Takashi Niigaki

Takashi Niigaki
Native name	新垣 隆 (にいがき たかし)
Born	1 September 1970 Tokyo, Japan
Associated acts	Mamoru Samuragochi

Takashi Niigaki (新垣 隆 Niigaki Takashi, born 1 September 1970^[1]) is a Japanese composer and music teacher who served as the orchestrator and ghostwriter for Mamoru Samuragochi for 18 years, composing musical works that included the soundtracks for Resident Evil: Dual Shock Ver. and Onimusha: Warlords. He also composed "Hiroshima Symphony No 1", previously credited to Samuragochi until February 2014, when Niigaki publicly revealed that he was the real composer.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]}

Ghostwriting

On 5 February 2014, Niigaki publicly revealed that he was the ghostwriter behind most of the music previously attributed to Mamoru Samuragochi since 1996.^[9][10] Niigaki went to the press because one of Samuragochi's claimed compositions would be used by Japanese figure skater Daisuke Takahashi, at the then upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.^[11]

Works

The works below were formerly credited to Mamoru Samuragochi, but were later identified as having been composed by Niigaki.

• No. 1 symphony "Hiroshima" (2003)^[12]
• Sonatina for Violin^[12]

Completed in 2003, "Hiroshima" was first played at a concert held to commemorate the meeting of the Group of Eight leaders in Hiroshima in 2008.^[12] It was released on CD in 2011 as part of the Nippon Columbia record label's 100th anniversary celebrations.^[13]

Movie soundtracks

• Cosmos (秋桜) (1997)^[14][15]

Video game soundtracks

• Resident Evil: Dual Shock Ver. (1998)
• Onimusha: Warlords (2001)

References

1. 新垣氏激白！佐村河内氏の耳不自由でない「録音聞きコメント」 (in Japanese). sanspo.com. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
2. "Mamoru Samuragochi exposed as a fraud, may not be deaf - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. 2014-02-06. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
3. "Ghost composer Takashi Niigaki claims 'Japan's Beethoven' Mamoru Samuragochi not even deaf - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 2014-02-06. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
4. "BBC News - 'Japanese Beethoven' admits he is a fraud". Bbc.co.uk. 2014-02-05. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
5. Fackler, Martin (6 February 2014). "In Japan, a Beloved Deaf Composer Appears to Be None of the Above". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
6. Chayka, Kyle (2014-02-06). ""Deaf" Japanese Composer Mamoru Samuragochi Admits He Had Ghostwriter | TIME.com". Newsfeed.time.com. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
7. Fackler, Martin (11 February 2014). "Japanese Composer Says His Hearing Loss Is Partly Faked". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
8. "BBC News - 'Japan's Beethoven' admits he 'regained hearing'". Bbc.co.uk. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
9. "Japanese composer Momoru Samuragochi admits to musical fraud". CBC News (CBC). 5 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
10. "Uproar as 'Japanese Beethoven' Mamoru Samuragochi exposed as a fraud". CNN (Cable News Network). 5 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
11. Fackler, Martin (6 February 2014). "Beloved Deaf Composer in Japan Appears to Be None of the Above". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved 17 February 2014.
12. "Noted deaf composer admits his music was ghostwritten". The Japan Times (Japan). Kyodo. 6 February 2014. p. 1. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
13. "Deaf composer pens Hiroshima opus". The Japan Times (Japan). Kyodo. 9 August 2011. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
14. Larimer, Tim (15 September 2001). "Mamuro Samuragouchi: Songs of Silence". Time Magazine (Time Inc.). Retrieved 7 March 2014.
15. 秋桜（コスモス） [Cosmos]. MovieWalker (in Japanese). Japan: Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved 6 February 2014.