Hajime Mizoguchi (?? ? Mizoguchi Hajime, born in April 23, 1960 Tokyo, Japan) is a cellist and composer. Mizoguchi started playing piano in 1963, at the age of 3, and the cello in 1971. From 1978–1985 he attended the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music where he majored in violoncello. While at school, he started playing the cello with Japanese pop-singers and working as a studio musician for radio, TV, films, and albums. In 1982, at the age of 22, he met a serious traffic accident.Ironically, this is what made him start composing. As he wanted to divert his pain of whiplash by music. He had started to write what he wanted to listen when the sequels of the accident distress him so bad.That's why he calls his own music “A short piece for sleepless night”. In 1986, he released his first album, "Half inch dessert", being listed as composer, arranger, and performer. From that time on, he has released more than 20 albums including motion picture soundtracks, has performed in many concerts on his own or with ensembles, has been a producer for various musicians, and so on. By the late 1980s, he was generally recognized as one of the leading musicians in Japan. And until now, he already had absorbed his main influence Pablo Casals, John Coltrane, and had fully established his own sound and style. His performance and composition show an extraordinary melodic gift as well as great orchestral sonority. His compositions include the soundtrack to the animated feature film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. In 2006, he composed the music to Tokimeki Memorial Only Love (along with Teruyuki Nobuchika) and the Fuji TV noitamina series Jyu Oh Sei. He was married to composer Yoko Kanno, with whom he collaborated on the soundtracks for Please Save My Earth and Vision of Escaflowne. They divorced in 2007. Now Hajime Mizoguchi rives his whole mind to play violoncello and to write his own music, not for himself but for the audience. Nothing gives him so great a pleasure as that his music makes them happy. For the future, he hopes to open his arms all over the world. Official Site: http://archcello.com/top_en