Michihiro Sato (佐藤通弘, Satō Michihiro; surname Sato; name sometimes listed as Sato Michihiro; (born 1957), is a prominent Japanese player of the Tsugaru-jamisen.
Born in Machida, Tokyo, Japan, his mother was a traditional dancer and musician. He became interested in the Tsugaru-jamisen at an early age after hearing it on a radio broadcast and began intensive study of the instrument in 1970, at the age of 13. At that time, few young people were interested in this instrument; indeed, most of the other students were elderly. When he was a junior in college he moved to Hirosaki, Aomori to become an apprentice to master musician Chisato Yamada. In 1982 and 1983 he won first prize in the national Tsugaru-jamisen competition, becoming the first performer to win in two consecutive years. He eventually left his sensei to pursue his interest in free improvised music.
