Kitarô
Composer · Born February 4, 1953 (73) · Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Kitaro (喜多郎 Kitarō), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則, Takahashi Masanori) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic instrumental music, and is often associated and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new age music. He is the winner of a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album (Thinking of You (1999); with a record 16 nominations in the same category) and a Golden Globe Award for the Heaven & Earth (1993) original score. Kitaro was born in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, and is a graduate of Sahid University. After graduating, Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and he recalls having "just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound". His parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. In an effort to maneuver him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he left home without telling them. He supported himself by taking on several part-time jobs such as cooking and civil service work, while composing songs at night. In the early 1970s, he changed completely to keyboards. He joined the Japanese music group Far East Family Band which was formed in 1965, and toured with them around the world. While in Europe, he met the German electronica and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for controlling synthesizers. In 1976, Kitaro left Far East Family Band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India). [Wikipedia]
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 4, 1953 (73)
- Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
- Composer
- 7 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
What are Kitarô's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1
Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
Steady 0 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 3
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Kitarô's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Kitarô's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
25 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Core of a Nature (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
State of Emergency (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
The Monster and the Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
MIS Human Secret Weapon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Toyo's Camera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Ninja Scroll: The Series(2003)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
Kitaro: Tamayura (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
The Soong Sisters(1997)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Heaven & Earth(1993)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Fifteen Girl Island Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Shanghai 1920 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Kitaro: Kojiki - A Story in Concert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Pace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Manhunter(1986)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Samuel Lount(1985)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Homecoming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Near the Earth, Near the Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Queen Millennia(1982)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
The Beauty of Rituals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Water Ring: Karma 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
The Silk Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Kitaro: An Enchanted Evening Volume II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Zen - Live in Katsuyama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
郑少秋 汪明荃 喜多郎 新纪元2011香港红馆演唱会 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 25 titles, 22 of them dated from 1980 to 2023.
Biggest box office
Heaven & Earth (1993)
Highest rated
The Soong Sisters (1997)
Most popular right now
Heaven & Earth (1993)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Kitarô's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 6; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 7 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Kitarô work with?
People who share at least 2 of Kitarô's MovieCove titles; Vivian Wu shares the most, 2.
- Vivian WuShared titles: The Soong Sisters (1997), Heaven & Earth (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Vivian Wu
