was a Japanese musician,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instru ...

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the

synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

-based band

Yellow Magic Orchestra Yellow Magic Orchestra (abbreviated to YMO) was a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals, occasional keyboards) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, ...

(YMO). With his YMO bandmates

Haruomi Hosono , sometimes credited as Harry Hosono, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is considered to be one of the most influential musicians in Japanese pop music history, credited with shaping the sound of Japanese pop f ...

and

Yukihiro Takahashi was a Japanese musician, singer, record producer, fashion designer, and actor, who was best known internationally as the drummer, lead vocalist, & 2nd keyboardist of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, as the former drummer of the Sadistic Mika Band, ...

, Sakamoto influenced and pioneered a number of

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

genres. As a

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

composer, Sakamoto won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

(Oscar),

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

and two

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

. Sakamoto began his career as a session musician, producer, and arranger while he was at the

Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music or is a school of art and music in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained artists in the fields of painting, sculpture, crafts, inter ...

in the mid 1970s. His first major success came in 1978 as co-founder of YMO. He pursued a solo career at the same time, releasing the

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

electronic fusion album ''

Thousand Knives ''Thousand Knives'' (also known as ''Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto'') is the debut solo album by Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Released in 1978, it is a mostly electronic music album, foreshadowing his work with Yellow Magic Orchestr ...

'' in that year, and the album ''

B-2 Unit '' B-2 Unit '' is the second solo electronic music album by Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, released in 1980. The lead single "Riot in Lagos" was a highly influential cult hit, significant to the development of electro, hip hop and techno music ...

'' in 1980. ''B-2 Unit'' includes the track "Riot in Lagos", which had a significant influence on the development of electro,

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

. He went on to produce more solo records, and collaborate with many international artists, including

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan (band), Japan. During his time in Japan, Sylvia ...

DJ Spooky Paul Dennis Miller (born September 6, 1970), known professionally as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is an American Electronic music, electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics "illbient" or "trip hop". ...

Carsten Nicolai Carsten Nicolai (born 18 September 1965 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, now Chemnitz) is a German artist, musician and label owner. As a musician he is known under the pseudonym Alva Noto. Life and career Carsten Nicolai was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Ch ...

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...

, and

Fennesz Christian Fennesz (born 25 December 1962) is an Austrian producer and guitarist active in electronic music since the 1990s, often credited mononymously as Fennesz. His work utilizes guitar and laptop computers to blend melody with treated samp ...

. Sakamoto composed music for the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.

of the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games, and his composition "Energy Flow" (1999) was the first

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

number-one single in Japan's

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

charts history. ''

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence , also known as , is a 1983 war film co-written and directed by Nagisa Ōshima, co-written by Paul Mayersberg, and produced by Jeremy Thomas. The film is based on the experiences of Sir Laurens van der Post (portrayed by Tom Conti as Lt. Col. J ...

'' (1983) marked his debut as both an actor and a

composer; its main theme was adapted into the single "

Forbidden Colours "Forbidden Colours" is a 1983 song by David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The song is the vocal version of the theme from the Nagisa Oshima film ''Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.'' It appears on the film's soundtrack album and was released as a si ...

" which became an international hit. His most successful work as a film composer was ''

The Last Emperor ''The Last Emperor'' () is a 1987 epic biographical drama film about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. It is directed by Bernardo Bertolucci from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Peploe, which was adapted from Puyi's 1964 auto ...

'' (1987), for which he won the

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by ...

, making him the first Japanese composer to win an Academy Award. He continued earning accolades composing for films such as ''

The Sheltering Sky ''The Sheltering Sky'' is a 1949 novel of alienation and existential despair by American writer and composer Paul Bowles. Plot The story centers on Port Moresby and his wife Kit, a married couple originally from New York who travel to the Nor ...

'' (1990), ''

Little Buddha ''Little Buddha'' is a 1993 drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, written by Rudy Wurlitzer and Mark Peploe, and produced by usual Bertolucci collaborator Jeremy Thomas. An international co-production of Italy, France and the United Kingd ...

'' (1993), and '' The Revenant'' (2015). On occasion, Sakamoto also worked as a composer and a scenario writer on

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

and

video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

. He was awarded the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

from the Ministry of Culture of France in 2009 for his contributions to music. Sakamoto died on March 28, 2023 from

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...

at the age of 71.

Early life and education

Ryuichi Sakamoto was born on January 17, 1952, in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. His father, Kazuki Sakamoto, was a well-known literary editor, and his mother, Keiko (Shimomura) Sakamoto, designed women's hats. He began taking piano lessons at age 6, and started to compose at age 10. His early influences included

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

and

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

— whom he once called "the door to all 20th century music." He also said, "

Asian music Asian music encompass numerous musical styles, traditions, and forms originating in Asian countries. Asian music traditions include: * ** Music of China ** Music of Hong Kong ** Music of Japan ** Traditional music of Korea *** Music of Nor ...

" (

Javanese Gamelan Javanese may refer to: Of Java * Of or from Java, an Indonesian island in Southeast Asia *Javanese people, and their culture *Javanese language **Javanese script, traditional letters used to write Javanese language **Javanese (Unicode block), ** ...

) "heavily influenced Debussy, and Debussy heavily influenced me. So, the music goes around the world and comes full circle." He discovered

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

as a teenager, when he fell in with a crowd of hipster rebels. He was also influenced by jazz musicians such as

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

and

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist, and composer. He is best known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Ja ...

, and by rock bands such as

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. He described his political leanings during his time as a student as “not a 100 percent

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

, but kind of”. At the height of the Japanese student protest movement, he and Yasuhisa Shiozaki along with dozens of other classmates barricaded themselves in their high school principals's office, seeking changes to the way the school was run. Sakamoto entered the

in 1970, earning a B.A. in

music composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

in 1974 and a M.A. in 1976, with special emphasis on both electronic and

ethnic music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. He studied

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

there with the intention of becoming a researcher in the field, due to his interest in various

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

traditions, particularly the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, Okinawan, Indian,

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

and African musical traditions. He was also trained in

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

and began experimenting with the

equipment available at the university, including

synthesizers A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

such as the

Buchla Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments (BEMI) was a manufacturer of synthesizers and unique MIDI controllers. The origins of the company could be found in Buchla & Associates, created in 1963 by synthesizer pioneer Don Buchla of Berkeley, Californ ...

, Moog, and ARP.

Solo career

1970s

In 1975, Sakamoto collaborated with percussionist Tsuchitori Toshiyuki to release ''Disappointment-Hateruma''. In 1977, Sakamoto began working as a session musician with

and

. Together, the trio formed the electronic band

(YMO) in 1978. In mid-1978, Sakamoto released his first solo album '' Thousand Knives of Ryūichi Sakamoto'', with the help of

Hideki Matsutake Hideki Matsutake (born August 12, 1951 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese composer, arranger, and computer programmer. He is known for his pioneering work in electronic music and particularly music programming, as the assist ...

—Hosono also contributed to the song "Thousand Knives". The album experimented with different styles, such as "Thousand Knives" and "The End of Asia"—in which

was fused with traditional

Japanese music In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern.ref> The word for "music" in Japanese language, Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji 楽 ''gaku'' (music, comf ...

