Hisao Tanabe

Who was Hisao Tanabe?

Hisao Tanabe was a Japanese musicologist responsible for initiating the study of Asian music in Japan. He was learning the principles of musicology from a French missionary when he began his studies in 1920, researching the musical traditions of the Imperial House of Japan. In April 1921, he visited Korea and single-handedly rescued the dying music tradition of the Joseon court. He took film and audio recordings, and published a widely circulated report extolling Korea's court music and comparing it to Japanese court practice. Later in 1921, he invented a new type of kokyū for playing high notes.

In 1981, he was honored as a Person of Cultural Merit. The Tanabe Hisao Prize was named in his honor.