Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japanese:坂本 龍一^[a],Hepburn:Sakamoto Ryūichi, January 17, 1952 – March 28, 2023) was a Japanese composer,keyboardist,record producer andactor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of thesynth-based bandYellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his YMO bandmatesHaruomi Hosono andYukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto influenced and pioneered a number ofelectronic music genres.^[1]

Ryuichi Sakamoto
坂本 龍一
Sakamoto in 2013
Born	(1952-01-17)January 17, 1952 Nakano, Tokyo, Japan
Died	March 28, 2023(2023-03-28) (aged 71) Tokyo, Japan
Education	Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (B.A.,M.A.)
Occupations	Musician record producer actor
Years active	1975–2023
Spouses	Natsuko Sakamoto ​ ​ (m. 1972;div. 1982)​ Akiko Yano ​ ​ (m. 1982;div. 2006)​
Children	Three, includingMiu Sakamoto andNeo Sora
Musical career
Genres	Electronic classical ambient experimental avant-garde minimal film score
Instruments	Keyboard piano synthesizer vocals
Discography	Ryuichi Sakamoto discography
Labels	Columbia Alfa MIDI Sony Japan EMI For Life Warner commmons A&M Restless
Formerly of	Yellow Magic Orchestra Sketch Show
Website	sitesakamoto.com

Sakamoto began his career as a session musician, producer, and arranger while he was at theTokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music 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 theexperimental electronicfusion albumThousand Knives in that year, and the albumB-2 Unit in 1980. B-2 Unit included the track "Riot in Lagos", which was a significant contribution to the development ofelectro andhip hop music.^[2][3][4] He went on to produce more solo records, and collaborate with many international artists;David Sylvian,DJ Spooky,Carsten Nicolai,Youssou N'Dour, andFennesz among them. Sakamoto composed music for theopening ceremony of the 1992Barcelona Summer Olympic Games,^[5] and his composition "Energy Flow" (1999) was the firstinstrumental number-one single in Japan'sOricon charts history.^[6]

As afilm score composer, Sakamoto won anAcademy Award (Oscar), aBAFTA, aGrammy, and twoGolden Globe Awards.Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) marked his debut as both an actor and afilm score composer; its main theme was adapted into the single "Forbidden Colours" which became an international hit. His most successful work as a film composer wasThe Last Emperor (1987), for which he won theAcademy Award for Best Original Score, making him thefirst Japanese composer to win an Academy Award.^[7] He continued earning accolades composing for films such asThe Sheltering Sky (1990),Little Buddha (1993), andThe Revenant (2015). On occasion, Sakamoto also worked as a composer and ascenario writer onanime andvideo games. He was awarded theOrdre des Arts et des Lettres from theMinistry of Culture of France in 2009 for his contributions to music.^[8] Sakamoto died on March 28, 2023 fromcolorectal cancer at the age of 71.

Ryuichi Sakamoto was born on January 17, 1952, inTokyo. 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 includedJohann Sebastian Bach andClaude Debussy — whom he once called "the door to all 20th century music." He also said, “Asian music heavily influenced Debussy, and Debussy heavily influenced me. So, the music goes around the world and comes full circle."^[9] He discoveredjazz androck and roll as a teenager, when he fell in with a crowd of hipster rebels. He was also influenced by jazz musicians such asJohn Coltrane andOrnette Coleman, and by rock bands such asThe Beatles andThe Rolling Stones. He described his political leanings during his time as a student as “not a 100 percent Marxist, but kind of”.^[10]

Sakamoto entered theTokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1970,^[11] earning a B.A. inmusic composition in 1974 and aM.A. in 1976, with special emphasis on both electronic andethnic music. He studiedethnomusicology there with the intention of becoming a researcher in the field, due to his interest in variousworld music traditions, particularly theJapanese,Okinawan,Indian, andAfrican musical traditions.^[12] He was also trained inclassical music and began experimenting with theelectronic music equipment available at the university, including synthesizers such as theBuchla,Moog, andARP.^[11]

