Composer Hisatada Otaka was a central figure in the Japanese music world of the early Showa period, active as both composer and conductor. Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1911, Otaka left Seijo High School and went on to study in Vienna, first for one year at the age of twenty, and then again for four years beginning at the age of twenty-three, where he studied composition and conducting. After returning to Japan, he was appointed principal conductor of the Japan Symphony Orchestra (predecessor of today's NHK Symphony Orchestra) and went on to conduct the country's leading orchestras. In the difficult years following World War II, he played a guiding role in the revival of Japan's musical industry through both his composing and conducting activities. He died of overwork in 1951 at the age of only thirty-nine. His major works include Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra, Symphonie Nr. 1, and, among his chamber works, Japanese Suite (NIHON KUMIKYOKU). The Otaka Prize for Composition was established in honor of his achievements.