Born in Yokohama City in 1929, Toshiro Mayuzumi taught himself composition from his junior high school days. He studied under Kunihiko Hashimoto, Tomojiro Ikenouchi, and Akira Ifukube at the Tokyo Music School (now Tokyo University of the Arts). From that time, he not only learned neoclassical styles, including those of Stravinsky, but also became familiar with non-Western music such as jazz and gamelan.

His piano solo piece “All Doublé” (1947), written while he was a student, shows the influence of jazz. His graduation work, “Divertimento for 10 Instruments,” composed in 1948, garnered immediate attention for its outstanding compositional technique and was later released as a record. “Symphonic Mood,” a work commissioned by the NHK Symphony Orchestra in 1950, shows a strong influence of gamelan music. Furthermore, his chamber music work “Sphenogram” (1951), inspired by Indian and Javanese music, was selected for the International Festival of Contemporary Music. At a young age, he made his name known both domestically and internationally.

After completing his postgraduate studies in 1951, he enrolled in the Conservatoire de Paris as a French government scholarship student, studying under Tony Aubin. However, after discerning the possibilities and limitations of Western music, he withdrew after one year. After returning to Japan, he successively released works incorporating the avant-garde techniques he encountered during his studies abroad. “X・Y・Z,” composed in 1953 under commission from Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, garnered attention as Japan's first work of musique concrète and significantly influenced contemporary composers such as Toru Takemitsu. In 1956, he released the electronic music “Seven Variations” in collaboration with Makoto Moroi, and the following year, “Piece for Prepared Piano and Strings,” solidifying his presence as a cutting-edge composer of his time.

From 1953, he formed “Sannin no Kai” (The Group of Three) with Yasushi Akutagawa and Ikuma Dan. They held brilliant concerts, primarily featuring orchestral works, and led the post-war Japanese composition scene. Subsequently, Mayuzumi gradually turned his attention to Japanese traditions, releasing “Nirvana Symphony” in 1958, which incorporated Buddhist temple bells (bonshō) and shōmyō (Buddhist chant). He also successively created works based on Buddhist themes and traditional music, such as the orchestral work “BUGAKU” (1962) and the opera “Kinkaku-ji” (The Golden Pavilion) (1976).

Toshiro Mayuzumi gained widespread public popularity through his film scores and his role as host of the television program “Untitled Concert” for over 30 years. After 1970, his political statements increased, and from 1991, he also served as chairman of the “National Congress to Protect Japan.” He was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 68.