:Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto was born on January 17, 1952, in Tokyo. 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 and Claude Debussy — whom he once called "the door to all 20th century music." He also said, "Asian music" (Javanese Gamelan) "heavily influenced Debussy, and Debussy heavily influenced me. So, the music goes around the world and comes full circle."{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Douglas Q.|title=Gig Alert: Ryuichi Sakamoto|url=http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/music-hub/2010/oct/18/gig-alert-ryuichi-sakamoto/|publisher=WNYC|access-date=July 20, 2011|date=October 18, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022043901/http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/music-hub/2010/oct/18/gig-alert-ryuichi-sakamoto/|archive-date=October 22, 2010}}

He discovered jazz and rock and roll as a teenager, when he fell in with a crowd of hipster rebels. He was also influenced by jazz musicians such as John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, and by rock bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. He described his political leanings during his time as a student as “not a 100 percent Marxist, but kind of”.{{cite magazine|url=https://jacobin.com/2023/04/ryuichi-sakamoto-japanese-music-consumerism-pop-electronic-experimental-obituary|access-date=November 19, 2023|title=A Thousand Flowers for Ryuichi Sakamoto|author=Dan Barrow|date=April 3, 2023|magazine=Jacobin}} At the height of the Japanese student protest movement, he and his classmates shut down their high school for several weeks.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Sakamoto entered the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1970,{{cite web|last=Dayal|first=Gheeta|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/blog/archives/00000615.htm|work=Groove|publisher=The Original Soundtrack|access-date=June 17, 2011|date=July 7, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002224518/http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/blog/archives/00000615.htm|archive-date=October 2, 2011|url-status=dead}} earning a B.A. in music composition in 1974 and a M.A. in 1976, with special emphasis on both electronic and ethnic music. He studied ethnomusicology there with the intention of becoming a researcher in the field, due to his interest in various world music traditions, particularly the Japanese, Okinawan, Indian, Indonesian and African musical traditions.{{citation|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto Interview|first=Phil|last=Freeman|work=Global Rhythm|volume=15|issue=8–12|year=2006|publisher=World Marketing Inc.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iylLAAAAYAAJ|access-date=June 12, 2011|page=16}} He was also trained in classical music and began experimenting with the electronic music equipment available at the university, including synthesizers such as the Buchla, Moog, and ARP.

In 1975, Sakamoto collaborated with percussionist Tsuchitori Toshiyuki to release Disappointment-Hateruma.{{cite web|title=土取利行 ＋ 坂本龍一 / Disappointment Hateruma|url=http://jazzamurai.exblog.jp/4664314/|website=jazzamurai.exblog.jp|access-date=January 23, 2016|language=ja|date=February 2, 2007}} In 1977, Sakamoto began working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. Together, the trio formed the electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) in 1978.

In mid-1978, Sakamoto released his first solo album Thousand Knives of Ryūichi Sakamoto, with the help of Hideki 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 was fused with traditional Japanese music—while "Grasshoppers" is a more minimalistic piano song. The album was recorded from April to July 1978 with a variety of electronic musical instruments, including various synthesizers, such as the KORG PS-3100, a polyphonic synthesizer; the Oberheim Eight Voice; the Moog III-C; the Polymoog, the Minimoog; the Micromoog; the Korg VC-10, which is a vocoder; the KORG SQ-10, which is an analog sequencer; the Syn-Drums, an electronic drum kit; and the microprocessor-based Roland MC-8 Microcomposer, which is a music sequencer that was programmed by Matsutake and played by Sakamoto.{{Cite web|url=https://articles.roland.com/yellow-magic-orchestra-808-revolution/|title=How Yellow Magic Orchestra Launched the 808 Revolution|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=Roland Articles|last=Shamoon|first=Evan|date=July 31, 2020 }}

File:Bob Motherbaugh, Yukihiro Takahashi, Ryuichi Sakamoto.png of Devo and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1980]]

In 1980, Sakamoto released his second solo album, B-2 Unit, which has been referred to as his "edgiest" record and is known for the electronic track "Riot in Lagos",{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Peter|title=The rough guide to rock|year=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=1-84353-105-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&pg=PT908|access-date=May 25, 2011|page=901}} which is considered an early example of electro music (electro-funk),{{cite book|last=Broughton|first=Frank|title=La historia del DJ / The DJ's Story, Volume 2|year=2007|publisher=Ediciones Robinbook|isbn=978-84-96222-79-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1GMxP6mpRdgC&pg=PA121|access-date=May 25, 2011|page=121}} as Sakamoto anticipated the beats and sounds of electro.{{citation|title=A-Z Of Electro|work=The Wire|issue=145|date=March 1996|author=David Toop|url=http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/210/|access-date=May 29, 2011}} Early electro and hip hop artists, such as Afrika Bambaataa and Kurtis Mantronik, 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.{{citation|title=Kurtis Mantronik Interview|work=Hip Hop Storage|date=July 2002|url=http://www.cheebadesign.com/legends/articleX.html|access-date=May 25, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524234641/http://www.cheebadesign.com/legends/articleX.html|archive-date=May 24, 2011}} "Riot in Lagos" was later included in Playgroup's compilation album Kings of Electro (2007), alongside other significant electro compositions, such as Hashim's "Al-Naafyish" (1983).{{allMusic|album|r2003688|Kings of Electro}} The album is also credited with introducing the influential Roland TR-808 drum machine "in the clubs for the first time" with "a new body music" that "foretold the future" of music according to Mary Anne Hobbs of BBC Radio 6 Music.{{cite web |last1=Hobbs |first1=Mary Anne |author1-link=Mary Anne Hobbs |date=9 December 2020 |title=In praise of the 808 - 8 essential tracks to celebrate the drum machine that changed the world |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4vxylVTKQrw6Hl8kgNrFv61/in-praise-of-the-808-8-essential-tracks-to-celebrate-the-drum-machine-that-changed-the-world |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=BBC Radio 6 Music |publisher=BBC}}