—while "Grasshoppers" is a more minimalistic piano song. The album was recorded from April to July 1978 with a variety of

electronic musical instrument An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronics, electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is ...

s, including various synthesizers, such as the KORG PS-3100, a

polyphonic synthesizer Polyphony is a property of musical instruments that means that they can play multiple independent melody lines simultaneously. Instruments featuring polyphony are said to be polyphonic. Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophon ...

; the

Oberheim Eight Voice Oberheim is an American synthesizer manufacturer founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim. Beginning in 1975, Oberheim developed some of the first commercially available polyphonic synthesizers and was a prominent synthesizer and drum machine manufacture ...

; the Moog III-C; the

Polymoog The Polymoog is a hybrid polyphonic analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Moog Music from 1975 to 1980. The Polymoog was based on divide-down oscillator technology similar to electronic organs and string synthesizers of the time. Histor ...

, the

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

; the

Micromoog The Moog model 2090 Micromoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer produced by Moog Music from 1975 to 1979. Background Designed as a scaled-down, lower-priced alternative ($650–$800 market price) to the Minimoog, the Micromoog was designed to ...

; the Korg VC-10, which is a vocoder; the KORG SQ-10, which is an

analog sequencer An analog sequencer is a music sequencer constructed from analog electronics, invented in the first half of the 20th century. Raymond Scott designed and constructed some of the first electro-mechanical music sequencers in the 1940s. The first ...

; the Syn-Drums, an

electronic drum Electronic drums are a modern electronic musical instrument, primarily designed to serve as an alternative to an acoustic drum kit. Electronic drums consist of an electronic sound module which produces the Drum synthesiser, synthesized or Sampler ...

kit; and the

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor (computing), processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, a ...

-based

Roland MC-8 Microcomposer The Roland MC-8 MicroComposer by the Roland Corporation was introduced in early 1977 at a list price of US$4,795 (¥1,200,000 JPY). It was one of the earliest stand-alone microprocessor-driven CV/Gate music sequencers, following EMS '' Sequence ...

, which is a

music sequencer A music sequencer (or audio sequencer or simply sequencer) is a device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music, by handling Musical note, note and performance information in several forms, typically CV/Gate, MIDI, or Open ...

that was programmed by Matsutake and played by Sakamoto.

1980s

In 1980, Sakamoto released his second solo album, ''

'', which has been referred to as his "edgiest" record and is known for the electronic track "Riot in Lagos", which is considered an early example of

electro music Electro (also known as electro-funk, and sometimes referred to as electro-pop)
Gl ...

(electro-funk), as Sakamoto anticipated the beats and sounds of electro. Early electro and

artists, such as

Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of ...

and

Kurtis Mantronik Kurtis el Khaleel (born Graham Curtis el Khaleel, September 4, 1965), known by the stage name Kurtis Mantronik, is a Jamaican-born hip hop and electronic musician, DJ, remixer, and producer. He was the leader, DJ, and keyboardist of the influent ...

, were influenced by the album—especially "Riot in Lagos"—with Mantronik citing the work as a major influence on his electro hip hop group

Mantronix Mantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop and electro (music), electro funk music group from New York City. The band was formed by Disc jockey#Hip Hop DJs, DJ Kurtis Mantronik (Kurtis el Khaleel) and rapper MC Tee (Touré Embden). The group is ...

. "Riot in Lagos" was later included in Playgroup's

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

''Kings of Electro'' (2007), alongside other significant electro compositions, such as

Hashim Hashim () is a common male Arabic given name. Notable people with the name include: *Hashim ibn Abd Manaf * Hashim Amir Ali * Hashim Shah * Hashim Amla * Hashim Thaçi * Hashim Khan * Hashim Qureshi * Mir Hashim Ali Khan *Hashim al-Atassi * Hashi ...

's "Al-Naafyish" (1983). The album is also credited with introducing the influential

Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patterns. ...

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

"in the clubs for the first time" with "a new body music" that "foretold the future" of music according to

Mary Anne Hobbs Mary Anne Hobbs (born 16 May 1964) is an English DJ and music journalist from Lancashire, England. She currently hosts on BBC Radio 6 Music. She is also a performer and curator of live events. In 2024 she created a ground-breaking collaboration ...

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

. According to ''Dusted Magazine'', Sakamoto's use of squelching bounce sounds and mechanical beats was later incorporated in early electro and hip hop productions, such as " Message II (Survival)" by

Melle Mel Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961), better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel or simply Melle Mel (), is an American rapper who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Career Glover began per ...

and

Duke Bootee Edward Gernel Fletcher, known by his stage name Duke Bootee (June 6, 1951 – January 13, 2021), was an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, his best known single, " The Message", was written in his base ...

(1982), " Magic's Wand" (1982) by

Whodini Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York–based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy (who wore a Zorro-style hat as his trademark; Jun ...

and

Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me ...

, "Electric Kingdom" (1983) by Twilight 22, and '' The Album'' (1985) by Mantronix. The 1980 release of "Riot in Lagos" was listed by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' in 2011 as one of the 50 key important events in the history of

, at number six on its list. ''

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform established in 2001 and dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. Its editorial team provides news, music and ev ...

'' said the track anticipated the sounds of

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

and hip hop music, and that it inspired numerous artists from cities such as Tokyo, New York City and Detroit. Peter Tasker of ''

Nikkei Asia ''Nikkei Asia'', known as ''Nikkei Asian Review'' between 2013 and 2020, is a major Japan-based English-language weekly news magazine focused on the Asian continent, although it also covers broader international developments. It is headquartere ...

'' said it was influential on techno, hip hop and

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

. One of the tracks on ''B-2 Unit'', "Differencia" has, according to ''

Fact A fact is a truth, true data, datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. Standard reference works are often used to Fact-checking, check facts. Science, Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by ...

'', "relentless tumbling beats and a stabbing

bass synth Keyboard bass (shortened to keybass and sometimes referred as a synth bass) is the use of a smaller, low-pitched keyboard with fewer notes than a regular keyboard or pedal keyboard to substitute for the deep notes of a bass guitar or double bas ...

that foreshadows

jungle jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...

by nearly a decade". Some tracks on the album also foreshadow genres such as IDM,

broken beat Broken beat (sometimes referred to as "bruk") is an electronic dance music genre that emerged in the late 1990s and is characterized by syncopated beats and frenetic, choppy rhythms, often alongside female vocals and elements inspired by 1970s ja ...

, and

industrial techno Industrial techno is a subgenre of techno and industrial dance music that originated in the 1990s. Characteristically, it incorporates influences from the bleak, noisy sound and aesthetics of early industrial music acts, particularly Cabaret Vol ...

, and the work of producers such as

Actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

Oneohtrix Point Never Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American Experimental music, experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer, and songwriter. His music has utilized wikt:trope, tropes from various ...

. For several tracks on the album, Sakamoto worked with UK

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

producer

Dennis Bovell Dennis Bovell (born 22 May 1953) is a Barbados-born reggae guitarist, bass player and record producer, based in the United Kingdom. He was a member of a progressive rock group called Stonehenge, who later changed name and became the British r ...

