Kazuhito Yamashita (山下和仁), born 25 March 1961 in Nagasaki, Japan, began studying guitar at eight under his father Toru Yamashita. He won the Kyushu Guitar Competition at eleven and the All Japan Guitar Competition at fifteen, then earned three international prizes in 1977, becoming the youngest recorded winner. In 1978 he debuted in Japan and toured Europe, Canada, and the United States, performing at venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna and Lincoln Center. His recording career launched with Romance de Amor (1978) and expanded to over 80, including Italian Serenade (1990), Castelnuovo‑Tedesco: Guitar Concertos (1990), and the The Art of Kazuhito Yamashita series (2022). Collaborations featured James Galway, Larry Coryell, and his wife Keiko Fujiie; he premiered more than 60 new works. In 1999 he received the National Arts Festival Grand Prize for Japanese Guitar Music 1923‑1948. Kazuhito Yamashita died 24 January 2026 at 64, leaving a legacy of recordings and innovative transcriptions.