In 1975, Sakamoto collaborated with percussionistTsuchitori Toshiyuki to releaseDisappointment-Hateruma.^[13] After working as a session musician withHaruomi Hosono andYukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successfulelectronic music bandYellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneerelectronic genres such aselectropop/technopop,^[14][15]synthpop,cyberpunk music,^[16]ambient house,^[14] andelectronica.^[15] The group's work has had a lasting influence across genres, ranging fromhip hop^[15] andtechno^[17] toacid house^[1] and generalmelodic music. 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" (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 oftechno music,^[18] while the internationally successful "Behind the Mask" (1978)—a synthpop song in which he sang vocals through avocoder—was latercovered by a number of international artists, includingMichael Jackson andEric Clapton.^[19]

Sakamoto released his first solo albumThousand Knives of Ryūichi Sakamoto in mid-1978 with the help ofHideki Matsutake—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 electronic music wasfused with traditionalJapanese music—while "Grasshoppers" is a moreminimalistic piano song. The album was recorded from April to July 1978 with a variety ofelectronic musical instruments, including various synthesizers, such as theKORG PS-3100, apolyphonic synthesizer; theOberheim Eight Voice; theMoog III-C; thePolymoog, theMinimoog; theMicromoog; theKorg VC-10, which is a vocoder; theKORG SQ-10, which is ananalog sequencer; theSyn-Drums, anelectronic drum kit; and themicroprocessor-basedRoland MC-8 Microcomposer, which is amusic sequencer that was programmed by Matsutake and played by Sakamoto. A version of the song "Thousand Knives" was released on the Yellow Magic Orchestra's 1981 albumBGM. This version was one of the earliest uses of theRoland TR-808drum machine, for YMO's live performance of "1000 Knives" in 1980 and theirBGM album release in 1981.^[20]

In 1980, Sakamoto released the solo albumB-2 Unit, which has been referred to as his "edgiest" record^[21] and is known for the electronic song "Riot in Lagos",^[21] which is considered an early example ofelectro music (electro-funk),^[2][3] as Sakamoto anticipated the beats and sounds of electro.^[4] Early electro and hip hop artists, such asAfrika Bambaataa^[4] andKurtis Mantronik, were influenced by the album—especially "Riot in Lagos"—with Mantronik citing the work as a major influence on his electro hip hop groupMantronix.^[3] "Riot in Lagos" was later included inPlaygroup'scompilation albumKings of Electro (2007), alongside other significant electro compositions, such asHashim's "Al-Naafyish" (1983).^[22]

According toDusted Magazine, Sakamoto's use of squelchingbounce sounds and mechanicalbeats was later incorporated in early electro andhip hop music productions, such as "Message II (Survival)" (1982), byMelle Mel andDuke Bootee; "Magic's Wand" (1982), byWhodini andThomas Dolby; Twilight 22's "Electric Kingdom" (1983); and Kurt Mantronik'sThe Album (1985).^[23] The 1980 release of "Riot in Lagos" was listed byThe Guardian in 2011 as one of the 50 key events in the history ofdance music.^[24]Resident Advisor said the track anticipated the sounds oftechno andhip hop music, and that it inspired numerous artists from cities such as Tokyo, New York City and Detroit.^[25] Peter Tasker ofNikkei Asia said it was influential on techno, hip hop andhouse music.^[26]

One of the tracks onB-2 Unit, "Differencia" has, according toFact, "relentless tumbling beats and a stabbingbass synth that foreshadowsjungle by nearly a decade". Some tracks on the album also foreshadow genres such asIDM,broken beat, andindustrial techno, and the work of producers such asActress andOneohtrix Point Never. For several tracks on the album, Sakamoto worked with UKreggae producerDennis Bovell, incorporating elements ofafrobeat anddub music.^[27]

Also in 1980, Sakamoto released the single "War Head/Lexington Queen", an experimentalsynthpop and electro record, and began a long-standing collaboration withDavid Sylvian, when he co-wrote and performed on theJapan track "Taking Islands in Africa". In the following year, Sakamoto collaborated withTalking Heads andKing Crimson guitaristAdrian Belew andRobin Scott for an album titledLeft-Handed Dream. Following Japan's dissolution, Sakamoto worked on another collaboration with Sylvian, a single entitled "Bamboo Houses/Bamboo Music" in 1982. Sakamoto's 1980 collaboration withKiyoshiro Imawano, "Ikenai Rouge Magic", topped theOricon singles chart.^[28]