, incorporating elements of

Afrobeat Afrobeat (also known as Afrofunk) is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Nigerian (such as Yoruba) and Ghanaian (such as highlife) music, with American funk, jazz, and soul influences. With a focus on chanted vocals, complex i ...

and

dub music Dub is a musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style.Dub: soundscapes and shattered songs in Jamaican reggae, p.&nb ...

. According to''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', "''B-2 Unit'' still sounds futuristic" with tracks such as "E-3A" looking "ahead to

Mouse on Mars Mouse on Mars is a German electronic music duo formed in 1993 by Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma. Their music is a blend of electronic genres including IDM, dub, krautrock, breakbeat and ambient, featuring heavy use of organic analog synth and ...

’ idyllic ’90s

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

." Also in 1980, Sakamoto released the single "War Head/Lexington Queen", an experimental

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...

and electro record. His collaboration with

Kiyoshiro Imawano , born , was a Japanese rock musician, lyricist, composer, musical producer, and actor from Tokyo, Japan. He was dubbed "Japan's King of Rock". He formed and led the influential rock band RC Succession. He wrote many anti-nuclear songs followi ...

, "Ikenai Rouge Magic", also topped the

singles chart. Sakamoto also began a long-standing collaboration with

, when he co-wrote and performed on the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

track "Taking Islands in Africa" in 1980. In 1981, Sakamoto collaborated with

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

and

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

guitarist

Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual approach to the instrument, his ...

and Robin Scott for an album titled ''Left-Handed Dream''. According to ''

The Baffler ''The Baffler'' is an American magazine of cultural, political, and business analysis. Established in 1988 by editors Thomas Frank and Keith White, it was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, until 2010, when it moved to Cambridge, Massachusett ...

'', the album combined "slow, simmering, primeval"

with "sprawling, raw-edged sci-fi

gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period (794–1185) arou ...

" using traditional Japanese

taiko are a broad range of Traditional Japanese musical instruments, Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese language, Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various J ...

drums. Sakamoto worked on another collaboration with Sylvian, a single entitled " Bamboo Houses/Bamboo Music" in 1982. The song "Bamboo Houses" in particular "accidentally predicted"

grime music Grime is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) that emerged in London in the early 2000s. It developed out of the earlier UK dance style UK garage, and draws influences from jungle, dancehall, and hip hop. The style is typified by rapid, sy ...

according to ''

'' magazine, calling it "the earliest example of proto-grime" with similarities to the Sinogrime subgenre which

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations *Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town *Wiley, Georgia, an U.S. unincorporated community * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People *Wiley (musician), ...

and Jammer were known for in the 2000s. Sakamoto's earlier 1978 songs "Grasshoppers" and "The End of Asia" from ''Thousand Knives'' also have melodic lines similar to grime or Sinogrime. Sakamoto began work on his next album ''Ongaku Zukan'' in 1982, but it didn't release until 1984. During production, he was one of the first musicians to use the

Yamaha DX7 The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer manufactured by Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1989. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units. In the early 1980s, th ...

, the same year the

digital synthesizer A digital synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses digital signal processing (DSP) techniques to make musical sounds, in contrast to older analog synthesizers, which produce music using analog electronics, and samplers, which play back digital rec ...

released in 1983. He initially used the DX7 for

Mari Iijima is a Japanese actress and singer. She writes and produces most of her own music, and plays the piano and other instruments. After being signed to JVC Victor in 1982, Mari first became known for her voice-acting role as Lynn Minmay in the anime ...

's debut

city pop is a loosely defined form of Japanese pop music that emerged in the late 1970s and peaked in popularity during the 1980s. It was originally termed as an offshoot of Japan's Western-influenced " new music", but came to include a wide range of st ...

album ''Rosé'', released in 1983, before using it for his solo album ''Ongaku Zukan'', which eventually released in 1984. Sakamoto broadened his musical range with a number of solo albums such ''Ongaku Zukan'' (1984), ''

Neo Geo The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video gam ...

'' (1987), and ''

Beauty Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes them pleasure, pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, art and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fie ...

'' (1989). These albums included collaborations with artists such as

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

, and

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

. In 1985, Sakamoto was commissioned to score a dance composition by New York choreographer

Molissa Fenley Molissa Fenley (born 1954)is an American choreographer, performer and teacher of contemporary dance. Early life and education Molissa Fenley (née Avril Molissa Fenley) was born in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 15, 1954. She is the youngest of thr ...

called ''

Esperanto Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...

''. The performance itself debuted at the

Joyce Theater The Joyce Theatre Foundation is a leading presenter of dance in New York City and nationally. It is runs, in part, from the Joyce Theater, a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea, Manhattan, Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in ...

, to mixed reviews from

Anna Kisselgoff Anna Kisselgoff (born 12 January 1938) is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for ''The New York Times''. She began at the ''Times'' as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she h ...

at ''The New York Times'' which said of Sakamoto's music, that "The sound often resembles a radio shut on and off." The score was subsequently released in Japan by Midi, Inc., and includes contributions from

Arto Lindsay Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation '' No New York''. In ...

and YAS-KAZ. Jen Monroe of ''The Baffler'' said the sample-based music "manages to be unremittingly gorgeous, aggressive, angular, and lush."

1990s

'' Heartbeat'' (1991) and '' Sweet Revenge'' (1994) feature Sakamoto's collaborations with a global range of artists such as

Roddy Frame Roddy Frame (born 29 January 1964) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Do ...

, Dee Dee Brave, Marco Prince,

, and

Ingrid Chavez Ingrid Julia Chavez (born January 21, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and visual artist. Early life Chavez was born on January 21, 1965, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and raised in Marietta, Georgia. She is of Mexican-American desce ...

. In 1992, Sakamoto composed music for the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.

of the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

in Barcelona, Spain. In 1995, Sakamoto released ''Smoochy'', described by the ''Sound on Sound'' website as Sakamoto's "excursion into the land of easy-listening and Latin", followed by the ''

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

'' album, which featured a number of previously released pieces arranged for solo piano, violin, and cello. During December 1996 Sakamoto, composed the entirety of an hour-long orchestral work entitled "Untitled 01" and released as the album ''Discord'' (1998). The

Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired ...

release of ''Discord'' was sold in a

jewel case Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

that was covered by a blue-colored

slipcase A slipcase is a five-sided box, usually made of high-quality cardboard, into which ring binder, binders, books or book sets are ''slipped'' for protection, leaving the spine (book), spine exposed. Special editions of books are often slipcased for ...

made of

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

, while the CD also contained a data video track. In 1998 the

Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an independent record label based in London, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1990 by musicians Matt Black and Jonathan More, known collectively as Coldcut. The label was established as an outlet for Col ...

record label released the ''Prayer/Salvation Remixes'', for which prominent electronica artists such as Ashley Beedle and Andrea Parker remixed sections from the "Prayer" and "Salvation" parts of ''Discord''. Sakamoto collaborated primarily with guitarist David Torn and

—artist

Laurie Anderson Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work encompasses performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting,Amirkhanian, Cha ...

provides spoken word on the composition—and the recording was condensed from nine live performances of the work, recorded during a Japanese tour. ''Discord'' was divided into four parts: "Grief", "Anger", "Prayer", and "Salvation"; Sakamoto explained in 1998 that he was "not religious, but maybe spiritual" and "The Prayer is to anybody or anything you want to name." Sakamoto further explained: In 1998, Italian ethnomusicologist

Massimo Milano Massimo Milano (born Torino, 1967) is an ethnomusicologist, critic and sound experimentalist. Member of "A.I.STU.GIA" (Italian Association for Japanese Studies, Venice) and of the International Jury of the Down Beat Annual Critics Poll (USA), he h ...

published ''

Ryuichi Sakamoto. Conversazioni Massimo Milano (born Torino, 1967) is an ethnomusicologist, critic and sound experimentalist. Member of "A.I.STU.GIA" (Italian Association for Japanese Studies, Venice) and of the International Jury of the Down Beat Annual Critics Poll (USA), he ha ...

