Kazue Sawai
Kazue Sawai was a Japanese koto player noted for her performance of contemporary classical music and free improvisation.
Kazue Sawai
- Born
- 1941 · Kyoto.
- Died
- 2026
- Nationality
- Japan
- Occupation
- musician · instrumentalist
- Education
- Tokyo University of the Arts
- Languages
- Japanese
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wikidata · Q6381413 · wikipedia · Kazue Sawai
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Early life
Early life
Sawai was born in Kyoto on January 1st, 1941, and began studying koto, at the age of eight, with Michio Miyagi. She later graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
Documentary record
Kazue Sawai, recorded as a musician, was born in 1941. The birth is recorded by the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Musical career
Musical career
Sawai played both the 13-string and 17-string kotos. As a soloist, as well as with her koto ensemble, she performed and worked with John Cage, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Yuji Takahashi, Ayuo, Roberto Carnevale, Sofia Gubaidulina, David Behrman, Carl Stone, and many other composers. She has performed in Japan, North America, and Europe.
Teaching career
Teaching career
Sawai operated a school in Japan, where she taught both Japanese and foreign students. Her students include Michiyo Yagi, Elizabeth Falconer, Shoko Hikage, and Mei Han.
Personal life and death
Personal life and death
Sawai was married to the late Tadao Sawai, who was also a koto player and composer. The couple had a son Hikaru Sawai (born 1964), who is also a koto player and composer. Kazue Sawai died on 15 February 2026, at the age of 85.
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Kazue Sawai, revision 1374678487 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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Born at
1- KyotoPlace
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 September 2026.
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