In 1983, Sakamoto starred alongsideDavid Bowie in directorNagisa Oshima'sMerry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. In addition to acting in the film, Sakamoto also composed the film's musical score and again collaborated with Sylvian on the film's main theme ("Forbidden Colours") – which became a minor hit.^[29] In a 2016 interview, Sakamoto reflected on his time acting in the film, claiming that he "hung out" with Bowie every evening for a month while filming on location. He remembered Bowie as "straightforward" and "nice", while also lamenting the fact 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".^[30]

Sakamoto began work on his next albumOngaku Zukan in 1982, but it didn't release until 1984. During production in 1983, he began using the newly releasedYamaha DX7 the same year thedigital synthesizer released. He initially used the DX7 forMari Iijima's debutcity pop albumRosé in 1983 before using it for his solo albumOngaku Zukan, which eventually released in 1984.^[31]

Sakamoto broadened his musical range with a number of solo albums suchOngaku Zukan (1984),Neo Geo (1987), andBeauty (1989). These albums included collaborations with artists such asThomas Dolby,^[32]Iggy Pop,Youssou N'Dour, andBrian Wilson.^[33][34]

In 1985, Sakamoto was commissioned to score a dance composition by New York choreographerMolissa Fenley calledEsperanto. The performance itself debuted at theJoyce Theater, to mixed reviews fromAnna Kisselgoff atThe New York Times which said of Sakamoto's music, that "The sound often resembles a radio shut on and off."^[35]The score was subsequently released in Japan by Midi, Inc., and includes contributions fromArto Lindsay and YAS-KAZ. Jen Monroe of The Baffler calledEsperanto, "one of his early forays into sample-based music, which manages to be unremittingly gorgeous, aggressive, angular, and lush."^[36]

Heartbeat (1991) andSweet Revenge (1994) features Sakamoto's collaborations with a global range of artists such asRoddy Frame, Dee Dee Brave, Marco Prince,Arto Lindsay,Youssou N'Dour,David Sylvian, andIngrid Chavez.^[37][38]

In 1995 Sakamoto releasedSmoochy, described by theSound on Sound website as Sakamoto's "excursion into the land of easy-listening and Latin", followed by the1996 album, which featured a number of previously released pieces arranged for solo piano, violin, and cello.^[39] During December 1996 Sakamoto, composed the entirety of an hour-long orchestral work entitled "Untitled 01" and released as the albumDiscord (1998).^[39] TheSony Classical release ofDiscord was sold in ajewel case that was covered by a blue-coloredslipcase made offoil, while the CD also contained a data video track. In 1998 theNinja Tune record label released thePrayer/Salvation Remixes, for which prominent electronica artists such as Ashley Beedle and Andrea Parker remixed sections from the "Prayer" and "Salvation" parts ofDiscord.^[40] Sakamoto collaborated primarily with guitarist David Torn andDJ Spooky—artistLaurie Anderson 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:

The themes of Prayer and Salvation came out of the feelings of sadness and frustration that I expressed in the first two movements, about the fact that people are starving in the world, and we are not able to help them. People are dying, and yet the political and economical and historical situations are too complicated and inert for us to do much about it. So I got really angry with myself. I asked myself what I could do, and since there's not a lot I can do on the practical level, all that's left for me is to pray. But it's not enough just to pray; I also had to think about actually saving those people, so the last movement is called Salvation. That's the journey of the piece.^[39]

In 1998, Italian ethnomusicologistMassimo Milano publishedRyuichi Sakamoto. Conversazioni through the Padova, Arcana imprint. All three editions of the book were published in the Italian language.^[41] Sakamoto's next album,BTTB (1999)—anacronym for "Back to the Basics" is comprised a series of original pieces on solo piano influenced byDebussy andSatie and includes "Energy Flow" (a major hit in Japan) and an arrangement of the Yellow Magic Orchestra classic "Tong Poo".^[42][43]

Sakamoto's long-awaited "opera"LIFE [ja] was released in 1999, with visual direction byShiro Takatani, artistic director ofDumb Type.^[44] This ambitious multi-genre multi-media project featured contributions fromPina Bausch,Bernardo Bertolucci,Josep Carreras,the Dalai Lama, andSalman Rushdie.^[45] In 2007, they "deconstructed" all the visual images and the sound, to create an art installation.^[46][47]