'' through the Padova, Arcana imprint. All three editions of the book were published in the Italian language. Sakamoto's next album, '' BTTB'' (1999)—an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

for "Back to the Basics" is comprised a series of original pieces on solo piano influenced by

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

and Satie and includes "Energy Flow" (a major hit in Japan) and an arrangement of the Yellow Magic Orchestra classic "Tong Poo". Sakamoto's long-awaited "opera" ' was released in 1999, with visual direction by Shiro Takatani, artistic director of

Dumb Type Dumb Type is an artist collective based in Kyoto, Japan founded in 1984. Dumb Type is a group of creative art forms that express the new and daily life of the twentieth century modern and technological world of Japan. During the 1980s Dumb Type ...

. This ambitious multi-genre multi-media project featured contributions from

Pina Bausch Philippine "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as . Bausch's approach was noted for a stylised blend of dance move ...

Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci ( ; ; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved inte ...

, Josep Carreras,

the Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

, and

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...

. In 2007, they "deconstructed" all the visual images and the sound, to create an art installation.

2000s

In the early 2000s, Sakamoto did extensive work in experimental

ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...

and

glitch music Glitch is a genre of experimental electronic music that emerged in the 1990s, which is distinguished by the deliberate use of glitches in audio media and other sonic artifacts. The sounds featured in glitch tracks usually come from audio recordi ...

. His works in these genres at the time include collaborations with

. Sakamoto teamed with cellist

Jaques Morelenbaum Jaques Morelenbaum (() born 18 May 1954) is a Brazilian instrumentalist, arranger, conductor, composer and music producer. Morelenbaum was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of conductor Henrique Morelenbaum and piano teacher Sarah Morelenbaum. Hi ...

and singer

Paula Morelenbaum Regina Paula Martins Morelenbaum (, born July 31, 1962) is a Brazilian singer, born in Rio de Janeiro. She and her husband Jaques Morelenbaum were in the band that toured with Antonio Carlos Jobim from 1984 to 1994. In addition to Jobim's group, ...

, on a pair of albums celebrating the work of bossa nova pioneer

Antonio Carlos Jobim Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ...

. They recorded their first album, ''Casa'' (2001), mostly in Jobim's home studio in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, with Sakamoto performing on the late Jobim's grand piano. The album was well received, having been included in the list of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''s top albums of 2002. A live album, ''Live in Tokyo'', and a second album, ''A Day in New York'', soon followed. Sakamoto and the Morelenbaums would also collaborate on N.M.L. No More Landmine, an international effort to raise awareness for the removal of landmines. The trio would release the single "Zero Landmine", which also featured

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

, and

and

, the other two founding members of

. Sakamoto collaborated with

Alva Noto Carsten Nicolai (born 18 September 1965 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, now Chemnitz) is a German artist, musician and label owner. As a musician he is known under the pseudonym Alva Noto. Life and career Carsten Nicolai was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Ch ...

(an alias of

) to release ''

Vrioon ''Vrioon'' is the debut collaboration album between Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto, released in 2002. This is the first album in the ''Virus Series'' followed by four other records: ''Insen'' (2005), '' Revep'' (2006), '' utp_'' (2008), and '' Sum ...

'', an album of Sakamoto's piano clusters treated by Nicolai's unique style of digital manipulation, involving the creation of "micro-loops" and minimal percussion. The two produced this work by passing the pieces back and forth until both were satisfied with the result. This debut, released on German label

Raster-Noton Raster-Noton was a German electronic music record label. It was established in 1999 in Chemnitz, Germany. By the mid 2010s, it had become known as "one of Europe’s most revered and reliable hubs for experimental electronic music, IDM and au ...

, was voted record of the year 2004 in the electronica category by British magazine ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

''. They then released ''

Insen ''Insen'' is the second collaboration album between Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and German electronic artist Carsten Nicolai (here credited as Alva Noto). It was released on 20 March 2005 via Raster-Noton label. Overview The album's cor ...

'' (2005)—while produced in a similar manner to Vrioon, this album is somewhat more restrained and minimalist. After further collaboration, they released two more albums: '' utp_'' (2008) and ''

Summvs ''Summvs'' is the fifth collaboration album between Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The record was released on 9 May 2011 via Raster-Noton label. Background The collaboration between the artists began in 2002, and ''Summvs'' promises to be the ...

'' (2011). In 2005, Finnish mobile phone manufacturer

Nokia Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, originally established as a pulp mill in 1 ...

hired Sakamoto to compose ring and alert tones for their high-end phone, the

Nokia 8800 The Nokia 8800 (pronounced ''eighty-eight-hundred'') is a luxury mobile phone produced by Nokia, based on the Nokia Series 40 operating system. The 8800 features a stainless-steel housing with a scratch-resistant screen and has a weight of 134 Gra ...

. In 2006, Nokia offered the ringtones for free on their website. Around this time, a reunion with YMO cofounders Hosono and Takahashi caused a stir in the Japanese press. They released a single "Rescue" in 2007 and a DVD "HAS/YMO" in 2008. In July 2009, Sakamoto was honored as Officier of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at the French embassy in Tokyo.

2010s

Throughout the latter part of the 2000s, Sakamoto collaborated on several projects with visual artist Shiro Takatani, including the installations ''LIFE – fluid, invisible, inaudible...'' (2007–2013), commissioned by YCAM, Yamaguchi, ''collapsed'' and ''silence spins'' at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2012 and 2013

Sharjah Biennial The Sharjah Biennial is a large-scale contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The first Sharjah Biennial took place in 1993, and was organized by the Sharjah Department of Cu ...

(U.A.E.), ''LIFE-WELL'' in 2013, and a special version for Park Hyatt Tokyo's 20th anniversary in 2014, and he did music for the joint performance ''LIFE-WELL'' featuring the actor Noh/Kyogen Mansai Nomura, and for Shiro Takatani's performance ''ST/LL'' in 2015. In 2013, Sakamoto was a jury member at the

70th Venice International Film Festival The 70th annual Venice International Film Festival, was held from 28 August to 7 September 2013, at Venice Lido in Italy. Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci was the jury president for the main competition. He was previously the presiden ...

. The jury viewed 20 films and was chaired by filmmaker

. On April 14, 2013, he also participated in a performance of film and music by video pioneer

Nam June Paik Nam June Paik (; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was a South Korean artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use (1974) of the term "electronic super highway" ...