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 and Duke Bootee (1982), "Magic's Wand" (1982) by Whodini and Thomas Dolby, "Electric Kingdom" (1983) by Twilight 22, and The Album (1985) by Mantronix.{{cite web|last=O'Connell|first=Jake|title=Dusted Reviews – Mantronix: The Album (Deluxe Edition)|url=http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4485|work=Dusted Magazine|access-date=July 21, 2011|date=August 22, 2008}} The 1980 release of "Riot in Lagos" was listed by The Guardian in 2011 as one of the 50 key important events in the history of dance music, at number six on its list.{{cite news|last=Vine|first=Richard|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto records 'Riot in Lagos'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/15/ryuichi-sakamoto-riot-in-lagos|newspaper=The Guardian|location=UK|date=July 9, 2011|access-date=July 9, 2011}} Resident Advisor said the track anticipated the sounds of techno and hip hop music, and that it inspired numerous artists from cities such as Tokyo, New York City and Detroit.{{cite news |title=Remembering Ryuichi Sakamoto's Extraordinary Musical Life |url=https://ra.co/features/4172 |access-date=29 June 2023 |work=Resident Advisor |date=3 April 2023}} Peter Tasker of Nikkei Asia said it was influential on techno, hip hop and house music.{{cite news |last1=Tasker |first1=Peter |title=The real musical magic of Ryuichi Sakamoto |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Life/The-real-musical-magic-of-Ryuichi-Sakamoto |access-date=29 June 2023 |work=Nikkei Asia |date=8 April 2023 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407233620/http://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Life/The-real-musical-magic-of-Ryuichi-Sakamoto |archive-date=2023-04-07}}

One of the tracks on B-2 Unit, "Differencia" has, according to Fact, "relentless tumbling beats and a stabbing bass synth that foreshadows jungle by nearly a decade". Some tracks on the album also foreshadow genres such as IDM, broken beat, and industrial techno, and the work of producers such as Actress and Oneohtrix Point Never. For several tracks on the album, Sakamoto worked with UK reggae producer Dennis Bovell, incorporating elements of Afrobeat and dub music.{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.factmag.com/2015/01/22/the-essential-yellow-magic-orchestra/|title=The Essential... Yellow Magic Orchestra|magazine=Fact|date=January 22, 2015}} According to Pitchfork, "B-2 Unit still sounds futuristic" with tracks such as "E-3A" looking "ahead to Mouse on Mars’ idyllic ’90s electronica."{{cite web |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |date=2 April 2023 |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto's Borderless Brilliance |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/afterword/ryuichi-sakamotos-borderless-brilliance/ |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=Pitchfork}}

Also in 1980, Sakamoto released the single "War Head/Lexington Queen", an experimental synthpop and electro record. His collaboration with Kiyoshiro Imawano, "Ikenai Rouge Magic", also topped the Oricon singles chart.{{cite web|title=Biography|publisher=Kiyoshiro Imawano official site|url=http://www.kiyoshiro.co.jp/history/index.html|access-date=June 22, 2011|language=ja}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.kiyoshiro.co.jp/history/index.html Translation]) Sakamoto also began a long-standing collaboration with David Sylvian, when he co-wrote and performed on the Japan track "Taking Islands in Africa" in 1980.

In 1981, Sakamoto collaborated with Talking Heads and King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew and Robin Scott for an album titled Left-Handed Dream. According to The Baffler, the album combined "slow, simmering, primeval" techno with "sprawling, raw-edged sci-fi gagaku" using traditional Japanese taiko 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 according to Fact magazine, calling it "the earliest example of proto-grime" with similarities to the Sinogrime subgenre which Wiley and Jammer were known for in the 2000s.{{cite web |last1=Raw |first1=Son |title=10 accidental grime tracks that predicted East London's signature sound |url=https://www.factmag.com/2016/07/30/10-accidental-grime-tracks-wolverine-proto-grime/ |website=Fact |access-date=4 March 2025 |date=30 July 2016}} Sakamoto's earlier 1978 songs "Grasshoppers" and "The End of Asia" from Thousand Knives also have melodic lines similar to grime or Sinogrime.{{cite news |last1=Takahashi |first1=Logan |author1-link=Teengirl Fantasy |title=Teengirl Fantasy's Logan Takahashi Gives Us the Lowdown on Ryuichi Sakamoto's Most Influential Releases |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/teengirl-fantasy-ryuichi-sakamoto-releases/ |access-date=7 March 2025 |work=Vice |date=8 August 2016}}

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 same year the digital synthesizer released in 1983. He initially used the DX7 for Mari Iijima's debut city pop album Rosé, released in 1983, before using it for his solo album Ongaku Zukan, which eventually released in 1984.{{cite web |title=Sakamoto and Yamaha Synthesizers |url=https://usa.yamaha.com/products/contents/music_production/synth_50th/anecdotes/011.html |website=Yamaha |access-date=28 February 2025}}

Sakamoto broadened his musical range with a number of solo albums such Ongaku Zukan (1984), Neo Geo (1987), and Beauty (1989). These albums included collaborations with artists such as Thomas Dolby,{{Citation |title=a tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto | date=April 3, 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUw6nUkjFcM |access-date=2023-05-08}} Iggy Pop, Youssou N'Dour, and Brian Wilson.{{Cite news |last=Robin |first=William |date=2023-04-02 |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto, Oscar-Winning Composer, Dies at 71 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/arts/music/ryuichi-sakamoto-dead.html}}{{Cite news |last=Peters |first=Daniel |date=2023-04-03 |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto, 1952–2023: an inimitable sonic innovator |work=NME |url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/music-features/ryuichi-sakamoto-obituary-yellow-magic-orchestra-merry-christmas-mr-lawrence-3424911}}

In 1985, Sakamoto was commissioned to score a dance composition by New York choreographer Molissa Fenley called Esperanto. The performance itself debuted at the Joyce Theater, to mixed reviews from Anna Kisselgoff at The New York Times which said of Sakamoto's music, that "The sound often resembles a radio shut on and off."{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna |date=1985-11-13 |title=Dance: Fenley Dancers at The Joyce |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/13/arts/dance-fenley-dancers-at-the-joyce.html}}

