3x3x3: An Interview with Shintaro Sakamoto of Yura Yura Teikoku

 
Yura Yura Teikoku were a rock'n'roll band from Toyko formed by Shintaro Sakamoto, frontman and guitarist, and bass player Chiyo Kamekawa in 1989. They had a number of other players, but drummer Ichiro Shibata joined the group in 1997, finalizing the line-up. A year later, the group released the stellar 3x3x3, a record that extended the barriers of psychedelia and garage rock, only to be eclipsed three years later with the brilliant Yura Yura Teikoku III, which surely has one of the greatest rock openers of all time in "Huge Question Mark."

In the last decade, Yura Yura had released more great music, pushing their sound to include even a strong disco influence, and toured outside of Japan for the first time, including a trailblazing stop at Maxwell's in 2008 that had to be one of the best and most entertaining shows I had ever seen. Sadly, the group's story came to a close around March of last year.

Check out an interview with Shintaro Sakamoto on the group's ending and future projects with a few video clips after the jump.

Being an American, I find it is sometimes hard to find information about foreign groups who have not reached high levels of popularity stateside. In fact, I did not know the group had broken up until several months after the fact... which is a rather long time in this age of hyper-communication. Do you find that language barriers can create issues with your music on an international level? 

Once again, I get a real sense of how isolated the Japanese music industry is. I think, unless you take an aggressive approach to getting information about your group to the rest of the world, and unless you tour a lot, it's very difficult to have your music reach a worldwide audience. 

 
I had found about the disbandment of Yura Yura Teikoku via an article on TokyoGraph, in which you said: “[The band] felt that they had accomplished everything they could with the band, and continuing would feel like 'routine work'."

 

When did this feeling of "routine work" start to develop within the group? Did you feel that after more than 20 years you had achieved enough success in Japan? How was Yura Yura recieved in the country?

 

I think I started to feel a sense of 'routine work' around the start of 2009. The band's reputation in Japan was as good as it had ever been, and our shows always sold out, but for some reason I wasn't able to get excited about these things anymore. That was the first time I'd felt that sense of disinterest in the entire 20 year history of the band. 

Personally, I think Yura Yura Teikoku had plenty of success in Japan. I don't think we were successful on the international level at all, but we didn't form the band in order to be successful, and we had decided from the beginning that if we weren't enjoying ourselves anymore, we would quit.

That said, it took a lot of resolve for me to break up the band we'd been doing for twenty years, but after a year of agonizing over it, we disbanded on March 31st, 2010.  

 
The article also mentioned how the three members of Yura Yura Teikoku will be perusing different musical projects. What can we expect from you in the future? Have you released anything since the dissolution of the band?

 
I haven't released anything since the band dissolved, but I spent a year holed up at home, writing songs. I've got a bunch written now, so I think I'm going to start recording a solo album pretty soon. 

 

It seems that with Yura Yura, as the bands records progressed, the sound of the band moved away from an all out "rock" sort of sound and into a place where electronic and dance music had a larger impact. Would you say this is true? Are there any records that one would label as electronic or dance that had a big impact on you?

 
It's true that the sound of the band changed, but Yura Yura Teikoku was definitely a rock band, and I don't think we fit into the dance music scene. Personally, around 2005, I got real into 70's NY disco, but I had no intentions of doing exactly that kind of music with the band. What first got me into disco were all of Patrick Adams' productions, and the Loose Joints single, "Tell You (Today)." I also really like the SAM label. 

 
I know that you are also a very talented illustrator, even releasing the anthology, "Shintaro Sakamoto Artworks 1994-2006" in July of 2007 with Shogakukan publishing. Why had you decided to opt for a career in rock music instead of trying to become an artist? Who are your favorite artists?

 
I've liked drawing ever since I was a child, but I started playing guitar when I was 14, and rock kind of naturally became my main interest. I've been influenced by Japanese manga artists more than I have by fine art. Like Shigeru Mizuki, Tsuge Yoshiharu, Kazuo Umezu, Daijiro Moroboshi, etc.

 

Are there any films that have had a strong impact on you as an artist, both in illustration and music?

 

There are a bunch. I like the films Sean Penn has directed, and Paul Thomas Anderson's films. 

 
After the earthquake, and subsequent disasters that have happened in Japan, it seems, for the time being, the world has placed its eye on the country. What do you think this will do for the country, in particular its music, in the long run? What do you think would be the best way to help Japan?

 
Honestly, I don't really know. Right now, all we can do is hope for even the smallest decrease in harm from the radiation. 

Are there any new Japanese artists that you are particularly excited about?

 

They aren't new, but I like Oshiri Penpenzu and Nisennenmondai.

  

  

Watch some great music videos and a live performance by Yura Yura Teikoku below.

Comments

[Lightning Baltimore]

I discovered YYT by accident, as it were, in July of 2002, when I found their second album in a used CD shop. It was $5.59, I think, so I bought it on a whim. It was really good, so I asked a friend going to Japan for business if he could look for their CDs for me. He returned with a bunch of CDs, each of which was better than the last! I've been a massive fan ever since.

BTW, III is actually their seventh album; for whatever reason, the discography on their official website starts with 3✕3✕3, their fourth album.

[eric o]

I love this video... and song! http://youtu.be/SB-GaHtg95s

[Lisa R]

I was fortunate enough to catch YYT by accident when they opened for Yo La Tengo in Burlington, VT in 2009. I'd never heard of them before. Nothing against Yo La Tengo, but YYT was the highlight of the evening for sure. The guitar riffs were classic, gritty and innovative. They each had a cool stage presence. Unforgettable. I bought their Sweet Spot cd that night and still love it, have hunted down a few other albums. I'd never stopped hoping they'd come back. Very sad to hear they're no more, but am so glad I got to see them live in a small venue even just that once...

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