blonde and haughty British opposes the harsh, almost bloodthirsty Japanese language. The military attire of both shows that we are in his period The Second World War. The first, with disarming politeness, interrupts the second, who is about to execute another Briton, and with an almost clumsy, but such a humane gesture, kisses the cross of the Japanese, who clearly does not know how to react.

blonde british David Bowie and a strict Japanese about Ryuichi Sakamoto in his most characteristic scene “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence” from Nagisa Oshima. Roger Ibert could someday reproach the film for how divided it is in interpretation, for the gulf between the softer acting style of the British and the more crude and grotesque style of the Japanese, but in an abstract sense, since kiss between east and west Ryuichi Sakamoto’s entire career could also be seen.

Music of the composer who died at the age of 71 after a courageous battle with cancer, she may have gone through a race of different styles, but in each manifestation she retained something of her own subtle charm but also her sideways glance Far East, while “stealing” the most pop forms West, where Sakamoto was adored and became one of the most successful Japanese musicians in the world.

He was the kid he grew up with The Beatles but also Debussy, who was fascinated by his avant-garde universe Yanni Xenakis but also their robotic models Kraftwerk. After all, in the late 70s he sat behind them for the keys Yellow Magic Orchestra, a group that became so successful that Sakamoto could barely go outside without being stopped everywhere.

Although far from the stoic temperament of the German pioneers of electronic music, the Yellow Magic Orchestra borrowed electronic instruments customize them kitsch disco party, who greeted Michael Jackson (who covered it “Behind the Mask”) and made it all the way to the infamous streets of the Bronx to put their music in the hands of the restless producers of the then budding hip-hop.

With the dissolution of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto turned to his solo career as well as the world of music. soundtracks who will rule from then on. He not only acted, but also wrote the music for the film “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”, largely determining the aesthetics of the film with his elegiac theme. A work that, as countless social media posts over the past few hours have shown in honor of the late musician, was the most recognizable of his career.

Now Sakamoto’s music seemed to be approaching Universe “living room”, acquire a propensity for more surrounding timbres, but neoclassical approaching, but Western pop music was on the alert: not about David Sylvian (from… Japan) V “Forbidden Colors” from Oshima’s film or his collaborations with David Byrne on his soundtrack “The last Emperor” from Bernardo Bertolucci – she was also the one who gave him a unique Oscar his careers are either idiosyncratic pop records such as “Sweet revenge”.

And over the years, Sakamoto discovered more and more world aspects in his music and more and more often sat down on your piano until what everyone hopes for, but no one can calculate: cancer. In a double blow: in 2014, the musician faced laryngeal cancer, and in 2021, he announced that he had colon cancer.

Ryuichi Sakamoto never kept silent about his illness. Instead, he took it as something he would inevitably have to live with. Because the cancer drove him into darkness, he insisted on always looking into the light. It takes a lot of courage to sign the text with a headline. “Living with Cancer” (published in Sincho magazine) to give the last, farewell concert knowing that your body will soon leave you, write a music diary that you will release as your record, swan song – listening to his compositions “12” released in January, behind their serenity lies a calm acceptance of the inevitable.

What Ryuichi Sakamoto finally did in the last few years was say goodbye to life in front of everyone. Not in some narcissistic frame of mind, but ultimately teaching the most important lesson: whatever life brings, all we can do is face it and get on with it.

And from now on, this will sound every time we listen to the music of the Japanese “maestro”.