Atsushi Sakurai

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Atsushi Sakurai
Sakurai performing in 2017
Sakurai performing in 2017
Background information
Birth name桜井 敦司
Born(1966-03-07)March 7, 1966
Fujioka, Gunma, Japan
DiedOctober 19, 2023(2023-10-19) (aged 57)
Yokohama, Japan
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
  • actor
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • drums
  • saxophone
Years active1983–2023
Labels
Formerly of

Atsushi Sakurai (櫻井 敦司, Sakurai Atsushi, March 7, 1966 – October 19, 2023) was a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band Buck-Tick from 1985 until his death in 2023. Initially joining as their drummer in 1983, Sakurai fronted the band for 38 years and 23 studio albums, nearly all of which reached the top ten on Japan's Oricon chart. They are commonly credited as one of the founders of the visual kei movement.[1]

Sakurai released the solo album Ai no Wakusei in 2004, and was a member of Schwein alongside his Buck-Tick bandmate Hisashi Imai, Sascha Konietzko and Raymond Watts. In 2015, he formed a solo project called the Mortal. After falling ill during a Buck-Tick concert, Sakurai died from a brainstem hemorrhage in a Yokohama hospital on October 19, 2023.

Early life[edit]

Atsushi Sakurai was born in Fujioka, Gunma on March 7, 1966, as the youngest of two sons.[2] He shared a birthday and blood type with his father, whom Sakurai described as an alcoholic that he also physically resembled.[2] After buying a large stereo in his fifth year of elementary school, the first record Sakurai ever bought was Shinji Harada's Feel Happy.[2] He was impressed by Kiss' makeup and the Bay City Rollers' melodies and clothing, but preferred Harada, Twist, and Char.[2] Although he received an acoustic guitar at the same time, he gave the instrument up after about a week. Despite really enjoying listening to music, he did not consider becoming a musician at the time.[2]

By the time Sakurai entered Gunma Kenritsu Fujioka High School, he was a loner who hung out with the bad-kid yankī crowd and whose friends were mainly from outside the school.[2] This changed in his third year of high school, when he became friends with his classmate Hisashi Imai, who introduced him to punk rock. While listening to records together, they would often talk about starting a band and selected their respective instruments, despite none of them being able to play at the time. Sakurai chose drums because he thought it would be cool.[2] He later said that seeing fellow Gunma band Boøwy served as an initial inspiration for starting a band, followed soon after by Bauhaus and David Bowie.[3] After graduating in 1984, Sakurai got a job and continued to play in the band, soon after re-named Buck-Tick. However, he said being in the band was simply because he had nothing else to do.[2] He described this as the worst period of his life and began to drink a lot like his father.[2]

Career[edit]

Buck-Tick[edit]

When the other members of Buck-Tick graduated high school and moved to Tokyo, Sakurai was the only one left in Gunma Prefecture because his father was against his band activities and Sakurai was worried about his mother.[2] Sakurai then set his mind on becoming a singer. He asked Toll Yagami if he could be the vocalist of his band SP, but was declined. When his father died in October 1984, Sakurai moved to Tokyo a year later.[2] When the singer of Buck-Tick left, Sakurai sternly and successfully lobbied to become the band's new frontman in December 1985.[2]

Buck-Tick released their major label debut album Sexual XXXXX! through Victor Entertainment in 1987.[4] Their 1988 single "Just One More Kiss" marked their breakthrough when it reached number six on the Oricon Singles Chart.[5] The following year, their fourth studio album Taboo reached number one and they performed at the Tokyo Dome for the first time.[4][5] In 1990, the single "Aku no Hana" and the album of the same name each reached number one on their respective charts.[5] Buck-Tick continued their success for more than 30 years, as nearly all of their subsequent albums have reached the top ten on the Oricon chart. This includes 2023's Izora, their twenty-third studio album and last with Sakurai.