The score was subsequently released in Japan by Midi, Inc., and includes contributions from Arto Lindsay and YAS-KAZ. Jen Monroe of The Baffler said the sample-based music "manages to be unremittingly gorgeous, aggressive, angular, and lush."{{Cite news |last=Monroe |first=Jen |date=2023-06-13 |title=Ryuichi Sakamto,1952-2023 |work=The Baffler |url=https://thebaffler.com/latest/ryuichi-sakamoto-monroe}}

Heartbeat (1991) and Sweet Revenge (1994) feature Sakamoto's collaborations with a global range of artists such as Roddy Frame, Dee Dee Brave, Marco Prince, Arto Lindsay, Youssou N'Dour, David Sylvian, and Ingrid Chavez.{{Citation |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto – Heartbeat Album |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/heartbeat-mw0000613757 |access-date=2023-04-04 |publisher=AllMusic}}{{Citation |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto – Sweet Revenge Album |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-revenge-mw0000117926 |access-date=2023-04-04 |publisher=AllMusic}} In 1992, Sakamoto composed music for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics 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 album, which featured a number of previously released pieces arranged for solo piano, violin, and cello.{{cite web |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: Classical & Pop Fusion |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/ryuichi-sakamoto-classical-pop-fusion |website=Sound on Sound |access-date=March 28, 2024 |date=April 1998}} 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 release of Discord was sold in a jewel case that was covered by a blue-colored slipcase made of foil, while the CD also contained a data video track. In 1998 the Ninja Tune 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.{{cite web|title=Prayer / Salvation Remixes|url=http://ninjatune.net/de/release/ryuichi-sakamoto/prayer-salvation-remixes|website=Ninja Tune|access-date=June 22, 2014|date=June 22, 2014}} Sakamoto collaborated primarily with guitarist David Torn and DJ Spooky—artist Laurie 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:

{{Blockquote|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.}}

In 1998, Italian ethnomusicologist Massimo Milano published Ryuichi Sakamoto. Conversazioni through the Padova, Arcana imprint. All three editions of the book were published in the Italian language.{{cite book|title=Showing all editions for 'Ryuichi Sakamoto : conversazioni'|publisher=OCLC|year=2001–2014|oclc=801212773}} Sakamoto's next album, BTTB (1999)—an acronym for "Back to the Basics" is comprised a series of original pieces on solo piano influenced by Debussy and Satie and includes "Energy Flow" (a major hit in Japan) and an arrangement of the Yellow Magic Orchestra classic "Tong Poo".{{Cite web |last=McDermott |first=Matt |date=2018-09-11 |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto's rare solo piano record, BTTB, to be reissued on its 20th anniversary |url=https://ra.co/news/42482 |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=Resident Advisor}}{{Cite web |last=Ismael Ruiz |first=Matthew |date=2021-11-24 |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto Shares New Arrangement of Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Tong Poo": Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/ryuichi-sakamoto-shares-new-arrangement-of-yellow-magic-orchestra-tong-poo-listen/ |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=Pitchfork}}

Sakamoto's long-awaited "opera" {{ill|LIFE (Sakamoto opera)|ja|LIFE a ryuichi sakamoto opera 1999|lt=LIFE}} was released in 1999, with visual direction by Shiro Takatani, artistic director of Dumb Type.{{Cite web |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani – Life-fluid, invisible, inaudible... |url=http://www.epidemic.net/en/art/takatani/proj/life-fii.html |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Epidemic}} This ambitious multi-genre multi-media project featured contributions from Pina Bausch, Bernardo Bertolucci, Josep Carreras, the Dalai Lama, and Salman Rushdie.{{Cite web |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japan) |url=https://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/apsa-nominees-winners/2012/fiapf-award/ryuichi-sakamoto-japan |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Asia Pacific Screen Awards |language=en-US}} In 2007, they "deconstructed" all the visual images and the sound, to create an art installation.{{Cite web |title=LIFE—fluid, invisible, inaudible... |url=https://www.ycam.jp/en/archive/works/life/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM]}}{{Cite news |last=Starnes |first=Sadie Rebecca |date=2021-07-14 |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto on Life, Nature and Time|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/14/arts/music/ryuichi-sakamoto-time.html|access-date=2023-04-04}}

File:Keigo Oyamada and Ryuichi Sakamoto.jpg with Sakamoto in 2007]]

In the early 2000s, Sakamoto did extensive work in experimental ambient and glitch music. His works in these genres at the time include collaborations with Fennesz.

Sakamoto teamed with cellist Jaques Morelenbaum and singer Paula Morelenbaum, on a pair of albums celebrating the work of bossa nova pioneer Antonio Carlos Jobim. They recorded their first album, Casa (2001), mostly in Jobim's home studio in Rio de Janeiro, with Sakamoto performing on the late Jobim's grand piano.{{Cite news |last=Tesser |first=Neil |date=2002-09-05 |title=Morlembaum 2 & Ryuichi Sakamoto |work=Chicago Reader |url=https://chicagoreader.com/arts-culture/morlembaum-2-ryuichi-sakamoto/ |access-date=2023-04-05}} The album was well received, having been included in the list of The New York Times{{'}}s top albums of 2002.{{Cite news|last=Ratliff|first=Ben|author-link=Ben Ratliff|date=2002-12-29 |title=Music: the Year in Review – the Critics/the 10 Best Albums; Somber Anthems, Loose-Limbed Funk|newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/29/arts/music-year-review-critics-10-best-albums-somber-anthems-loose-limbed-funk-536806.html |access-date=2023-04-05}} 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 David Sylvian, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Cyndi Lauper, and Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, the other two founding members of Yellow Magic Orchestra.{{Cite news|last=Sweeting|first=Adam|date=2023-04-03|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto obituary|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/03/ryuichi-sakamoto-obituary|access-date=2023-04-05}}{{Cite web |last=Cochrane |first=Kez |date=2022-04-08 |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto shares new recording, Zero Landmine 2022, to support Ukraine |url=https://crackmagazine.net/2022/04/ryuichi-sakamoto-shares-new-recording-zero-landmine-2022-to-support-ukraine/ |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=Crack}}

Sakamoto collaborated with Alva Noto (an alias of Carsten Nicolai) to release Vrioon, 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, was voted record of the year 2004 in the electronica category by British magazine The Wire. They then released Insen (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){{cite web|last1=Couture|first1=François|title=Alva Noto / Ensemble Modern / Ryuichi Sakamoto: utp_|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/utp--mw0000818684|website=AllMusic|access-date=January 14, 2016}} and Summvs (2011).

