One of the leading Japanese composers in the first half of the twentieth century, Qunihico Hashimoto studied with Egon Wellesz in Vienna and associated with Alois Hába and Ernst Křenek, before meeting Schoenberg in Los Angeles when he was returning to Japan. His music reflects elements of late romanticism, expressionism and impressionism, as well as of the traditional music of Japan. His Symphony No.1 was written in celebration of the 2600th anniversary of the foundation of Japan, with a first movement depicting the long history of the country, a second making insistent use of a folk-melody, and a third consisting of variations and a fugue on material derived from a Gagaku-like ceremonial song. The ballet music Heavenly Maiden and Fisherman is based on material from a Noh play.