Sakurai's last name was originally written with the first kanji as "桜" ("sakura"), but when his mother died in 1990 he changed it to "櫻", the older version. He also wrote "Jupiter" and "Sakura" about his mother's death.[6] Sakurai married Buck-Tick's stylist in 1991. They had one son, Akutagawa Prize-winning author Haruka Tono, before divorcing a year later.[7][8] He married again in June 2004.[9]

Buck-Tick's Chaos After Dark Tour was scheduled to begin in December 1996. However, it was postponed after Sakurai fell seriously ill with acute peritonitis while at a photo shoot in Nepal.[10] With his life at risk, he was flown back to Japan, where he was hospitalized for about a month.[10] The missed concert dates were made up for with a tour in March 1997.[10]

On December 9, 2018, Sakurai was visibly unwell during Buck Tick's concert at Zepp DiverCity, but he insisted on finishing the performance. After the concert, he was diagnosed with gastrointestinal bleeding and subsequent shows had to be postponed for his treatment.[11]

Solo career and other work[edit]

Outside of Buck-Tick, Sakurai appeared on the song "Masquerade" from Der Zibet's 1991 album Shishunki II, and its re-recording for 2010's Kaikoteki Mirai - Nostalgic Future.[12][13][14] He collaborated with Dutch band Xymox on the song "Yokan" (予感) for the March 1992 compilation album Dance 2 Noise 002.[15][16] Sakurai provided backing vocals to "Koi no Hallelujah" on the 1994 album Flowers by Der Zibet vocalist Issay,[14] as well as the songs "No One Gets Out of Her Alive" and "Contempt" from the 1996 album Wrecked by English recording act Pig. For Masami Tsuchiya's 1998 album Mori no Hito ~Forest People~, he sings lead vocals on "A Mid Summer Night's Forest" and "Goblin Forest", which he wrote the lyrics to.[17]

Sakurai and his Buck-Tick bandmate Hisashi Imai teamed up with English and German industrial musicians Raymond Watts and Sascha Konietzko to form the supergroup Schwein in 2001.[18] They released one studio album, Schweinstein, one remix album, Son of Schweinstein, and held a Japanese tour, all before dissolving within the year.[16] In a 2023 interview with Visual Music Japan, Watts cited Schwein as his favorite collaboration to date and called Sakurai a "grand vocalist".[19]

In 2004, Sakurai released his first solo album Ai no Wakusei. It features music composed by a variety of musicians such as Wayne Hussey, Taiji Sato (Theatre Brook), and Robin Guthrie.[16] 2004 also saw his acting debut, with the lead role in Ryuhei Kitamura's short film Longinus.[16][20] He released a book of his poetry and lyrics called Yasou (夜想, "Nocturne") in 2004.[16]

Sakurai co-wrote the song "Shinkai" for Chiaki Kuriyama's 2011 debut album Circus.[21]

In 2015, he announced the formation of his second solo project, a band called the Mortal.[22] The group consisted of guitarist Jake Cloudchair (Guniw Tools), guitarist Yukio Murata (My Way My Love), bassist Ken Miyo (M-Age) and drummer Takahito Akiyama (Downy). The mini album Spirit was released on October 14 and they played a five-date tour in November.[23][24] The full-length album I am Mortal was released on November 11, 2015.[24]

Sakurai wrote the lyrics to the song "Koisuru Christine", which Imai composed for Kishidan's 2017 album Manyoshu.[25] Sakurai was the narrator of the 2018 anime film Neko Ki Kaku.[26] He sang the song "Kakeochi-mono" with Ringo Sheena as a duet for her 2019 album Sandokushi.[27]

Death and legacy[edit]

Sakurai died after cutting short a concert at KT Zepp Yokohama.

On October 19, 2023, during a Buck-Tick concert at KT Zepp Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan, that was exclusively for members of their fan club, Sakurai was rushed to a hospital due to sudden signs of illness, abruptly ending the performance.[28][29] According to attendees, he was visibly unwell during the first song, "Scarecrow", sat down to perform the second, "Boy Septem Peccata Mortalia", and was then escorted off stage by staff after the third song, "Zekkai".[28][30] He died at the hospital at 11:09 p.m. that night, at the age of 57.[28][31] The cause of death was revealed to be a brainstem hemorrhage.[28][31] A private funeral, attended by close friends and family, was held in the following days.[29][31] His death was announced by the band on October 24.[28][32] Buck-Tick held a two-day memorial event for Sakurai, titled The Ceremony -Atsushi Sakurai e- (THE CEREMONY -櫻井敦司へ-), at Zepp Haneda on December 8 and 9.[33][34] It was attended by an estimated 20,000 people.[35]