In 2005, Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia hired Sakamoto to compose ring and alert tones for their high-end phone, the Nokia 8800. In 2006, Nokia offered the ringtones for free on their website.[https://www.wired.com/2006/11/sakamoto_ringto/ Sakamoto Ringtones Offered to All] https://www.wired.com/; Retrieved September 9, 2015. 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.{{citation |last=Hongo |first=Jun |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto Diagnosed with Throat Cancer |url=http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/07/10/ryuichi-sakamoto-diagnosed-with-throat-cancer/ |date=10 July 2014 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal}}

File:Jun_Miyake_and_Ryuichi_Sakamoto_at_Ibirapuera_Park_(2017)_36.jpg, 2017]]

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 (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.{{cite web|url=http://www.digicult.it/news/the-scene-is-a-prism-notes-about-stll-of-shiro-takatani|title=The Scene is a Prism. Notes about ST/LL of Shiro Takatani|date=May 10, 2016 }}

In 2013, Sakamoto was a jury member at the 70th Venice International Film Festival. The jury viewed 20 films and was chaired by filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci.{{cite web|url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/news/07-09.html|title=Juries and Awards of the 70th Venice Film Festival |work=La Biennale|access-date=June 22, 2014|date=September 7, 2013}}

On April 14, 2013, he also participated in a performance of film and music by video pioneer Nam June Paik, selected by musicians and composers who knew him well: himself, Stephen Vitiello, and Steina Vasulka.{{cite web|title=Strange Music for Nam June Paik, Performed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stephen Vitiello, and Steina Vasulka |date=April 14, 2013 |url=https://americanart.si.edu/videos/strange-music-nam-june-paik-performed-ryuichi-sakamoto-stephen-vitiello-and-steina-vasulka|website=americanart.si.edu}}

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 in late June of the same year. He announced a break from his work while he sought treatment and recovery.{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/07/10/ryuichi-sakamoto-diagnosed-with-throat-cancer/|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto diagnosed with Throat Cancer|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=July 10, 2014|last1=Hongo|first1=Jun}} 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's Haha to Kuraseba (Living with My Mother).{{cite web|last1=Monroe|first1=Jazz|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto "In Great Shape" Following Cancer Treatment|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/60643-ryuichi-sakamoto-in-great-shape-following-cancer-treatment/|publisher=Pitchfork|date=August 3, 2015}} In 2015, Sakamoto also composed the score for the Alejandro González Iñárritu's film, The Revenant,{{cite web|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto Scoring Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's The Revenant|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2015/09/29/ryuichi-sakamoto-scoring-alejandro-gonzalez-inarritus-the-revenant/|website=Film Music Reporter|access-date=September 30, 2015|date=September 29, 2015}} for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/best-original-score-motion-picture|title=Best Original Score – Motion Picture|website=www.goldenglobes.com|access-date=July 24, 2018}}

In January 2017 it was announced that Sakamoto would release a solo album in April 2017 through Milan Records;{{Cite news|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/21585-ryuichi-sakamoto-preps-new-album|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto Preps New Album|date=January 21, 2017|work=The Quietus|access-date=January 21, 2017}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/das_festival/preise_und_juries/preise_internationale_jury/index.html |title=The International Jury 2018 |date=February 6, 2018|access-date=February 6, 2018}}

On June 14, 2018, a documentary about the life and work of Sakamoto, entitled Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda, was released.{{Citation|last=Schible|first=Stephen Nomura|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda|date=June 14, 2018|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6578572/|others=Ryuichi Sakamoto|access-date=July 24, 2018}} The film follows Sakamoto as he recovers from cancer and resumes creating music, protests nuclear power plants following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, and creates field recordings in a variety of locales. He also elucidates the influence of Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky 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, arranged on synthesizers by Eduard Artemyev. 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".{{cite web |last=Hubert |first=Craig |title=Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto Reflects on His Life, Work, and Battle with Cancer |url=https://hyperallergic.com/451093/ryuichi-sakamoto-coda-interview/ |website=Hyperallergic |date=July 16, 2018 |access-date=12 August 2023}} Directed by Stephen Nomura Schible, the documentary was met with critical praise.{{Cite news |last1=Kenigsberg |first1=Ben |date=July 5, 2018 |title=Review: 'Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda' Shows a Composer Attuned to Nature |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/movies/ryuichi-sakamoto-coda-review.html |access-date=July 24, 2018 |work=The New York Times}}{{Citation |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ryuichi_sakamoto_coda/ |access-date=July 24, 2018}}

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 his favorites, claiming their books – Notes on the Cinematographer and Sculpting in Time, respectively – as "[his] bible."

In 2021 he was associate artist of Holland Festival 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 and shô player Mayumi Miyata was inspired by the first tale from Soseki Natsume's collection of short stories Ten Nights of Dreams.

In 2022 he took part in the creation of Dumb Type'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.{{cite news |url=https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/venice-biennale-national-pavilions-1234620060/japan-dumb-type |last1=Greenberger |first1=Alex |title=A Guide to the 2022 Venice Biennale National Pavilions, From Futuristic Gardens to AI-Influenced Performance Art |work=ARTnews.com |date=3 March 2022}}

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.{{cite magazine| url=https://www.thefader.com/2022/04/26/ryuichi-sakamoto-and-illia-bondarenko-share-track-from-ukraine-fundraiser-album | title=Ryuichi Sakamoto and Illia Bondarenko share track from Ukraine fundraiser album|magazine=Fact|date=April 26, 2022 }}

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.{{Citation|title=SUGA: Road to D-DAY' Official Trailer| date=April 6, 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPjfJrtLpww&ab_channel=BANGTANTV}}

In 2023, filmmaker Neo Sora–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.