Sakamoto teamed with cellistJaques Morelenbaum and singerPaula Morelenbaum, on a pair of albums celebrating the work ofbossa nova pioneerAntonio Carlos Jobim. They recorded their first album,Casa (2001), mostly in Jobim's home studio inRio de Janeiro, with Sakamoto performing on the late Jobim's grand piano.^[48] The album was well received, having been included in the list ofThe New York Times's top albums of 2002.^[49] 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 featuredDavid Sylvian,Brian Eno,Kraftwerk,Cyndi Lauper, andHaruomi Hosono andYukihiro Takahashi, the other two founding members ofYellow Magic Orchestra.^[50][51]

Sakamoto collaborated withAlva Noto (an alias ofCarsten Nicolai) to releaseVrioon, 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 labelRaster-Noton, was voted record of the year 2004 in the electronica category by British magazineThe Wire. They then releasedInsen (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)^[52] andSummvs (2011).

In 2005, Finnish mobile phone manufacturerNokia hired Sakamoto to compose ring and alert tones for their high-end phone, theNokia 8800. In 2006, Nokia offered the ringtones for free on their website.^[53] 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 asOfficier of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at the French embassy in Tokyo.^[54]

Throughout the latter part of the 2000s, Sakamoto collaborated on several projects with visual artistShiro Takatani, including the installationsLIFE – fluid, invisible, inaudible... (2007–2013), commissioned by YCAM, Yamaguchi,collapsed andsilence spins at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2012 and 2013Sharjah Biennial (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 performanceLIFE-WELL featuring the actor Noh/Kyogen Mansai Nomura, and forShiro Takatani's performanceST/LL in 2015.^[55]

In 2013, Sakamoto was a jury member at the70th Venice International Film Festival. The jury viewed 20 films and was chaired by filmmakerBernardo Bertolucci.^[56]

On April 14, 2013, he also participated in a performance of film and music by video pioneerNam June Paik, selected by musicians and composers who knew him well: himself,Stephen Vitiello, andSteina Vasulka.^[57]

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 withoropharyngeal cancer in late June of the same year. He announced a break from his work while he sought treatment and recovery.^[58] 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 forYoji Yamada'sHaha to Kuraseba (Living with My Mother).^[59] In 2015, Sakamoto also composed the score for theAlejandro González Iñárritu's film,The Revenant,^[60] for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.^[61]

In January 2017 it was announced that Sakamoto would release a solo album in April 2017 through Milan Records;^[62] the new album, titledasync, 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 the68th Berlin International Film Festival.^[63]

On June 14, 2018, a documentary about the life and work of Sakamoto, entitledRyuichi Sakamoto: Coda, was released.^[64] The film follows Sakamoto as he recovers from cancer and resumes creating music, protests nuclear power plants following theFukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, and creates field recordings in a variety of locales. He also elucidates the influence of Russian directorAndrei Tarkovsky on the making of his then upcoming albumasync. Sakamoto says, "When I started making the album, the sound that was in my mind was the Bach theme fromSolaris, arranged on synthesizers byEduard Artemyev. I arranged the same piece in the beginning of the process forasync, 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".^[65] 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 directorRobert Bresson his favorites, claiming their books –Notes on the Cinematographer andSculpting in Time, respectively – as "[his] bible."^[65]

Directed by Stephen Nomura Schible, the documentary was met with critical praise.^[66][67]

In 2021 he was associate artist ofHolland Festival in Amsterdam where he presented the world premiere ofTIME, his last collaboration with his long-term collaboratorShiro Takatani. This "wordless opera", featuring dancer and actorMin Tanaka and shô playerMayumi Miyata was inspired by the first tale fromSoseki Natsume's collection of short storiesTen Nights of Dreams.^[47]

In 2022 he took part in the creation ofDumb Type's new installation2022 as a new member of the Japanese collective, for theJapan Pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition –La Biennale di Venezia.^[68]

The same year Sakamoto collaborated with the young Ukrainian violinist Illia Bondarenko on the single "Piece for Illia" as part of the compilation fundraiserUkraine (volume 2) for relief for victims of theRussian Invasion of Ukraine.^[69]

On April 24, 2023, the song "Snooze" was released by Agust D (Suga 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.^[70]

In 2023, filmmakerNeo Sora–Sakamoto's son–directed a final performance of Sakomoto playing solo piano, released asRyuichi Sakamoto: Opus. It premiered at theVenice Film Festival in 2023.

