Kazue Sawai

Kazue Sawai (沢井 一恵, Sawai Kazue; 1 January 1941 – 15 February 2026) was a Japanese koto player noted for her performance of contemporary classical music and free improvisation.

Sawai was born in Kyoto on January 1st, 1941,^[1] and began studying koto, at the age of eight, with Michio Miyagi. She later graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.

Sawai played both the 13-string and 17-string kotos. As a soloist, as well as with her koto ensemble, she performed and worked with John Cage, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Yuji Takahashi, Ayuo, Roberto Carnevale, Sofia Gubaidulina, David Behrman, Carl Stone, and many other composers. She has performed in Japan, North America, and Europe.

Sawai operated a school in Japan, where she taught both Japanese and foreign students. Her students include Michiyo Yagi, Elizabeth Falconer, Shoko Hikage, and Mei Han.

Sawai was married to the late Tadao Sawai, who was also a koto player and composer. The couple had a son Hikaru Sawai (born 1964), who is also a koto player and composer.

Kazue Sawai died on 15 February 2026, at the age of 85.^[2]

• Kazue Sawai official site
• Kazue Sawai page Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
• Kazue Sawai biography
• Kazue Sawai discography at Discogs
• Kazue Sawai at IMDb