{{Main|Yellow Magic Orchestra}}

After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as electropop/technopop,{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5886|pure_url=yes}}|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra profile|website=AllMusic|access-date=June 3, 2009}}{{cite news|last=Lewis|first=John|title=Back to the future: Yellow Magic Orchestra helped usher in electronica – and they may just have invented hip-hop, too|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jul/04/electronicmusic.filmandmusic11|newspaper=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=May 25, 2011|date=July 4, 2008}} synthpop, cyberpunk music,{{cite news|last=Lester|first=Paul|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jun/20/culture.electronicmusic|newspaper=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=May 26, 2011|date=June 20, 2008}} ambient house, and electronica. The group's work has had a lasting influence across genres, ranging from hip hop and techno{{cite book|last=Bogdanov|first=Vladimir|title=All music guide to electronica: the definitive guide to electronic music|year=2001|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=0-87930-628-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GJNXLSBlL7IC&pg=PT582|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128233752/https://books.google.com/books?id=GJNXLSBlL7IC&pg=PT582|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 28, 2016|edition=4th|access-date=May 26, 2011|page=582}} to acid house{{cite web|title=Famous Japanese & Foreigners In Japan: Ryuichi Sakamoto|url=http://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-culture/famous-japanese/ryuichi-sakamoto|website=JapanVisitor|publisher=GoodsFromJapan KK|access-date=January 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201022607/http://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-culture/famous-japanese/ryuichi-sakamoto|archive-date=February 1, 2016 }} and melodic 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 of techno music.{{citation|title=Techno Rebels|author=Dan Sicko & Bill Brewster|edition=2nd|publisher=Wayne State University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0-8143-3438-6|pages=27–8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h6TNjUt-QrkC&pg=PA27|access-date=May 28, 2011}}

Sakamoto's internationally successful composition "Behind the Mask" (1978)—a synthpop song in which he sang vocals through a vocoder—was later covered by a number of international artists, including Michael Jackson and Eric Clapton.{{Cite magazine|title='Behind the Mask': Michael Jackson Revisits Yellow Magic Orchestra|date=September 14, 2020|magazine=Pen (ペン)|url=https://pen-online.com/culture/behind-the-mask-michael-jackson-revisits-yellow-magic-orchestra/|last=Leleu|first=Clémence|access-date=January 17, 2022}} "Behind the Mask" was one of the first songs to use a gated reverb effect on the snare drum, a technique that later became popular in 1980s pop music.{{cite web |last1=Bocaro |first1=Madeline |title=Behind The Mask |url=https://madelinex.com/2020/04/25/behind-the-mask/ |website=Madelinex |access-date=10 February 2025 |date=25 April 2020}}{{cite web|last=Tanaka|first=Yuji|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra: The Pre-MIDI Technology Behind Their Anthems|url=https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2014/11/yellow-magic-orchestra-gear|publisher=Red Bull Music Academy|date=November 11, 2014}}

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 Roland TR-808 drum machine, for YMO's live performance of "1000 Knives" in 1980 and their BGM album release in 1981.

Sakamoto's production credits represent a prolific career in this role. In 1977, he was the arranger and lead keyboardist for Taeko Ohnuki's city pop album Sunshower. {{cite AV media notes|last=Kuniyoshi|first=Seiji|date=October 3, 2007|title=SUNSHOWER|others=Ohnuki Taeko|type=CD reissue booklet|language=Japanese|publisher=PANAM ⁄ CROWN|id=CRCP-20409}}{{cite magazine|date=October 30, 1983|title=MUSICIAN FILE Ōnuki Taeko Tettei kenkyū|script-title=ja:MUSICIAN FILE 大貫妙子徹底研究|trans-title=Musician File: Taeko Ohnuki Intensive Study|magazine=Myūjikku Sutedi|script-magazine=ja:ミュージック・ステディ|trans-magazine=Music Steady|type=monthly magazine|language=Japanese|publisher=ステディ出版 [Steady Publishing]|volume=3|issue=4|pages=68–95 (FILE Interview)}} In 1983, he produced Mari Iijima's debut city pop album Rosé, shortly before Yellow Magic Orchestra disbanded. This was the first album where Sakamoto used a Yamaha DX7, making him one of the digital synthesizer'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 Thomas Dolby; Aztec Camera, on the Dreamland (1993) album;{{cite news|author1=Giles Smith|title=MUSIC / The Roddy and Ryuichi roadshow: When Roddy Frame wanted to make his new album with Ryuichi Sakamoto, he had to wait in line. Giles Smith reports|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/music--the-roddy-and-ryuichi-roadshow-when-roddy-frame-wanted-to-make-his-new-album-with-ryuichi-sakamoto-he-had-to-wait-in-line-giles-smith-reports-2321177.html|access-date=June 22, 2014|work=The Independent|date=May 6, 1993}} 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, leading to a collaboration period spanning 9 singles and 7 albums though 2001.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mikinakatani.com/|title=Miki Nakatani – 中谷美紀オフィシャルサイト|last=Nakatani|first=Miki|website=www.mikinakatani.com|language=ja|access-date=January 8, 2019}}

Roddy Frame, 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 at the Barcelona 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 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.{{cite web |date=March 10, 2013 |title=Roddy Frame Interview Safe in Sorrow, Spanish Horses, Belle of the Ball |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50oDFsCDVLM |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/50oDFsCDVLM |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |access-date=June 22, 2014 |website=mrjbroberts on YouTube |publisher=Google Inc |format=Video upload}}{{cbignore}} Of his experience recording with Sakamoto, Frame said:

