Hikaru Hayashi, born in Tokyo, studied composition with Tomojiro Ikenouchi (1906–1991) at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music 1951–1953. In 1953 his Symphony in G won the grand prize of the Art Festival of Japan, the first of many prestigious awards. His output includes operas, symphonies, over thirty solo piano suites and sonatas, chamber sonatas for flute, violin and strings and several film scores.