Born in Hiroshima,[9] Japan, as the son of an opera singer, he was in his second year[10] at music school when he was drafted into the Second Unit, Hiroshima Transport Corps[10] of the Japanese army, age 19.[11] This took him to Hiroshima, where he worked on sonar due to his good hearing (but poor sight).[11] He was there when the city was obliterated by the atomic bomb in 1945,[11] being only 1.5 km from the epicenter of the blast and suffering horrendous injuries which were still being treated 60 years later.[10][12] He is thus a Hibakusha.[10]
He also was musical director from 1979 to 1994 of the "International Youth Musicale" in Shizuoka, Japan,[13] and took part as adjudicator in many international music competitions. He himself won numerous awards, such as the Composition Prize of the Ministry of Education (1956),[7]NHK Presidential Composition Prize (1956; both at the National Arts Festival),[8] and UNESCO fellowship for Creative Artist (1966-1967).[6]
He has written opera, solo and ensemble pieces including many for wind band, and published many works for and about this format.[10]
Despite initially being reluctant to take up the atomic bombing as a theme in his music,[11][12] he eventually felt he had a "mission as an A-bomb victim"[12] and in 1975[12] composed the first in a series of "Prayer music",[12] the "Dirge" which was requested by[11] and dedicated to the city of Hiroshima[12] and has since been played every year on 6 August at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.[11][12] As of 2012 he was still composing pieces in this series,[8] and has said "I have made it a personal commitment to continue creating compositions in tribute to all the victims of the atomic bomb".[11]
He lived in Chigasaki, with his dog.[10] He had two sons from his wife Taeko Koide, and enjoyed gardening.[13] Some of his children and grandchildren have worked or attended university in the U.S.A.[11] and his own works have also been published in America.[6][12]
Wolfgang Suppan, Armin Suppan: Das Neue Lexikon des Blasmusikwesens, 4. Auflage, Freiburg-Tiengen, Blasmusikverlag Schulz GmbH, 1994, ISBN3-923058-07-1
Works by Japanese composers 1991-1992, Compiled by the Japan Federation of Composers, Tokyo: Japan Federation of Composers, 118 p.
Works by Japanese composers 1989-1990, Compiled by the Japan Federation of Composers, Tokyo: Japan Federation of Composers, 112 p.
Works by Japanese composers 1983-1984, Compiled by the Japan Federation of Composers, Tokyo: Japan Federation of Composers, 111 p.
Paul E. Bierley, William H. Rehrig: The heritage encyclopedia of band music : composers and their music, Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1991, ISBN0-918048-08-7
David M. Cummings, Dennis K. McIntire: International who's who in music and musician's directory - (in the classical and light classical fields), Twelfth edition 1990/91, Cambridge, England: International Who's Who in Music, 1991. 1096 p., ISBN0-948875-20-8
Hitoshi Matsushita: A checklist of published instrumental music by Japanese composers, Tokyo: Academia Music Ltd., 1989. 181 p., ISBN4-870170-39-6
Norman E. Smith: March music notes, Lake Charles, La.: Program Note Press, 1986, ISBN978-0-9617346-1-9
Norman E. Smith, Albert Stoutamire: Band Music Notes.- Composer Information and Program Notes for over 600 Band Favorites, Revised Edition, Neil A. Kjos Music Company, San Diego, CA, 1977, 1979, 1989. ISBN0-8497-5401-1
Japanese composers and their works (since 1868), Tokyo: 1972
^"広島平和記念式典の哀悼曲作曲 川崎優さん死去、94歳" [Mourning composer of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony Composition – Yu Kawasaki died, 94 years old], Asahi Shimbun, 6 December 2018 (in Japanese)
^American Influences on Japanese Bands, Timothy J. Groulx in Music Education Research International, Volume 3, 2009, citing Wright, A. G. (1970). Marching Bands in Japan. Instrumentalist, 25(4), 50-51. and Wright, A. G. (1975). Marching Bands in Japan. Instrumentalist, 30(3), 32-34.
