The Japan Prize of the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley is awarded to individuals whose life's work has contributed to deepening the understanding of Japan on the international stage. Toshio Hosokawa is the sixth recipient of the prize since 2008.
So says the jury's statement: "by updating Noh, by mastering the affordances of contemporary Western music, by foregrounding stories of contemporary Japan, and by balancing Western and Japanese influences in his work, Hosokawa’s accomplishment shows potential for the porousness of culture. By now, his music has impacted Western classical music as much the history of Western classical music had transformed his life. Toshio Hosokawa is not only Japan’s pre-eminent composer: he is one of the most prominent composers in the world".
At the award ceremony on 20 January, Toshio Hosokawa gave a speech, followed by a performance of music he composed for the Japanese zither instrument koto.
The Japan Prize has been awarded at irregular intervals since 2008; the first winner was the writer Haruki Murakami.
further information: UC Berkeley
