Masao Akashi(明石昌夫, Akashi Masao; March 25, 1957 – May 19, 2025) was a Japanese music arranger in distributors Being Inc., mainly in their label B-Gram Records.

In 1988, he debuted as arranger in debut single Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite by Japanese hard-rock band B'z. By 1998, his arrangement work had been involved with many Being artists including Manish, Wands and Zard.

Although Akashi was no longer working for Being Inc., he sometimes provided producing jobs for various artists such as Naomi Tamura, Maria, Color Bottle and Sonoda Band.

Akashi died on May 19, 2025, at the age of 68.

List of provided works as arranger

★ album ☆ single/coupling

B'z

Zard

Manish

  • Koe ni Naranaide Itoshii ☆
  • Kimi ga Hoshii Zenbu ga Hoshii ☆
  • Dakedo Tomerarenai ☆
  • Mou Dare mo Me wo Kinishinai ☆
  • Kirameku Toki ni Torawarete ☆
  • Best Friend ☆
  • True Heart ★

Wands (band)

  • Sabishisa wa Aki no Iro ☆
  • Toki no Tobira ☆
  • Sekaijuu no Dare yori Kitto ☆
  • Glass no Kokoro de, Sono Mama Kimi he to, Kodoku he no Target (Toki no Tobira) ★
  • Ai wo Kataru yori Kuchizuke wo Kawasou ☆

Tube

  • Remember me, Summer Girl, Hey Baby, Melody Kimi no Tame ni (Summer City) ★

BAAD

  • Kimi ga Suki to Sakebitai ☆
  • Donna Toki demo Hold me Tight ☆
  • Do you wanna hold me? ☆

Keiko Utoku

  • Dokomademo Zutto ★
  • Message ★

Miho Komatsu

  • Dream in Love, Otogi Banashi, Sabitsuita Machine Gun de Kimi wo Uchinukou, Aoi Sora ni Deaeta, Kono Machi de Kimi to Kurashitai, Kimi ga Inai Natsu (Nazo (album)) ★

Maki Ohguro

  • Stop Motion ☆

Field of View

Yumiko Morishita

  • Tears ☆
  • Somebody to believe ☆

T-BOLAN

  • Just Illusion ☆
  • So Bad ☆
  • Only Lonely Crazy Heart ★

Mi-Ke

  • Apple Love
  • Swan no Namida
  • Emerald no Densetsu
  • Omoide no Nagisa
  • Blue Night Yokosuka
  • Blue Light Yokohama

Seiichirou Kuribayashi

  • La Jolla ★
  • Summer Illusion ★
  • Kimi ga Inai ★

KIX-S

  • Tobikiri Lonely Night
  • Mou Ichido Dakishimete
  • Too Late

V6 (band)

  • Jiyuu de aru Tame ni ☆
  • Puzzle (A Jack In the Box) ★
  • Over ☆

Siam Shade

Fairy Fore

  • Vivid (Final Fantasy: Unlimited) ★

Nobuaki Kakuda

  • Gifuu Doudou! ☆

Tomomi Kahara

  • As a person ☆
  • Be Honest ☆
  • Blue Sky ☆

TUNE'S

  • Dōbutsuen wa Taihen da ☆

Maria (band)

  • Yurari Sakurazora
  • Kanashimi Rensa

Yuko Nakazawa

  • Futari Kurashi

Yoko Minamino

  • Kiss-shite Loneliness ☆
  • Natsu no Obaka-san ☆

Hiroko Anzai

  • Necessary ☆
  • Andersen ☆

Under Graph

  • Majimesugiru Kimi he ★

List of provided works as producer

Maria

Naomi Tamura

Color Bottle

  • Good Music ★

Hekiru Shiina

Manish

  • Manish ★

Sonoda Band

  • Shift Rise

List of works as a supportive musician

B'z

Gackt

  • Re:Born

Wands

  • Same Side

Television appearance

In Music Station as bassist:

  • Manish: Kirameku Toki ni Torawarete
  • B'z: Fireball, Real Thing Shakes, Snow/Kizugokoro, LOVE PHANTOM, love me I love you, Negai, Itsuka no Merry Christmas, Odekakemashou, Ai no Mama ni Wagamama ni Boku wa Kimi dake wo Kizutsukanai, Zero, Be There

In online television Infinite Colors

  • Third episode

Magazine appearance

From J-Rock Magazine:

  • 1996: Vol,8 (January), Vol.11 (April), Vol.14(June), Vol.19 (December)
  • 1997: Vol.20 (January)

From E-cube Magazine:

  • 2017/September Vol.186

From Sound&Recording Magazine:

  • 2003/May

External links

  • at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
  • Twitter (launched on 25 April 2018)
  • Profile on Senzoku Gakuen of Music
  • Bassist Masao Akashi Blog
  • discography at Discogs