Interview: The Heike Story Music Composer Kensuke Ushio
by Kim Morrissy,Based on a work of classical Japanese literature of the same name, The Heike Story anime tells the story of the fall of the Heike clan through the point of view of a biwa player. ANN spoke with kensuke ushio, who has collaborated before with director Naoko Yamada on critically-acclaimed films such as A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird, about the challenges behind creating The Heike Story's hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.
©The Heike Story Project
What made you join the Heike Story anime?
USHIO: The director made a request for me. It was a great honor.
What kind of requests did you receive from director Naoko Yamada regarding the music? Were there any differences in your way of doing things together compared to the previous titles you both worked on?
USHIO: When we create something, the director and I start with concept work. This time was no exception.
The anime we've worked on until now have focused on one or two characters. However, this time, the scale is very grand, so even though we started the creation process in the same way, there were a lot of things we were challenging for the very first time.
Also, because we were producing a series rather than a film, there were many differences when it came to what we needed for the visuals. Specifically, instead of tailoring the music to each specific scene, we needed music that could be used generally throughout the 11 episodes. The director told me that the biwa's timbre should dominate, so I didn't have to be too conscious of the historical aspect when it came to the background music itself.
The diversity of musical styles in the soundtrack is amazing. What inspired so many different styles to get represented?
USHIO: Allow me to start with a bit of a digression. The Heike Story is a work of classical literature that is part of compulsory education in Japan. The events and dramatis personae are historical; I think it is generally regarded with an air of detachment from the flesh-and-blood people, as if one is lining up the events with a chronological table.
The Heike Story that we took upon ourselves, on the other hand, was something that we felt keenly as a tangible event, featuring people who felt as if they were living next door to you, and incidents that you could imagine showing up on your social media timeline. Thus, we nestled close to each and every person and event, and I think the result of our attempts not to indulge in the stereotypes of historical fiction was this diverse music.
On the other hand, the background music—particularly the biwa's timbre—has a strong significance, so at the start of the production we experimented a lot with how to put her sound together and how to handle Japanese instruments that aren't featured in the western musical scale.
Some tracks nevertheless represent your very characteristic ambient piano style. Were there any challenges in making that style fit within such an eclectic soundtrack?
USHIO: On the contrary, by incorporating the historical elements—traditional Japanese instruments—we were able to create a diverse sound. Before I set my teeth into the production I thought it would be difficult, but having that structure actually turned out to be a help. How familiar were you with traditional Japanese musical styles and biwa music before taking on this project?
USHIO: I knew about it, of course, because living in Japan, I hear it from time to time. But I was far from well-acquainted with it. At most, it was just something I'd heard before. That was particularly true of the biwa's sound. I could produce the biwa's timbre through using computer software, but a real-life performance has a completely different ring to it. It was “mind-blowing,” as they say in English.
Do you have any comments for your overseas fans who are watching The Heike Story?
USHIO: On top of being a classic and a part of Japanese history, The Heike Story is beautiful literature. This anime adds to the original Heike Story by portraying people who could live right next door to you, and how their anxieties, thoughts, and actions shaped history. I hope you can chill out and enjoy it without turning it into a stuffy affair. You'll be fine. Even Japanese people are watching it with Wikipedia open because there are so many names (laughs).
On the other hand, there may be some aspects that could be difficult to understand, like why names from opposing families are allies, or why the Emperor never tried to change the Heike when they boasted such influence. It's difficult to explain each individual thing, so this anime can also serve as a doorway to understanding Japanese history. If it piques your interest even slightly, or if it makes you want to pass on the stories like Biwa, nothing would please me more.
