Hisaishi was born on 6 December 1950 in Nagano, Japan. He began violin lessons at the age of 5 and discovered his passion for music. He then studied composition in Kunitachi. He made his debut in 1981 with the release of his album MKWAJU,10 which was composed for percussion ensemble, keyboards and electronic programming. The following year he signed his second album, Information (1982),12 which was released under the pseudonym Wonder City Orchestra, a name he also used for the other contributors. His stage name "Joe Hisaishi" refers to his idol, the American musician and composer Quincy Jones: the kanji 久 is pronounced either hisa or kyū; therefore, the name 久石 譲 can be read either Hisaishi Jō or Kyūishi Jō, which in turn sounds similar to Quincy Jones (in Japanese, Quincy Jones is written クインシー・ジョーンズ, kuinshī jōnzu).
