and appearing in poetry reading competitions. Ayuo joined Keiji Haino's group "Fushitsusha" in 1979, and performed improvisation with many musicians in what was the final period of the "free music scene" in Japan of the 1970s. Ayuo studied the traditional plucked string instrument, Biwa, with Kinshi Tsuruta. He studied contemporary music composition with Minao Shibata and Joji Yuasa. His first solo record,"Carmina", was recorded in 1983 and released in 1984 from Epic-Sony. Since then, he has released over a dozen solo albums, collaborating with a diverse group of individuals, including Peter Hammill, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Danny Thompson, Maddy Prior, Takehisa Kosugi, Carlos Alomar, John Zorn, Bill Laswell, Dave Mattacks, Yohji Yamamoto, Jadranka Stojaković, Hiromi Ōta, Yoko Ueno, Clive Deamer, Mikigami Koichi, Wataru Ohkuma, Aki Takahashi, Mie Miki, Kazue Sawai and many Japanese traditional musicians. Three CDs of his music have been released in the United States from the TZADIK label in the 21st century. Ayuo has composed music for films, ballet, contemporary dance, and theater. Border Line, directed by the Japanese film director Lee Sang-il in 2002, features music mostly performed alone by Ayuo. Music Ayuo has a unique distinctive style in his music. He can create music which balances on traditions of world music, improvisation, new age, psychedelic, avant-pop, electronica and classical composition, without losing his distinctive voice in the music he creates. For the first Tzadik CD, he was introduced as the "one of the most enigmatic figures in Japan". He has also made unique arrangements of compositions by Erik Satie, Claude Debussy, Richard Wagner, Maurice Ravel, Toru Takemitsu and other classical composers Lyrics Ayuo's lyrics are often about difficulties in human relationship, especially between different cultures, and between men and women. His lyrics often include scientific, literary or historical references. He often uses texts by philosophers from Japan, Middle East, and Europe, such as Dogen, Rumi, Kazantzakis, and others. Two of his music-theater compositions are based on a medieval Japanese Noh play by Zeami. Another music-theater composition is based on the story "Blue Eyes, Black Hair" by Marguerite Duras. There are also compositions based on mythic themes, such as the story of Pele and Hi'iaka from Hawaii, and story of the Sun god from ancient India. Ayuo often writes on the liner notes of his CDs that he was influenced by the scholar of world myths and comparative religion, Joseph Campbell. Discography Albums released in Japan Carmina (1984)