Sakamoto's production credits represent a prolific career in this role. In 1983, he producedMari Iijima's debutcity pop albumRosé, the same year that the Yellow Magic Orchestra was disbanded. This was the first album where Sakamoto used aYamaha DX7, the same year thedigital synthesizer was released, before using it for his solo albumOngaku Zukan the following year.^[31] Sakamoto subsequently worked with artists such asThomas Dolby;Aztec Camera, on theDreamland (1993) album;^[71] andImai Miki, co-producing her 1994 albumA Place In The Sun. In 1996, Sakamoto produced "Mind Circus", the first single from actressMiki Nakatani, leading to a collaboration period spanning 9 singles and 7 albums though 2001.^[72]

Roddy Frame, who worked with Sakamoto as a member of Aztec Camera, explained in a 1993 interview preceding the release ofDreamland 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 theopening ceremony at theBarcelona Olympics, 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 theMerry 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.^[73] Of his experience recording with Sakamoto, Frame said:

He's got this reputation as a boffin, a professor of music who sits in front of a computer screen. But he's more intuitive than that, and he's always trying to corrupt what he knows. Halfway through the day in the studio, he will stop and play some hip hop or some house for 10 minutes, and then go back to what he was doing. He's always trying to trip himself up like that, and to discover new things. Just before we worked together he'd been out in Borneo, I think, with a DAT machine, looking for new sounds.^[71]

In 1994,Japan Football Association asked Ryuichi Sakamoto to compose the instrumental song "Japanese Soccer Anthem".^[74] The composition was played at the beginning ofJapan Football Association-sponsored events.^[75]

Sakamoto began working in films, as a composer and actor, inNagisa Oshima'sMerry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983), for which he composed the score,title theme, and the duet "Forbidden Colours" withDavid Sylvian. Soon after, he was the subject of Elizabeth Lennard's 1985 documentaryTokyo 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 composedBernardo Bertolucci'sThe Last Emperor (1987), which earned him theAcademy Award with fellow composersDavid Byrne andCong Su. In that same year, he composed the score to the cult-classicanime filmRoyal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise. Sakamoto also went on to compose for theopening ceremony of the1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.^[76]

Other films scored by Sakamoto includePedro Almodóvar'sHigh Heels (1991); Bertolucci'sThe Little Buddha (1993);^[77]Oliver Stone'sWild Palms (1993);^[78]John Maybury'sLove Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998);Brian De Palma'sSnake Eyes (1998) andFemme Fatale (2002); Oshima'sGohatto (1999);Jun Ichikawa's (director of the Mitsui ReHouse commercial from 1997 to 1999 starringChizuru Ikewaki andMao Inoue)Tony Takitani (2005);,^[77]Hwang Dong-hyuk's,The Fortress (2017); and Andrew Levitas'sMinamata (2020) starringJohnny Depp,Minami, andBill Nighy.^[79]

Several tracks from Sakamoto's earlier solo albums have also appeared in film soundtracks. In particular, variations of "Chinsagu No Hana" (fromBeauty) and "Bibo No Aozora" (from1996) provide the poignant closing pieces for Sue Brooks'sJapanese Story (2003) andAlejandro González Iñárritu'sBabel (2006), respectively.^[80][81] In 2015, Sakamoto teamed up with Iñárritu to score his film,The Revenant, starringLeonardo DiCaprio andTom Hardy.^[60] The filmMonster by directorHirokazu Kore-eda, released in 2023, was Sakamoto's final score; the film is dedicated to his memory.^[82]

Sakamoto also acted in several films: perhaps his most notable performance was as the conflicted Captain Yonoi inMerry Christmas Mr Lawrence, alongsideTakeshi Kitano and British rock singerDavid Bowie. He also played roles inThe Last Emperor (asMasahiko Amakasu) andMadonna's "Rain" music video.^[76][77]

In 1972, Sakamoto married Natsuko Sakamoto, with whom he had a daughter.^[33] The couple divorced in 1982, when Sakamoto married Japanese pianist and singerAkiko Yano, following several musical collaborations with her including touring work with theYellow Magic Orchestra. Together, they had a daughter, the singerMiu Sakamoto. Sakamoto's second marriage ended in August 2006, 14 years after a mutual decision to live separately.^[83] He then married his manager, Norika Sora,^[50] with whom he had one child,Neo Sora, an artist and filmmaker.^[84] Sakamoto lived primarily inNew York City from 1990 until 2020, when he returned to Tokyo.^[47]