, selected by musicians and composers who knew him well: himself, Stephen Vitiello, and Steina Vasulka. In 2014, Sakamoto became the first guest artistic director of the Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 (SIAF2014). On July 10, Sakamoto released a statement indicating that he had been diagnosed with

oropharyngeal cancer Oropharyngeal cancer, also known as oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and tonsil cancer, is a disease in which abnormal cells with the potential to both grow locally and spread to other parts of the body are found in the oral cavity, in the t ...

in late June of the same year. He announced a break from his work while he sought treatment and recovery. On August 3, 2015, Sakamoto posted on his website that he was "in great shape ... I am thinking about returning to work" and announced that he would be providing music for

Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ('' The Twilight Samurai'', '' The Hidden Blade'' and '' Love and Honor''). Biography Yamada was born in Osaka, but due to his father' ...

's ''

Haha to Kuraseba is a 2015 Japanese drama film directed by Yoji Yamada and starring Sayuri Yoshinaga and Kazunari Ninomiya. It was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated. Plot Mid ...

'' (''Living with My Mother''). In 2015, Sakamoto also composed the score for the

Alejandro González Iñárritu Alejandro González Iñárritu (born 15 August 1963) is a Mexican filmmaker primarily known for making modern psychological drama (film genre), psychological drama films about the human condition. His most notable films include ''Amores perros ...

's film, '' The Revenant'', for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. In January 2017 it was announced that Sakamoto would release a solo album in April 2017 through Milan Records; the new album, titled ''async'', was released on March 29, 2017, to critical acclaim. In February 2018, he was selected to be on the jury for the main competition section of the

68th Berlin International Film Festival The 68th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 15 to 25 February 2018. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer served as Jury President. American film director Wes Anderson's animated film ''Isle of Dogs (film), Isle of Dogs'' opened th ...

. On June 14, 2018, a documentary about the life and work of Sakamoto, entitled '' Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda'', was released. The film follows Sakamoto as he recovers from cancer and resumes creating music, protests nuclear power plants following the

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster The Fukushima nuclear accident was a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan, which began on 11 March 2011. The cause of the accident was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which r ...

, and creates field recordings in a variety of locales. He also elucidates the influence of Russian director

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. Works by Andrei Tarkovsky, His films e ...

on the making of his then upcoming album async. Sakamoto says, "When I started making the album, the sound that was in my mind was the Bach theme from ''

Solaris Solaris is the Latin word for sun. It may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature, television and film * ''Solaris'' (novel), a 1961 science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem ** ''Solaris'' (1968 film), directed by Boris Nirenburg ** ''Sol ...

'', arranged on synthesizers by

Eduard Artemyev Eduard Nikolayevich Artemyev (; rus, Эдуа́рд Никола́евич Арте́мьев, p=ɨdʊˈart ɐrˈtʲemʲjɪf; 30 November 1937 – 29 December 2022) was a Soviet and Russian composer of electronic music and film scores. Outside ...

. I arranged the same piece in the beginning of the process for ''async'', and it sounded really good. It was very different from Artemyev's version, so I was very happy. Then I arranged four more Bach chorales next to that, and they all sounded really good. So I thought, maybe this is the album? Then I thought I needed to do something more, to write my own chorale. I tried, and that became the song "solari", obviously, with no "s". Directed by Stephen Nomura Schible, the documentary was met with critical praise. He later said, "As I've been making music and trying to go deeper and deeper, I was finally able to understand what the Tarkovsky movies are about – how symphonic they are – it's almost music. Not just the sounds – it's a symphony of moving images and sounds. They are more complex than music." He calls Tarkovsky and French director

Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson made a notable contribution to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, Ellipsis (narrative device), ellipses, an ...

his favorites, claiming their books – '' Notes on the Cinematographer'' and ''

Sculpting in Time ''Sculpting in Time'' (Russian "Запечатлённое время", literally "Captured Time") is a book by Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky about art and cinema in general, and his own films in particular. It was originally published in 19 ...

'', respectively – as " isbible."

2020s

In 2021 he was associate artist of

Holland Festival The Holland Festival () is the oldest and largest performing arts festival in the Netherlands. It takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theatre, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts, film and architec ...

in Amsterdam where he presented the world premiere of ''TIME'', his last collaboration with his long-term collaborator Shiro Takatani. This "wordless opera", featuring dancer and actor

Min Tanaka is a Japanese dancer and actor. Biography Tanaka was trained in ballet and modern dance, but in 1974, turned his back on these forms. He began his solo career with a series of nearly-naked primarily outdoor improvisational dances that took place ...

and shô player

Mayumi Miyata is a Japanese player of the '' shō'', a traditional Japanese mouth organ. Miyata was born on April 1, 1954, in Tokyo and graduated from the Kunitachi College of Music, where she majored in piano. While in school, she began studying ''gagaku'' ...

was inspired by the first tale from Soseki Natsume's collection of short stories ''

Ten Nights of Dreams or ''Ten Nights' Dreams'' is a series of short pieces by Natsume Sōseki. It was published in the ''Asahi Shimbun'' from July 25 to August 5, 1908. Sōseki writes of ten dreams set in various time periods, including his own time (the Meiji peri ...

''. In 2022 he took part in the creation of

's new installation ''2022'' as a new member of the Japanese collective, for the Japan Pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition –

La Biennale di Venezia The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Architecture Biennale (), which are held in alternating ye ...

. The same year Sakamoto collaborated with the young Ukrainian violinist Illia Bondarenko on the single "Piece for Illia" as part of the compilation fundraiser ''Ukraine (volume 2)'' for relief for victims of the

Russian Invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. On April 24, 2023, the song " Snooze" was released by Agust D (

Suga Min Yoon-gi (; born March 9, 1993), known professionally by his stage names Suga (; stylized in all caps) and Agust D, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and record producer. He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS in June ...

of BTS), in loving memory of Ryuichi Sakamoto, in which he is featured in the song as keyboards. He also appears in the music trailers leading up to the Agust D album, D-Day. In 2023, filmmaker

Neo Sora Neo Sora (born 1991) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has directed narrative and documentary films, including '' Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus'' (2023) and '' Happyend'' (2024). Early life Sora was born to manager Norika Sora, and fil ...

–Sakamoto's son–directed a final performance of Sakomoto playing solo piano, released as '' Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus''. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2023.

Yellow Magic Orchestra

After working as a session musician with

and

in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic band

(YMO) in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on

, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as electropop/technopop,

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

music,

ambient house Ambient house is a downtempo subgenre of house music that first emerged in the late 1980s, combining elements of acid house and ambient music. The genre developed in chill-out rooms and specialist clubs as part of the UK's dance music scene. It ...

, and

. The group's work has had a lasting influence across genres, ranging from

and

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just " acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synt ...

and

melodic music A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term ca ...

. Sakamoto was the songwriter and composer for a number of the band's hit songs—including " Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)" (1978), " Technopolis" (1979), " Nice Age" (1980), "

Ongaku is the sixth studio album by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, released on June 9, 2021, through EMI Records. The album was produced by the band and recording engineer Uni Inoue. Background Tokyo Jihen had dissolved in 2012 and had only briefly ...