{{blockquote|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.}}

In 1994, Japan Football Association asked Ryuichi Sakamoto to compose the instrumental song "Japanese Soccer Anthem".{{Cite web|url=https://www.jfa.jp/about_jfa/report/PDF/h20060413.pdf|title=財団法人日本サッカー協会 平成18年度第1回理事会 報告事項|page=6|publisher=日本サッカー協会|date=April 13, 2006|access-date=January 12, 2022}} The composition was played at the beginning of Japan Football Association-sponsored events.{{Cite news |last=Sraban Neog |first=Anupal |date=2023-04-04 |title=How did Ryuichi Sakamoto die? Cause of death explored as Oscar-winning composer dies aged 71 |work=Sportskeeda |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/news-how-ryuichi-sakamoto-die-cause-death-explored-oscar-winning-composer-dies-aged-71}}

Sakamoto also produced video game music. In 1989, he composed music for one of the first CD-ROM games, Far East of Eden: Ziria for the PC Engine. In 1998, he composed the startup sound for Sega's Dreamcast console. In the 2000s, he composed music for the Dreamcast game LOL: Lack of Love (2000) and the PlayStation 2 games Seven Samurai 20XX (2004) and Dawn of Mana (2006).{{cite news |last1=Ombler |first1=Mat |title=Video game music wouldn't be the same without Ryuichi Sakamoto |url=https://www.nme.com/features/video-game-music-wouldnt-be-the-same-without-ryuchi-sakamoto-3425196 |access-date=8 March 2025 |work=NME |date=4 April 2023}}

File:2011-05-29 ryuichi sakamoto (37581571004).jpg

Sakamoto began working in films, as a composer and actor, in Nagisa Oshima's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983), where he starred alongside David Bowie. The film's score is best known for Sakamoto's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" instrumental theme. He collaborated with David Sylvian on a vocal version of the theme, "Forbidden Colours"–which became a chart hit in the UK.{{Cite web |title=David Sylvian and Riuichi Sakamoto {{!}} full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/20654/david-sylvian-and-riuichi-sakamoto/ |access-date=March 29, 2022 |website=www.officialcharts.com}} 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.{{cite web|last1=Bowe|first1=Miles|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto reflects on his unique time with David Bowie|url=http://www.factmag.com/2016/01/13/ryuichi-sakamoto-david-bowie/|website=Fact|publisher=The Vinyl Factory|access-date=January 18, 2016|date=January 13, 2016}}

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 Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1987), which earned him an Academy Award and Grammy Award with fellow composers David Byrne and Cong Su. In that same year, Sakamoto composed the score to the cult-classic anime film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise.

Other films scored by Sakamoto include Bertolucci's The Sheltering Sky (1990) and The Little Buddha (1993); Pedro Almodóvar's High Heels (1991);{{Cite web |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba11544ce |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114201442/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba11544ce |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 14, 2018 |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=BFI}} Oliver Stone's Wild Palms (1993);{{Cite web |last=Tucker |first=Ken |date=1993-05-14 |title=Wild Palms |url=http://ew.com/article/1993/05/14/wild-palms/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905094545/http://ew.com/article/1993/05/14/wild-palms/ |archive-date=2017-09-05 |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Entreteniment Weekly}} John Maybury's Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998); Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes (1998) and Femme Fatale (2002); Oshima's Gohatto (1999); Jun Ichikawa's (director of the Mitsui ReHouse commercial from 1997 to 1999 starring Chizuru Ikewaki and Mao Inoue) Tony Takitani (2005);, Hwang Dong-hyuk's, The Fortress (2017); and Andrew Levitas's Minamata (2020) starring Johnny Depp, Minami, and Bill Nighy.{{Cite web |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: Minamata – Soundtrack |url=https://milanrecords.com/release/minamata/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Milan Records |language=en-US}}

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 (2003) and Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel (2006), respectively.{{Cite web |title=Japanese Story Soundtrack (2003) |url=https://www.soundtrack.net/album/japanese-story/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Soundtrack.Net}}{{cite web|url=http://www.soundtrack.net/album/babel/|title=Babel Soundtrack (2006)|publisher=Soundtrack.Net|access-date=25 October 2015}} In 2015, Sakamoto teamed up with Iñárritu to score his film, The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. The film Monster by director Hirokazu Kore-eda, released in 2023, was Sakamoto's final score; the film is dedicated to his memory.{{cite magazine|last=Rooney|first=David|date=17 May 2023|title='Monster' Review: Hirokazu Kore-eda Measures the Weight of Bullying on Childhood Friendship in Tender But Diffuse Drama|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/monster-review-hirokazu-kore-eda-1235494246/|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=14 October 2023}}

According to Resident Advisor, Sakamoto's classical compositions were influential in helping to define modern classical music. Sakamoto's classical compositions{{mdash}}especially "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" and "Bibi no Aozara"{{mdash}}have been covered and sampled by numerous musicians.{{cite web |title=Songs that Sampled Ryuichi Sakamoto |url=https://www.whosampled.com/Ryuichi-Sakamoto/sampled/ |website=WhoSampled |access-date=6 March 2025}}

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 and British rock singer David Bowie. He also played roles in The Last Emperor (as Masahiko Amakasu) and Madonna's "Rain" music video.{{Cite news |last=St. Michel |first=Patrick |date=2023-04-23 |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto, trailblazing musician and film composer, dies at 71 |work=The Japan Times |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2023/04/03/music/ryuichi-sakamoto-dies/?cx_testId=9&cx_testVariant=cx_undefined&cx_artPos=0&cx_experienceId=EXOMNZ2EQYK1#cxrecs_s}}

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, following several musical collaborations with her including touring work with the Yellow Magic Orchestra. Together, they had a daughter, the singer Miu Sakamoto. Sakamoto's second marriage ended in August 2006, 14 years after a mutual decision to live separately.{{cite web|url=http://news.e-entertainment.info/singer/sakamoto_ryuuichi/post_9.html|work=e-entertainment.info|title=坂本龍一、矢野顕子が仮面夫婦の関係に終止符|date=November 29, 2006|access-date=June 9, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721195818/http://news.e-entertainment.info/singer/sakamoto_ryuuichi/post_9.html|archive-date=July 21, 2011|url-status=dead}} [https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://news.e-entertainment.info/singer/sakamoto_ryuuichi/post_9.html Translation] He then married his manager, Norika Sora, with whom he had one child, Neo Sora, an artist and filmmaker.{{cite news|url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/02/ryuichi-sakamoto-japanese-pop-pioneer-and-oscar-winning-composer-dies-aged-71|title = Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese pop pioneer and Oscar-winning composer, dies aged 71|newspaper = The Guardian|date = April 23, 2023|access-date = April 2, 2023|last = Beaumont-Thomas|first = Ben}} Sakamoto lived primarily in New York City from 1990 until 2020, when he returned to Tokyo.