Beginning in June 2014, Sakamoto took a year-long break after he was diagnosed withoropharyngeal cancer. 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."^[85]

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 withrectal cancer, 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."^[86]

Sakamoto died from cancer on March 28, 2023, at the age of 71.^[87] His death was announced on April 2, after his funeral had taken place.^[88][89]

Sakamoto was a member of theanti-nuclear organizationStop Rokkasho and demanded the closing of theHamaoka Nuclear Power Plant.^[90] In 2012, he organized the No Nukes 2012 concert, which featured performances by 18 groups, including Yellow Magic Orchestra andKraftwerk.^[91][92] Sakamoto was also known as a critic ofcopyright law, arguing in 2009 that it is antiquated in theInformation Age. 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."^[93]

In 2015, Sakamoto also supported opposition to therelocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in theŌmura Bay in Henoko, with a new and Okinawan version of his 2004 single "Undercooled"^[94] whose sales partially contributed to the "Henoko Fund", aimed to stop the relocation of the base onOkinawa.^[95]

Sakamoto was also anenvironmentalist. In one of his last public activities before his death, he sent a letter to Tokyo GovernorYuriko Koike in early March 2023 calling for the suspension and review of the planned redevelopment of theJingūmae neighborhood in Tokyo due to environmental concerns.^[95]

In 2006, Sakamoto, in collaboration with Japanese music companyAvex Group, foundedcommmons (コモンズ,Komonzu), a record label seeking to change the manner in which music is produced. Sakamoto explained thatcommmons was not his label but is a platform for all aspiring artists to join as equal collaborators to share the benefits of themusic industry. 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 "commmons" is spelt with three "m"s because the third "m" stands for music.^[96]

Sakamoto won a number of awards for his work as a film composer, beginning with theBAFTA Award for Best Film Music for his score forMerry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, in 1984.^[97] His greatest award success was for scoringThe Last Emperor (1987), which won him theAcademy Award for Best Original Score,Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, andGrammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media,^[7] as well as aBAFTA nomination in 1989.^[98]

His score forThe Sheltering Sky (1990) won him his secondGolden Globe Award,^[99] and his score forLittle Buddha (1993) received anotherGrammy Award nomination.^[100] In 1997, his collaboration withToshio Iwai,Music Plays Images X Images Play Music, was awarded the Golden Nica, the grand prize of thePrix Ars Electronica competition.^[39] He also contributed to theAcademy Award winningsoundtrack forBabel (2006) with several pieces of music,^[101] including the closing theme "Bibo no Aozora". In 2009, he was awarded theOrdre des Arts et des Lettres from France'sMinistry of Culture for his musical contributions.^[8] His score forThe Revenant (2015) wasnominated for the Golden Globe^[99] and BAFTA,^[102] and won Best Musical Score from theDallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association.^[103]

Sakamoto won the Golden Pine Award (Lifetime Achievement) at the 2013 International Samobor Film Music Festival, along withClint Eastwood andGerald Fried.^[104][105]

• 2009 –Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, from France'sMinistry of Culture^[106]
• 2013 – Golden Pine Award (Lifetime Achievement), at 2013 International Samobor Film Music Festival^[105]

• 1987 –The Last Emperor (won)

• 1983 –Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (won)
• 1987 –The Last Emperor (nominated)
• 2015 –The Revenant (nominated)

• 2018 –The Fortress (won)

• 1987 –The Last Emperor (won)
• 1990 –The Sheltering Sky (won)
• 2015 –The Revenant (nominated)

• 1987 –The Last Emperor (won)
• 1995 –Little Buddha (nominated)
• 2015 –The Revenant (nominated)

• 2022 –Love After Love (won)

• 2012 –Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (nominated)^[111]
• 2017 –Rage (nominated)^[112]

• 1997 – Golden Nica, grand prize ofPrix Ars Electronica, forMusic Plays Images X Images Play Music^[113][114]

Solo studio albums

• List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Japan

• "Ryuichi Sakamoto".Music Technology. Vol. 6, no. 8. July 1992. p. 52.ISSN 0957-6606.OCLC 24835173.

• Official website 
• Commmons – Sakamoto's record label
• Raster-Noton
• Ryuichi Sakamoto's channel onYouTube
• Ryuichi Sakamoto discography atDiscogs
• Ryuichi Sakamoto atAllMusic
• Ryuichi Sakamoto atIMDb