KOTOMEN - Yoshiaki Okawa

Yoshiaki Okawa was born in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan in 1995. He has won first prize twice in Japan's prestigious Japanese Musical Instruments Competition, as well as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award. The Agency for Cultural Affairs appointed him "Ambassador for the Promotion of Traditional Japanese Music," and he is spreading the appeal of Japanese music both nationally and internationally.

Okawa is a popular koto performer and his videos have been viewed more than 100 million times on social media. He was also in charge of the koto music for the anime One Piece: Wa no Kuni Hen, in which he demonstrated the potential of traditional musical instruments.

Additionally, he is an active composer who has performed in Japan and five other countries: the United States (New York), France, Germany, the United Kingdom (London), and Spain (Madrid). Through his performances, he has brought the beauty of Japanese music beyond its borders.

His dream is to have his work performed worldwide.