Photo: Press
Critically-acclaimed deaf Japanese composer Mamoru Samuragoch has shocked the music world by admitting that he didn't write any of his music.
The 50-year-old first rose to success around 20 years ago, and has since orchestral soundtracks for videogames including Onimusha and the 1996 film Cosmos. His story captured the heart of Japan and the classic music world as not only did he used to be a homeless street cleaner. but he's been fighting a long battling a degenerative hearing condition.
Now, Samuragoch has now admitted that he has hired another musician to compose music for him since the mid-1990S, with Japanese TV network NHK quoted him saying: "I had to ask the person to help me for more than half the work because the ear condition got worse."
The identity of the ghost writer remains unknown.
A statement from Samuragoch's lawyers said he was "deeply sorry", adding that he "knows he could not possibly make any excuse for what he has done."
Kotaku.com claim that Samuragochi's his record company did not know about him hiring a writer, adding that they were "flabbergasted and deeply infuriated" by the news.
Samuragochi released the acclaimed Symphony No 1 Hiroshima in 2011 to mark the anniversary of the atomic bombing that led to the end of World War Two but killed millions. A year later,the network NHK televised documentary about the 'composer' and his journey to the Tohoku where he met tsunami survivors. The programme saw Symphony No.1 Hiroshima beome known as the 'Symphony of Hope' and saw a massive increase in sales.
The Telegraph reports that an NHK anchor has now apologised on behalf of the network for broadcasting the documentary, saying: "NHK has reported on him in news and features programmes but failed to realise that he had not composed the works himself, despite our research and checking."
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