Biography
Masaru Satō (also credited as Masaru Satoh or Masaru Satô) was a Japanese composer of film scores. Born in Rumoi, Hokkaido, he studied at the National Music Academy and trained under Fumio Hayasaka at Toho Studios, contributing to the orchestration of Seven Samurai (1954).
Following Hayasaka's death in 1955, Satō completed unfinished scores and became Akira Kurosawa's primary composer for the next decade. His work includes the scores for Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), High and Low (1963) and Red Beard (1965). He also scored several Godzilla films, beginning with Godzilla Raids Again (1955), and collaborated with directors including Jun Fukuda and Kihachi Okamoto.
Satō composed music for more than 300 films over a career spanning nearly five decades. He received a nomination for Best Music at the 15th Japan Academy Prize and was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, in 1999.