" (1983), and " You've Got to Help Yourself" (1983)—while playing keyboards for many of their other songs, including international hits such as " Computer Game/Firecracker" (1978) and " Rydeen" (1979). He also sang on several songs, such as " Kimi ni Mune Kyun" (1983). Sakamoto's composition " Technopolis" (1979) was credited as a contribution to the development of

music. Sakamoto's internationally successful composition "

Behind the Mask Behind the Mask may refer to: Film and television * Behind the Mask (1932 film), ''Behind the Mask'' (1932 film), a film featuring Boris Karloff * The Man Behind the Mask, ''Behind the Mask'' (1936 film) or ''The Man Behind the Mask'', a Britis ...

" (1978)—a synthpop song in which he sang vocals through a

vocoder A vocoder (, a portmanteau of ''vo''ice and en''coder'') is a category of speech coding that analyzes and synthesizes the human voice signal for audio data compression, multiplexing, voice encryption or voice transformation. The vocoder wa ...

—was later

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by a number of international artists, including

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

. "Behind the Mask" was one of the first songs to use a

gated reverb Gated reverb or gated ambience is an audio processing technique that combines strong reverb and a noise gate that cuts the tail of the reverb. The effect is typically applied to recordings of drums (or live sound reinforcement of drums in a PA ...

effect on the

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

, a technique that later became popular in 1980s

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

. A version of Sakamoto's 1978 song "Thousand Knives" was released on Yellow Magic Orchestra's 1981 album '' BGM''. This version was one of the earliest uses of the

drum machine, for YMO's live performance of "1000 Knives" in 1980 and their ''BGM'' album release in 1981.

Production career

Sakamoto's production credits represent a prolific career in this role. In 1977, he was the

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

and lead keyboardist for Taeko Ohnuki's

album ''

Sunshower A sunshower, or sun shower, is a meteorological phenomenon in which rain falls while the Sun is seen shining. A sunshower is usually a result of winds associated with a rain storm sometimes miles away, blowing the airborne raindrops into an are ...

''. In 1983, he produced

's debut city pop album ''Rosé'', shortly before Yellow Magic Orchestra disbanded. This was the first album where Sakamoto used a

, making him one of the

's first users in its year of release, before using it for his solo album ''Ongaku Zukan'' released the following year. Sakamoto worked with artists such as

;

Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter and only consistent member. Established in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: '' High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Kn ...

, on the '' Dreamland'' (1993) album; and Imai Miki, co-producing her 1994 album ''A Place In The Sun''. In 1996, Sakamoto produced "Mind Circus", the first single from actress

Miki Nakatani is a Japanese actress and singer who began her professional career as a member of the girl group Sakurakko Club. Nakatani focused on acting after her departure from the band, making her debut on the popular television drama '' Under the Same R ...

, leading to a collaboration period spanning 9 singles and 7 albums though 2001.

, who worked with Sakamoto as a member of Aztec Camera, explained in a 1993 interview preceding the release of ''Dreamland'' that he had had to wait a lengthy period of time before he was able to work with Sakamoto, who wrote two soundtracks, a solo album and music for the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.

at the

Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

, prior to working with Frame over four weeks in a New York studio. Frame said that he was impressed by the work of YMO and the ''Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence'' soundtrack, explaining: "That's where you realise that the atmosphere around his compositions is actually in the writing – it's got nothing to do with synthesisers." Frame's decision to ask Sakamoto was finalized after he saw his performance at the Japan Festival that was held in London, United Kingdom. Of his experience recording with Sakamoto, Frame said: In 1994,

Japan Football Association The Japan Football Association (JFA, ) is the Sport governing body, governing body responsible for the administration of Association football, football, futsal, beach soccer and Esports, efootball in Japan. It is responsible for the Japan national ...

asked Ryuichi Sakamoto to compose the instrumental song "Japanese Soccer Anthem". The composition was played at the beginning of

-sponsored events. Sakamoto also produced

video game music Video game music (VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to t ...

. In 1989, he composed music for one of the first

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...

games, '' Far East of Eden: Ziria'' for the

PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched ...

. In 1998, he composed the startup sound for

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...

console. In the 2000s, he composed music for the Dreamcast game '' LOL: Lack of Love'' (2000) and the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

games ''

Seven Samurai 20XX is a PlayStation 2 game released by Sammy Studios in 2004. Its story and concept are based upon Akira Kurosawa's 1954 movie ''Seven Samurai''. Rights for the production of the game were given by the Kurosawa production, with character designs by ...

'' (2004) and ''

Dawn of Mana is a 2006 action-adventure game for the PlayStation 2. It was developed and published by Square Enix. It is the eighth game of the ''Mana'' series and the third entry in the ''World of Mana'' subseries, following the release of ''Children of Ma ...

'' (2006).

Film career

Sakamoto began working in films, as a composer and actor, in

Nagisa Oshima is a Japanese name, Japanese given name used by either sex and is occasionally used as a surname. Written forms Nagisa can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *渚, "beach, strand" *汀, "water's edge/shore" *凪砂, "lu ...

's '' Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence'' (1983), where he starred alongside

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

. The film's score is best known for Sakamoto's " Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" instrumental theme. He collaborated with

on a vocal version of the theme, "

"–which became a chart hit in the UK. In a 2016 interview, Sakamoto reflected on his time acting in the film, saying he "hung out" with Bowie every evening for a month while filming on location. He remembered Bowie as "straightforward" and "nice" while lamenting that he never mustered the courage to ask for Bowie's help while scoring the film's soundtrack as he believed Bowie was too "concentrated" on acting. He was the subject of Elizabeth Lennard's 1985 documentary '' Tokyo Melody'', which mixes studio footage and interviews with Sakamoto about his musical philosophy in a nonlinear format, against a backdrop of 1980s Tokyo. Sakamoto later composed

's ''

'' (1987), which earned him an

and

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

with fellow composers

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

and

Cong Su :''This is a Chinese name; the family name is Su.'' Cong Su (; born 1957 in Tianjin, China) is a Chinese composer. He studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, then in Germany. He has lectured on music theory, music analysis, fil ...

. In that same year, Sakamoto composed the score to the cult-classic

film '' Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise''. Other films scored by Sakamoto include Bertolucci's ''

'' (1990) and '' The Little Buddha'' (1993);

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...

's ''

High Heels High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels (colloquially shortened to heels), are a type of shoe with an upward-angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the we ...

'' (1991);

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...

's ''

Wild Palms ''Wild Palms'' is a five-hour miniseries which was produced by Greengrass Productions and first aired in May 1993 on the ABC network in the United States. The sci-fi drama, announced as an "event series", deals with the dangers of politically ...

'' (1993);

John Maybury John Maybury (born 25 March 1958) is an English filmmaker and artist. He first came to prominence as the director of the music video for the Pet Shop Boys 1984 single "West End Girls". In 2005 he was named as one of the 100 most influential gay ...

's '' Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon'' (1998);

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an Americans, American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, Crime film, crime, and psychological thriller genres. ...

