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Last Emperor/Honneamise Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto "in Great Shape" After Cancer Treatment
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
63-year-old world-renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto announced in a statement in English and Japanese on his website on Monday that he is "in great shape" following treatment of his mesopharyngeal carcinoma.
Sakamoto was diagnosed with cancer in early July last year, after he began feeling something unusual in his throat, and underwent an examination in early June last year.
In his statement, Sakamoto wrote that he is "thinking about returning to work," but that he will prioritize composing from home and will refrain from live performances for the time being.
He will compose the music for the film Haha to Kuraseba (Living With My Mother) by Yoji Yamada.
Sakamoto was born on January 17, 1952 in Tokyo. He graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts and founded the pivotal electropop musical trio YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra) with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1978. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for The Last Emperor film in 1988. Sakamoto composed the soundtracks of The Wings of Honneamise, the Appleseed anime movies, and Le Chevalier D'Eon.
He received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France's Ministry of Culture in 2009, and served as a judge in the 2013 Venice Film Festival. His father was the late Kazuki Sakamoto, the editor for such well-known authors as Yukio Mishima and Hiroshi Noma.
Thanks to Shin Kurokawa for the news tip