Beginning in June 2014, Sakamoto took a year-long break after he was diagnosed with oropharyngeal 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."{{cite magazine|last=Weingarten|first=Christopher R.|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto Details 'Gigantic' Score to Birdman Director's The Revenant|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=December 17, 2015|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ryuichi-sakamoto-details-gigantic-score-to-birdman-directors-the-revenant-20151217|access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-date=December 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221235504/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ryuichi-sakamoto-details-gigantic-score-to-birdman-directors-the-revenant-20151217?page=2|url-status=dead}}

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, 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."{{Cite web |url=http://www.sitesakamoto.com/home |title=Home |website=siteSakamoto |date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121154347/https://www.sitesakamoto.com/home/ |archive-date=2021-01-21}}

Sakamoto died from cancer on March 28, 2023, at the age of 71.{{cite news|url = https://variety.com/2023/music/news/ryuichi-sakamoto-dead-last-emperor-1235570971/|title = Ryuichi Sakamoto, Oscar Winner for 'Last Emperor' Score, Dies at 71|work = Variety|date = April 2, 2023|access-date = April 2, 2023|last1 = Amorosi|first1 = A. D.|last2 = Saperstein|first2 = Pat}} His death was announced on April 2, after his funeral had taken place.{{Cite news |date=April 2, 2023 |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: Japanese electronic music maestro dies |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-65155073 |access-date=April 2, 2023}}{{Cite web |date=April 2, 2023 |title=What's New |website=siteSakamoto |url=https://www.sitesakamoto.com/whatsnew/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402124811/http://www.sitesakamoto.com/whatsnew/}}

Sakamoto was a member of the anti-nuclear organization Stop Rokkasho and demanded the closing of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant.{{Cite web|url=https://thanks.yahoo.co.jp/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607213713/http://www.geocities.co.jp/genpatusinsai/|url-status=dead|title=サービス終了のお知らせ|archive-date=June 7, 2014|website=Thanks.yahoo.co.jp}} In 2012, he organized the No Nukes 2012 concert, which featured performances by 18 groups, including Yellow Magic Orchestra and Kraftwerk.{{cite news|title=Kraftwerk, YMO sing the No Nukes rally cry|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120708b5.html|access-date=July 17, 2012|newspaper=The Japan Times|date=July 8, 2012|archive-date=July 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711045744/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120708b5.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=The No Nukes 2012 Concert and the Role of Musicians in the Anti-Nuclear Movement|url=http://www.japanfocus.org/-Noriko-MANABE/3799|access-date=July 17, 2012|newspaper=The Asia-Pacific Journal|date=July 16, 2012}} Sakamoto was also known as a critic of copyright law, arguing in 2009 that it is antiquated in the Information 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."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/may/19/turning-japanese-ryuichi-sakamoto|title=Turning Japanese: The Philosophy of Ryuichi Sakamoto|newspaper=The Guardian|location=UK|first=Alex|last=Hoban|date=May 19, 2009|access-date=July 16, 2011}}

In 2015, Sakamoto also supported opposition to the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in the Ōmura Bay in Henoko, with a new and Okinawan version of his 2004 single "Undercooled"{{Citation|last={{notatypo|comm|mons}}|title="Miruku Yugafu – Undercooled" Unaigumi + Ryuichi Sakamoto|date=October 20, 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-C2Tdx-jt4| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202055412/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-C2Tdx-jt4&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=February 2, 2019 | url-status=dead|access-date=August 26, 2018}} whose sales partially contributed to the "Henoko Fund", aimed to stop the relocation of the base on Okinawa.{{Cite news|url=http://english.ryukyushimpo.jp/2015/09/06/20089/|title=Misako Koja and Ryuichi Sakamoto to co-produce song for Henoko Fund|work=Ryukyu Shimpo – Okinawa, Japanese newspaper, local news|access-date=August 26, 2018|language=en-US}}

Sakamoto was also an environmentalist. In one of his last public activities before his death, he sent a letter to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike in early March 2023 calling for the suspension and review of the planned redevelopment of the Jingūmae neighborhood in Tokyo due to environmental concerns.

{{Main|{{notatypo|comm|mons}}}}

In 2006, Sakamoto, in collaboration with Japanese music company Avex Group, founded {{Nihongo|{{notatypo|コモンズ|Komonzu}}, a record label seeking to change the manner in which music is produced. Sakamoto explained that {{notatypo|com|mmons}} 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. 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 "{{notatypo|com|mmons}}" is spelt with three "m"s because the third "m" stands for music.{{cite web|title=about {{notatypo|com|mmons}}|url=http://www.commmons.com/about/index_eng.html|website={{notatypo|comm|mons}}|publisher={{notatypo|comm|mons}}/AMI|access-date=June 22, 2014|date=June 22, 2014}}

Sakamoto won a number of awards for his work as a film composer, beginning with the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music for his score for Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, in 1984.{{Cite web |title=1984 – Best score for a film |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1984/film/score-for-a-film |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=BAFTA Awards}} His greatest award success was for scoring The Last Emperor (1987), which won him the Academy Award for Best Original Score, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, and Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, as well as a BAFTA nomination in 1989.{{Cite web |title=1989 – Best score for a film |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1989/film/score-for-a-film |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=BAFTA Awards}}