's '' Snake Eyes'' (1998) and ''

Femme Fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

'' (2002); Oshima's '' Gohatto'' (1999);

Jun Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first a director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside Japan is '' Tony Takitani'', an adaptation of a short story by Har ...

's (director of the Mitsui ReHouse commercial from 1997 to 1999 starring

Chizuru Ikewaki is a Japanese actress. Career Ikewaki was given a Best New Talent award at the 2000 Yokohama Film Festival for her performance in ''Osaka Story''. She appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2012 television drama ''Penance Penance is any act or a s ...

and

Mao Inoue Mao Inoue (井上真央, ''Inoue Mao'', born January 9, 1987), is a Japanese actress. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as Makino Tsukushi in the '' Boys Over Flowers'' series and as Sugi Fumi ( ja) in the 54th taiga dr ...

) ''

Tony Takitani is a 2004 Japanese film directed by Jun Ichikawa, based on the short story by Haruki Murakami. Inspiration Haruki Murakami was intrigued by the name Tony Takitani when, at a thrift shop on Maui, he found a yellow T-shirt that said, "Tony Takitan ...

'' (2005);,

Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk (; born May 26, 1971) is a South Korean film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for creating the Netflix survival drama series ''Squid Game'' (2021–present) and the crime drama film ''Silenced'' (2011). D ...

's, '' The Fortress'' (2017); and Andrew Levitas's ''

Minamata is a city located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is on the west coast of Kyūshū and faces Amakusa islands. Minamata was established as a village in 1889, re-designated as a town in 1912 and grew into a city in 1949. As of March 2017, the ci ...

'' (2020) starring

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...

, Minami, and

Bill Nighy William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Known for his work in numerous stage, television and film productions, he has received several awards including a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award, and ...

. Several tracks from Sakamoto's earlier solo albums have also appeared in film soundtracks. In particular, variations of "Chinsagu No Hana" (from ''Beauty'') and "Bibo No Aozora" (from ''1996'') provide the poignant closing pieces for Sue Brooks's ''

Japanese Story ''Japanese Story'' is a 2003 Australian romantic drama film directed by Sue Brooks. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Sandy Edwards (played by Toni Collette) is a director in a company that ...

'' (2003) and

's ''

Babel Babel is a name used in the Hebrew Bible for the city of Babylon and may refer to: Arts and media Written works Books *Babel (book), ''Babel'' (book), by Patti Smith * Babel (2012 manga), ''Babel'' (2012 manga), by Narumi Shigematsu * Babel (20 ...

'' (2006), respectively. In 2015, Sakamoto teamed up with Iñárritu to score his film, '' The Revenant'', starring

Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...

and Tom Hardy. The film ''

Monster A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...

'' by director

Hirokazu Kore-eda is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He began his career in television and has since directed more than a dozen feature films, including '' Nobody Knows'' (2004), '' Still Walking'' (2008), and '' After the Storm'' ( ...

, released in 2023, was Sakamoto's final score; the film is dedicated to his memory. According to ''

'', Sakamoto's classical compositions were influential in helping to define

modern classical music Contemporary classical music is Western art music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included serial music, elect ...

. Sakamoto's classical compositionsespecially "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" and "Bibi no Aozara"have been

and

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

by numerous musicians. Sakamoto also acted in several films: perhaps his most notable performance was as the conflicted Captain Yonoi in ''Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence'', alongside

Takeshi Kitano , also known as in Japan, is a Japanese comedian, actor, and filmmaker. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, he is better known abroad for his work as a filmmaker and actor as well as TV host. During hi ...

and British rock singer

. He also played roles in ''

'' (as

Masahiko Amakasu was an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army who was imprisoned for his involvement in the Amakasu Incident, the extrajudicial execution of anarchists after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. He later became head of the Manchukuo Film Associati ...

) and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

's "

Rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

" music video.

Personal life

In 1972, Sakamoto married Natsuko Sakamoto, with whom he had a daughter. The couple divorced in 1982, when Sakamoto married Japanese pianist and singer

Akiko Yano is a Japanese pop and jazz musician and singer born in Tokyo and raised in Aomori and later began her singing career in the mid-1970s. She has been called "one of the major musical talents of the Japanese popular music world", and her vocals an ...

, following several musical collaborations with her including touring work with the

. Together, they had a daughter, the singer

Miu Sakamoto is a Japanese pop singer. She is the daughter of musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto and Akiko Yano. Biography Miu Sakamoto was born to musician parents, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Akiko Yano, in 1980. She grew up listening to Yellow Magic Orchestra and K ...

. Sakamoto's second marriage ended in August 2006, 14 years after a mutual decision to live separately. He then married his manager, Norika Sora, with whom he had one child,

, an artist and filmmaker. Sakamoto lived primarily in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from 1990 until 2020, when he returned to Tokyo.

Health and death

Beginning in June 2014, Sakamoto took a year-long break after he was diagnosed with

. In 2015, he returned, saying, "Right now I'm good. I feel better. Much, much better. I feel energy inside, but you never know. The cancer might come back in three years, five years, maybe 10 years. Also the radiation makes your immune system really low. It means I'm very susceptible to another cancer in my body." On January 21, 2021, Sakamoto shared a letter on his website announcing that though his throat cancer had gone into remission, he had been diagnosed with

rectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

, and was undergoing treatment after a successful surgery. He wrote, "From now on, I will be living alongside cancer. But, I am hoping to make music for a little while longer." Sakamoto died from cancer on March 28, 2023, at the age of 71. His death was announced on April 2, after his funeral had taken place.

Activism

Sakamoto was a member of the

anti-nuclear The Anti-nuclear war movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, n ...

organization

Stop Rokkasho The is a nuclear reprocessing plant with an annual capacity of 800 tons of uranium or 8 tons of plutonium. It is owned by Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) and is part of the Rokkasho complex located in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori, Rokkasho ...

and demanded the closing of the

Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant The is a nuclear power plant in the city of Omaezaki in Shizuoka Prefecture, on Japan's east coast, 200 km south-west of Tokyo. It is managed by the Chubu Electric Power Company. There are five units contained at a single site with a net ...

. In 2012, he organized the No Nukes 2012 concert, which featured performances by 18 groups, including Yellow Magic Orchestra and

. Sakamoto was also known as a critic of

copyright law A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, e ...

, arguing in 2009 that it is antiquated in the

Information Age The Information Age is a historical period that began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by a rapid shift from traditional industries, as established during the Industrial Revolution, to an economy centered on information technology ...

. He argued that in "the last 100 years, only a few organizations have dominated the music world and ripped off both fans and creators" and that "with the internet we are going back to having tribal attitudes towards music." In 2015, Sakamoto also supported opposition to the

relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma Over the last five decades there have been various plans for the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma (海兵隊普天間航空基地, ''Kaiheitai Futenma Kōkū Kichi'' ), a United States Marine Corps base located within the urban ar ...

in the

Ōmura Bay is a bay located in the center of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan in the East China Sea. Geography The bay measures about north-to-south and east-to-west. The length of the shoreline is about and the surface area is about . This corresponds wi ...

in Henoko, with a new and Okinawan version of his 2004 single "Undercooled" whose sales partially contributed to the "Henoko Fund", aimed to stop the relocation of the base on

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

. Sakamoto was also an

environmentalist Environmentalism is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of Green politics, g ...

