Composer |
| 1955 | Godzilla Raids Again · as Original Music Composer |
| 1955 | Ootone no Taiketsu · as Original Music Composer |