Introduction

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...Largely self-taught, Takemitsu created his own unique sound world, one not bound by convention, but incorporating ideas from nature, everyday life, and other art forms. Takemitsu rose to prominence in 1957 when Igor Stravinsky praised his Requiem for Strings, and later gained critical acclaim for his 1967 masterpiece, November Steps, which pitted Japanese traditional instruments against the Western orchestra. Though best known in the West for his concert music, Takemitsu was also a master composer of music for film, TV, theater, and radio drama.

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...As a friend, lover, and wife to Takemitsu, Asaka-san was initially hesitant to talk about her late husband, but quickly warmed to the task, unveiling valuable new information about the composer’s life and his compositional processes, the difficult period after the war and the subsequent postwar art movement in Japan, Takemitsu's friends, his love for movies, his daily routines, and his final days. In her candid and outspoken words, Asaka relates that “Tōru-san was the happiest when he was composing.”

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​...One significant early event, not included in the interviews, is worth mention. Before meeting Asaka Wakayama in his late teens, Takemitsu already had determined to become a composer, but he had no means to carry out his goal. Japan was undergoing a tough period following the war, and Takemitsu’s poverty during his early life was no exception...

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​Later in life, Takemitsu repeatedly recounted this incident in various interviews and in his essays.

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