Tadao Sawai (1938, Aichi Prefecture, Japan - April 1, 1997) was a Japanese koto player and composer graduated from Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku (Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music). Sawai sought to develop furthering Miyagi's mission to expand koto music. He was renown for his dynamic playing style, his willingness to experiment and improvise in challenging the limits of modern koto playing.Married to koto player Kazue Sawai, their son Hikaru Sawai is also a composer and a koto player.