About Mandolin Music Library

Japan is one of the most popular countries in the world for mandolin music. Mandolin music in Japan is said to have been introduced in the early 1900s by Kenpachi Hiruma, an instructor at the Tokyo Music School at the time. In 1915, Morishige Takei founded the Sinfonia Mandorini Orchestra, which not only performed mandolin music, but also published a researcher's journal and held competitions to promote mandolin music in Japan. Mandolin clubs were also established at various universities around this era, playing a major key role in the development of mandolin music activities.

In 1968, the Japan Mandolin Union was established, and it has contributed to the popularization of mandolin music by holding solo competitions and composition competitions, etc. In the 1970s, the Italian mandolin The period of prosperity was marked by arrangements of orchestral works by composers and the composition of new original works by Japanese composers. Although the number of student groups has been declining somewhat since then, a number of amateur groups have been established by university graduates.

In view of the fact that a large number of valuable materials and scores collected by enthusiasts in the course of these activities may have been lost due to family circumstances and other reasons, we felt keenly the need to take care of such valuable materials and scores, organize and maintain them, and make them useful for future generations. The Mandolin Music Library was established. Through these activities, we hope to continue to preserve and maintain the irreplaceable world of mandolin music and truly contribute to its development. We will also make the collected scores and materials available to the public and build a system that will enable many people to make use of them.
We look forward to your support in this project.
　　　　　　　　　Director Tetsuro Kishimoto