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Ryuichi Sakamoto. Photo by nss (zakkubalan).

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer, and actor. He has worked in a variety of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra. Sakamoto (YMO), along with his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, influenced and pioneered a variety of electronic music genres.

Sakamoto began his career as a session musician, producer, and arranger while attending university in the 1970s. His first big break came in 1978, when he co-founded YMO.

In 1978, he launched a solo career, releasing the experimental electronic fusion album Thousand Knives. He followed up with the album B-2 Unit two years later. It featured the song “Riot in Lagos,” which was influential in the development of electro and hip hop music. He went on to make more solo records and work with many international artists. 

1. Ryuichi Sakamoto studied at Tokyo National University

Tokyo National University. Photo by Kakidai.

Sakamoto enrolled in the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1970. He, earned a B.A. in music composition and an M.A. with a focus on electronic and ethnic music. Due to his interest in various world music traditions, particularly Japanese (especially Okinawan), Indian, and African musical traditions, he studied ethnomusicology there with the intention of becoming a researcher in the field. 

He was also trained in classical music and began experimenting with the electronic music equipment available at the university.

2. Ryuichi Sakamoto released his first album in mid 1978

Vinyl record with red label music album. Photo by PLAINVIEW.

Sakamoto’s first solo album, Thousand Knives, was released in mid-1978 with the assistance of Hideki Matsutake—Hosono also contributed to the song “Thousand Knives.” The album explored various styles. It fused electronic music with traditional Japanese music.

3. Sakamoto battled with throat cancer

Ribbon and message for World Cancer Day. Photo by photoman.

Sakamoto’s battle with stage three throat cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2014, prevented him from performing. Listening to music was also too difficult for him. This life-changing experience was later incorporated into the beautiful compositions on his 2017 album async.  The traumatic experience has also taught him to appreciate the small things in life.

Sakamoto’s website published a letter in 2021. They announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer once more. This new rectal cancer diagnosis comes just a year after his previous throat cancer was declared cured. 

4. He first met Shiro Takatani at an Osaka concert nearly 30 years ago

Sakamoto’s acute sense of sound was enhanced in fragments by the cinematic visuals of his friend and long-time collaborator, Shiro Takatani, founder of the Japanese art collective Dumb Type.

“I first met Mr. Sakamoto in 1990 through a [mutual] friend at his concert,” the multimedia artist explains. We went to a special drag event in Osaka after the concert.” “It was the craziest party I have ever seen in my life—it was so different, I thought it felt like the city of Madrid!” exclaims Sakamoto.

The friendship lasted, and the two went on to collaborate in a creative partnership that lasted decades. Among them are the 2018 performance installation ST/LL which was presented in Metz, France, and Silence Spins, which was presented in 2012 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo.

5. He has a special bond with the piano

Black grand piano. Photo by rashid.

“I first touched the piano three years after I was born, and it has always been with me since then,” Sakamoto says. “However, the massive tsunami of 2011 had a huge impact on me and changed my relationship with the piano.”

The disaster forced him to reconsider what nature and human civilization are. He looked at the piano and assumed it was a human-made assembly of wood, iron, and some plastics. When it was destroyed by the tsunami, the natural materials—wood and iron—returned to nature, and the artificial roots of the piano’s scales were destroyed. When he saw pictures of the disaster’s instrumental wreckage, it shook his heart and was very painful to see.

6. On Instagram, he has a fan base of more than 200k followers

Instagram logo. Photo by Eyestetix Studio.

Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Instagram handle is @skmtgram, and he is verified. He mainly talks about his music and upcoming events.

7. His estimated net worth is $1.5 million

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a wealthy composer who is also a well-known composer. Ryuichi Sakamoto’s net worth is around $1.5 million.

8. Sakamoto has married thrice

Sakamoto married for the first time in 1972, but the marriage ended in divorce two years later—Sakamoto has a daughter from this relationship. He then married popular Japanese pianist and singer Akiko Yano in 1982, after working with her on several musical projects, including touring with the Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Sakamoto’s second marriage ended 14 years later, in August 2006, after a mutual decision to live separately—Yano and Sakamoto raised one daughter, J-pop singer Miu Sakamoto. He has been married to his manager and wife Norika Sora since around 1990, and they have two children.

9. He composed music for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona

While not the pinnacle of Sakamoto’s success, his invitation to compose the score for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics demonstrates the extent of his popularity. Furthermore, his reputation as a musical workaholic had clearly earned him some international acclaim. 

While Sakamoto is known for being a prolific musician, he clearly decided that he wasn’t busy enough. He was and continues to be politically active, wishing to make a genuine difference in society through not only his music but also his platform to express political views.

10. Sakamoto belongs to the anti-nuclear organization Stop Rokkasho

Ryuichi Sakamoto. Photo by Joi Ito.

Sakamoto organized a concert to raise funds for the fight to ban nuclear power plants in Japan in 2012, a year after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. No Nukes 2012 was a concert that featured Yellow Magic Orchestra and Kraftwerk, among others. The event took place over the weekend, following a massive protest in front of the Japanese Prime Minister’s official residence on Friday night.

That protest was the largest in a series of Friday night protests aimed at convincing politicians to end nuclear power at the time. It was estimated that 150,000 people attended, including Sakamoto, who then performed for the next two days at his own festival in support of the cause.