His score for The Sheltering Sky (1990) won him his second Golden Globe Award, and his score for Little Buddha (1993) received another Grammy Award nomination. In 1997, his collaboration with Toshio Iwai, Music Plays Images X Images Play Music, was awarded the Golden Nica, the grand prize of the Prix Ars Electronica competition. He also contributed to the Academy Award winning soundtrack for Babel (2006) with several pieces of music,{{citation|title=So... what's wrong with this picture?|work=Boston Globe|author=Ty Burr|date=February 17, 2008|page=12|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/1431926951.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Feb+17%2C+2008&author=Ty+Burr&pub=Boston+Globe&desc=So+...+what%27s+wrong+with+this+picture%3F|access-date=May 31, 2011|archive-date=July 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724123336/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/1431926951.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Feb+17%2C+2008&author=Ty+Burr&pub=Boston+Globe&desc=So+...+what%27s+wrong+with+this+picture%3F|url-status=dead}} including the closing theme "Bibo no Aozora". In 2009, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France's Ministry of Culture for his musical contributions. His score for The Revenant (2015) was nominated for the Golden Globe and BAFTA,{{Cite web |title=2016 Film Original Music |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2016/film/original-music |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=BAFTA Awards}} and won Best Musical Score from the Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association.{{Cite web |date=2015-12-04 |title=Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Name "Spotlight" Best Picture of 2015 |url=http://dfwcritics.com/dallas-fort-worth-film-critics-name-spotlight-best-picture-of-2015/ |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association}}

Sakamoto won the Golden Pine Award (Lifetime Achievement) at the 2013 International Samobor Film Music Festival, along with Clint Eastwood and Gerald Fried.{{cite web |url=http://www.isfmf.com/clint-eastwood-ryuichi-sakamoto-gerald-fried-receive-golden-pine-awards-lifetime-achievement/ |title=Clint Eastwood, Ryuichi Sakamoto And Gerald Fried To Receive Golden Pine Awards For Lifetime Achievement |publisher=ISFMF |date=October 18, 2013 |access-date=May 15, 2014 |archive-date=March 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309013054/http://www.isfmf.com/clint-eastwood-ryuichi-sakamoto-gerald-fried-receive-golden-pine-awards-lifetime-achievement/ |url-status=dead }}

• 2009 – Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, from France's Ministry of Culture{{Cite web |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto |url=https://www.classicfm.com/composers/sakamoto/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |website=Classic FM}}
• 2013 – Golden Pine Award (Lifetime Achievement), at 2013 International Samobor Film Music Festival{{Cite news |title=Music Database |url=https://www.radioswissjazz.ch/en/music-database/musician/35141b4f438c3534051325bc9cc883d4174eb/biography |access-date=April 2, 2023 |website=Radio Swiss Jazz}}

• 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)

{{See also|Asian Film Awards}}

• 2012 – Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (nominated){{Cite web |title=Celebrating Excellence in Asian Cinema |url=http://www.afa-academy.com/awards/6th/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |website=Asian Film Awards}}
• 2017 – Rage (nominated){{Cite web |title=Celebrating Excellence in Asian Cinema |url=http://www.afa-academy.com/awards/11th/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |website=Asian Film Awards}}

• 1997 – Golden Nica, grand prize of Prix Ars Electronica, for Music Plays Images X Images Play Music{{Cite web |title=Prix Ars Electronica Selection |url=https://ars.electronica.art/export/en/prixarsselection2015/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |website=Prix Ars Electronica}}{{Cite web |title=Music Plays Images x Images Play Music |url=https://archive.aec.at/prix/showmode/31719/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |website=Prix Ars Electronica}}

{{Main|Ryuichi Sakamoto discography}}{{See also|Yellow Magic Orchestra discography}}

Solo studio albums

{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}

• Thousand Knives (1978){{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/ryuichi-sakamoto-thousand-knives-of-ryuichi-sakamoto/|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto|first=Daniel|last=Martin-McCormick|website=Pitchfork|date=November 13, 2019|access-date=October 29, 2020}}
• B-2 Unit (1980){{Cite web |title=B-2 Unit |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/b-2-unit-mw0000376583 |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
• Left-Handed Dream (1981){{Cite web |title=Left Handed Dream|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/left-handed-dream-mw0000542985|access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
• Ongaku Zukan (1984){{Cite web |title=Ongaku Zukan [Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/ongaku-zukan-illustrated-musical-encyclopedia--mw0000551399|access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
• Esperanto (1985){{Cite web |title=Esperanto|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/esperanto-mw0000542982|access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
• Futurista (1986)
• Neo Geo (1987)
• Beauty (1989)
• Heartbeat (1991)
• Sweet Revenge (1994)
• Smoochy (1995){{Cite web |title=Smoochy|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/smoochy-mw0000092451|access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
• 1996 (1996)
• Discord (1997){{Cite web |title=Discord|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/discord-mw0000542981|access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
• BTTB (1999)
• Comica (2002){{Cite web |title=Comica|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/comica-mw0000455907|access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
• Elephantism (2002){{Cite web |title=Elephantism|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/elephantism-mw0000768173|access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
• Chasm (2004)
• Out of Noise (2009){{Cite web |title=Out of Noise|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/out-of-noise-mw0001733524|access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
• Playing the Piano (2009)
• Async (2017)
• 12 (2023)

{{div col end}}

• List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Japan

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite magazine|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto|magazine=Music Technology|page=52|date=July 1992|volume=6|issue=8|issn=0957-6606|oclc=24835173}}

{{commons category}}

• {{official website}}
• [https://www.commmons.com/en/ {{notatypo|Com|mmons}}] – Sakamoto's record label
• [https://raster-media.net/ Raster-Noton]
• {{YouTube|h=RyuichiSakamotoArchive}}
• {{Discogs artist|Ryuichi Sakamoto}}
• {{AllMusic|artist|p121476|Ryuichi Sakamoto}}
• {{IMDb name|0757098}}

{{Ryuichi Sakamoto}}

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{{Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media}}

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