Researcher's Profile

One of Japan's leading violinists, he is an internationally active artist and music educator. Professor Emeritus at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He completed his graduate studies in music at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1979, and studied in London as an overseas researcher dispatched by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. He has won prizes in international competitions such as the Ron-Thibault, Wieniawski, and Munich competitions. In 1990, he founded the Sawa Quartet, and in 1996, he began conducting. 2004, he received the Wakayama Prefecture Cultural Prize. 2016, he became President of Tokyo University of the Arts, where he has been working for six years, fostering the next generation of artists.

He also focuses on the "Early Education Project" for children throughout Japan who aspire to become musicians in the future. This project was launched in 2014 by Tokyo University of the Arts in accordance with the "National University Reform Plan" of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In view of this, the first step is to discover and maximize the potential of children and help them realize their dreams. The program also aims to revitalize the communities surrounding the children through the charm of music and the power of the arts.

With his unparalleled experience not only as a soloist, concertmaster, and chamber musician, but also as an educator, his many years of achievement, international activities, and knowledge have contributed greatly not only to the development of educational and research activities, but also to the promotion of the arts in Japan.