Born in Kobe in 1894, Miyagi Michio lost his sight due to disease when he was seven years old. This made him to go into the field of music. At first, he took lessons in koto playing from blind master teachers. But, putting importance on originality rather than playing technique, he gradually became a composer and wrote the first original music in 1909. A famous work of music 'Haru-no-Umi', The sea in springtime, is one of his masterpieces. Finally he became a professor of National Tokyo University of Music in 1937. However he fell from a moving train on the way from Tokyo to Osaka, and died. The picture shows his memorial hall standing in the very place where he used to live.
Licensed tour guide, travel consultant.
Masahisa Takaki.