. In one of his last public activities before his death, he sent a letter to Tokyo Governor

Yuriko Koike Yuriko Koike (小池百合子, Koike Yuriko; born 15 July 1952) is a Japanese politician who has served as the Governor of Tokyo since 2016. Previously, she was also served as a member of the House of Councillors from 1992 to 1993, a member o ...

in early March 2023 calling for the suspension and review of the planned redevelopment of the

Jingūmae is a district of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. As of October 2020, the population of this district is 12,446. The postal code for Jingūmae is 150–0001. Places of interest Cultural Shrines * Tōgō Shrine * Aoyama Kumano Shrine (青山熊野神� ...

neighborhood in Tokyo due to environmental concerns.

In 2006, Sakamoto, in collaboration with Japanese music company

Avex Group Avex Inc. ( kabushiki gaisha , commonly known as Avex and stylized as avex) is a Japanese Conglomerate (company), entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J- ...

, founded , a record label seeking to change the manner in which music is produced. Sakamoto explained that ' was not his label but is a platform for all aspiring artists to join as equal collaborators to share the benefits of the

music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

. On the initiative's "About" page, the label is described as a project that "aims to find new possibilities for music, while making meaningful contribution to culture and society". The name "'" is spelt with three "m"s because the third "m" stands for music.

Awards and nominations

Sakamoto won a number of awards for his work as a film composer, beginning with the

BAFTA Award for Best Film Music The BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, formerly known as the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, is a film award that is presented to film composers by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. It has been presented annually at the B ...

for his score for ''

,'' in 1984. His greatest award success was for scoring ''

'' (1987), which won him the

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications out ...

, and

Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

, as well as a

nomination in 1989. His score for ''

'' (1990) won him his second

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

, and his score for ''

'' (1993) received another

nomination. In 1997, his collaboration with

Toshio Iwai is a Japanese interactive media and Installation art, installation artist who has also created a number of commercial video games. In addition he has worked in television, music performance, museum design and digital musical instrument design. ...

, ''Music Plays Images X Images Play Music'', was awarded the Golden Nica, the grand prize of the

Prix Ars Electronica The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the best known and longest running yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music. It has been awarded since 1987 by Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria ...

competition. He also contributed to the

winning soundtrack for ''Babel'' (2006) with several pieces of music, including the closing theme "Bibo no Aozora". In 2009, he was awarded the

from France's

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

for his musical contributions. His score for '' The Revenant'' (2015) was

nominated A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...

for the Golden Globe and BAFTA, and won Best Musical Score from the

Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association The Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) is an organization of 25 print, radio/TV and internet journalists from Dallas–Fort Worth-based publications. In December of each year, the DFWFCA meets to vote on their Dallas–Fort Wo ...

. Sakamoto won the Golden Pine Award (Lifetime Achievement) at the 2013 International Samobor Film Music Festival, along with

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

and

Gerald Fried Gerald Fried (February 13, 1928 – February 17, 2023) was an American composer, conductor, and oboist known for his film and television scores. He composed music for well-known television series of the 1960s and 1970s, including ''Mission: Imp ...

Honorary awards

* 2009 –

, from France's

* 2013 – Golden Pine Award (Lifetime Achievement), at 2013 International Samobor Film Music Festival

Soundtrack awards

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by ...

* 1987 – ''

'' (won)

BAFTA Award for Best Film Music The BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, formerly known as the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, is a film award that is presented to film composers by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. It has been presented annually at the B ...

* 1983 – ''

'' (won) * 1987 – ''

'' (nominated) * 2015 – '' The Revenant'' (nominated)

Grand Bell Awards for Best Music

* 2018 – '' The Fortress'' (won)

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications out ...

* 1987 – ''

'' (won) * 1990 – ''

'' (won) * 2015 – '' The Revenant'' (nominated)

Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

* 1987 – ''

'' (won) * 1995 – ''

'' (nominated) * 2015 – '' The Revenant'' (nominated)

Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Score The Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Score is an award presented annually at the Hong Kong Film Awards for a film with the best original music score. the current winner is Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, ...

* 2022 – '' Love After Love'' (won)

Asian Film Awards for Best Composer

* 2012 – '' Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai'' (nominated) * 2017 – ''

Rage Rage may refer to: * Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger Games * Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game * Rage (trick-taking card game), a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell * ''Rage'' (video game), a 2011 first- ...

'' (nominated)

Other awards

* 1997 – Golden Nica, grand prize of

, for ''Music Plays Images X Images Play Music''

Discography

Solo studio albums * ''

'' (1978) * ''

'' (1980) * ''Left-Handed Dream'' (1981) * ''Ongaku Zukan'' (1984) * ''

'' (1985) * '' Futurista'' (1986) * ''

'' (1987) * ''

'' (1989) * '' Heartbeat'' (1991) * '' Sweet Revenge'' (1994) * ''Smoochy'' (1995) * ''

'' (1996) * ''Discord'' (1997) * '' BTTB'' (1999) * ''Comica'' (2002) * ''Elephantism'' (2002) * ''

Chasm In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics. Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-graben w ...

'' (2004) * ''Out of Noise'' (2009) * '' Playing the Piano'' (2009) * '' Async'' (2017) * '' 12'' (2023)

Notes

References

External links

*

– Sakamoto's record label
Raster-Noton
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakamoto, Ryuichi 1952 births 2023 deaths 20th-century Japanese classical composers 20th-century Japanese classical pianists 20th-century Japanese male actors 20th-century Japanese male musicians 21st-century Japanese classical composers 21st-century Japanese classical pianists 21st-century Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese male musicians Anime composers Avex Group artists Avex Group people Best Original Music BAFTA Award winners Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Composers for piano Composers from Tokyo Deaths from colorectal cancer in Japan Electronic composers Golden Globe Award–winning musicians Grammy Award winners Intellectual property activism Island Records artists Japanese anti–nuclear power activists Japanese contemporary artists Japanese contemporary classical composers Japanese dance musicians Japanese electro musicians Japanese electronic musicians Japanese expatriates in the United States Japanese film score composers Japanese house musicians Japanese keyboardists Japanese male classical pianists Japanese male film actors Japanese male film score composers Japanese male opera composers Japanese male television actors Japanese opera composers Japanese record producers Japanese techno musicians Japanese trance musicians Japanese video game composers Music Awards Japan winners New-age composers New-age musicians People from Nakano, Tokyo Place of death missing Progressivism in Japan Samadhi Sound artists Tokyo University of the Arts alumni Virgin Records artists Yellow Magic Orchestra members Activists from Tokyo

Early life and education

Solo career

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Yellow Magic Orchestra

Production career

Film career

Personal life

Health and death

Activism

Awards and nominations

Honorary awards

Soundtrack awards

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by ...

BAFTA Award for Best Film Music The BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, formerly known as the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, is a film award that is presented to film composers by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. It has been presented annually at the B ...

Grand Bell Awards for Best Music

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications out ...

Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Score The Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Score is an award presented annually at the Hong Kong Film Awards for a film with the best original music score. the current winner is Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, ...

Asian Film Awards for Best Composer

Other awards

Discography

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links