Archives West Finding Aid

Michio Miyagi (1894-1956) was a Koto player, composer, and music teacher from Kobe, Japan. He began studying koto--a Japanese stringed instrument based on the Chinese zheng--at age 8 under the guidance of Nakajima Kengyo II. In 1909, when he was 14 years old, Miyagi finished his first composition, Mizu no Hentai. By the age of 18, he had earned the title kengyo--which is the highest rank of koto performer. Miyagi became a lecturer at the Tokyo College of Music in 1930 and was later the tutor of koto players Kazue Miyagi and Kiyoko Miyagi. During his lifetime, Michio Miyagi created 500 compositions, published articles and books, and invented two new varieties of koto.