“Opus” by Ryuichi Sakamoto in Hotori-za, Toyama City
What is my mission? What is my divine calling? I've been pondering my mission ever since I was a child and became aware of the world around me. Why did I come here, and for what purpose am I here?
I watched "Opus," the concert film of Ryuichi Sakamoto's final performance, in Hotori-za, Toyama City. I was deeply moved by the image of Sakamoto, who continued to explore, search, and express himself until the end of his life. I felt as if he was telling me, "Fulfill your mission."
Ryuichi Sakamoto was a composer, musician, and actor from Japan. He gained international fame after winning the British Academy Film Award for his music for "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence." He also won an Academy Award for composing the score for "The Last Emperor." In Japan, he was known as a pioneer of Japanese techno music in the 1980s. He also collaborated with many famous rock stars, such as Kiyoshiro Imawano, and the comedy duo Downtown. He was actively involved in environmental and peace issues. Even after being diagnosed with cancer in 2021, he continued to compose various music pieces for films. He passed away in March 2023 from cancer at the age of 71.
"Opus" features 20 pieces personally selected by Ryuichi Sakamoto. I was truly delighted to watch this monochrome concert film in a small cinema with excellent acoustics in Toyama, Hotori-za. This film was recorded in "the best-sounding studio in Japan," NHK 509 Studio in Tokyo. I even thought that the sound was better than listening to a live performance in a large concert hall. It felt as if Sakamoto was playing the piano right in front of me. No, it wasn't just the sense of presence— the sound and resonance moved my soul deeply. From the very first piece, tears started to fall.
When I listen to him play the piano, it feels as if I'm listening to an orchestra, even though it's just a single piano. When I close my eyes and listen, I feel colors, images, and even scents. Of course, it might be influenced by the fact that many of the pieces were composed for films, but even for movie scores I haven't seen or pieces I'm hearing for the first time, that sensation still comes to me.
When I listen to music by great composers like Bach, Debussy, and Beethoven, I often feel that they transcend human intellect, as if they have brought something divine down to earth. All of Ryuichi Sakamoto's compositions have this same quality. Moreover, he possesses an astonishingly keen sensitivity, allowing him to catch messages from something greater that we need to receive now. He then interpretes those messages through music and delivers them to us. We are all on this earth suffering from constant natural disasters, wars, crimes, and many other things. I feel Sakamoto has always composed and played music to heal us, at the right moment. That is why his music has been so widely embraced by people worldwide and has moved so many souls.
The director of this film is Sakamoto's son, Neo Sora. This is a film that could only be made by him. There are moments captured in the monochrome world where Sakamoto, playing the piano in a studio illuminated by a light like a full moon, says things like, "Shall we call it a day?" or "Hmm, one more time..." When I learned that these were words spoken to his son, the director, it touched me deeply again. The film captures the gaze of a son looking at his great father, Ryuichi Sakamoto, who was nearing the end of his life. The camera captured his thin body and his hands that had played so much music to heal us.
A deep, loving relationship between father and child that I could never experience myself.
Among these 20 pieces, the one that holds the most significance for me is "The Last Emperor." The grandeur I felt when I watched that film is something I still cannot forget.
I also love "The Sheltering Sky."
YMO
Collaborations with Kiyoshiro Imawano
and a comedian named Downtown.
Sakamoto acting silly or dressing eccentrically, his serious yet somewhat awkward acting in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" alongside David Bowie—and this piece...
What a remarkably talented person he was.
After the viewing, as I searched online, I realized that I had been enjoying many movies without knowing that Ryuichi Sakamoto’s tracks were used in them. Among them, the film I particularly liked is "MINAMATA" (2021), where Johnny Depp portrays Eugene Smith, a photojournalist who documented the Minamata disease caused by environmental pollution in Japan.
Another favorite is "After Yang" (2022), directed by Kogonada, a Korean-American, which depicts a family living in a near future where humanoid robots are integrated into everyday life. "After Yang" was a particularly wonderful film that I watched without any prior information because it was being shown at Hotori-za, my favorite small movie theatre in Toyama. The beautiful sound of the theme song, "Memory Bank," which was composed by Sakamoto reminds me of the imagery of "love" stored in Yang's memory bank, the humanoid robot.
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Memory Bank | After Yang (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
I've loved writing since I was a child, and writing has been one of my jobs. But for a while, I stopped writing professionally. I stopped writing for fun either. I felt there was no place where I could write what I truly wanted to, and I began to wonder, "For what, and for whom, am I writing?" Maybe I should try writing on Note, just as my heart dictates. This thought came to me after watching "Opus" and hearing the voice saying, "Fulfill your destiny." From now on, I think I might start writing little by little, just as my heart guides me.