Sports Nippon described Sakurai as a "charismatic figure who led the rock world of the 1980s".[36] The Mainichi Shimbun wrote that Sakurai was known for his handsome appearance and unique singing voice.[31] Several musicians publicly expressed their condolences over his death, including Tomoyasu Hotei, Sugizo, Gackt, Daigo, and Diamond Yukai.[36][37] Izam said he had admired Sakurai since his school days, and related how when he first met him, "it felt as if I had touched a god".[36] Show Ayanocozey remarked, "he was a true rock hero who lived on stage until the very end, and was in the spotlight right up to the moment of his death. Who else has done such a thing?"[38] Sakurai was posthumously honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 65th Japan Record Awards on December 30, 2023.[39][40]

In 2011, Japanese rock music critics writing for Metropolis included Sakurai in their Pantheon of Japanese Rock Gods.[41] According to Shweta Basu, the musician's good looks and "aloof and dangerous aura" inspired many fictional characters, most notably the rock singer Kouji Nanjo in the manga series Zetsuai 1989.[42] Manga artist Ami Shibata, creator of Papuwa and Jibaku-kun, admitted she modeled several of her characters in his image.[36] Dir En Grey vocalist Kyo was inspired to become a rock star after seeing a picture of Sakurai on the desk of a junior high school classmate.[43] Mucc frontman Tatsuro cited Sakurai as the vocalist who has influenced him the most, including his lyrics and stage presence.[44]

Discography[edit]

Singles
  • "Sacrifice" (May 26, 2004), Oricon Singles Chart Peak Position: #25[45]
  • "Taiji/Smell" (胎児/SMELL, "Embryo/Smell") July 21, 2004 #22[45]
  • "Wakusei -Rebirth-" (惑星-Rebirth-, "Planet -Rebirth-") February 23, 2005 #62[45]
Albums
DVDs
  • Longinus (August 25, 2004, short film), Oricon DVDs Chart Peak Position: #16[47]
  • -Explosion- Ai no Wakusei Live 2004 (-EXPLOSION -愛の惑星Live2004, December 16, 2004) #47[47]
With the Mortal
  • Spirit (October 14, 2015) #11[48]
  • I am Mortal (November 11, 2015) #12[48]
  • Immortal (March 9, 2016, home video)
With Buck-Tick
Main article: Buck-Tick discography
With Schwein
Main article: Schwein discography

Books[edit]

  • Yasou (夜想, "Nocturne") July 14, 2004
  • Sacrifice (July 20, 2004)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dejima, Kouji. "Bounce Di(s)ctionary Number 13 - Visual Kei". Bounce (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 1, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Matsuura, Yasue; Nakagawa, Takao (1989). Buck-Tick Love Me (in Japanese). Shinko Music Publishing Company, Ltd. pp. 98–109. ISBN 4-401-61275-2.
  3. ^ "【対談】逹瑯 (Mucc) × 櫻井敦司 (Buck-Tick)、異種格闘技対談-Ring 番外編「歯がなくなるまで噛み付こうと思います」". Barks (in Japanese). September 3, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Luna Sea: God Bless You". JRock Revolution. August 27, 2007. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "【オリコン】Buck-Tick の主な記録 『悪の華』など5作でオリコン週間アルバムランキング1位獲得". Oricon (in Japanese). October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Words by Buck-Tick 1987-2002 (in Japanese). Shinko Music Publishing Company, Ltd. 2002. p. 91. ISBN 978-4-4016-1726-5.
  7. ^ "Buck-Tick 櫻井敦司と芥川賞作家・遠野遥は実の親子、本日発売「文藝」で初対談が実現". Natalie (in Japanese). October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  8. ^ "「Buck-Tick」櫻井敦司さん、長男は芥川賞作家・遠野遥氏 対談時に「感激しちゃうな」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
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  17. ^ "土屋昌巳 / 森の人 Forest People [廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  18. ^ "Buck-Tick のメンバーも参加の「Schwein/シュバイン」とは一体何者!？". Barks (in Japanese). March 12, 2001. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  19. ^ "PIG | The art of provocation: Raymond Watts' (PIG) musical journey and creative ventures, fasten your seatbelt and brace yourself for impact". Visual Music Japan. May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  20. ^ "Longinus". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  21. ^ "Buck-Tick and Theatre Brook Participating in Kuriyama Chiaki's New Album". musicjapanplus.jp. Archived from the original on February 26, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  22. ^ "Buck-Tick 櫻井敦司が 10 年ぶりソロ始動 新バンド"TheMortal"結成". Oricon (in Japanese). June 29, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  23. ^ "Buck-Tick 櫻井ソロプロジェクトThe Mortal、10月に音源リリース". Natalie. August 3, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  24. ^ a b "Buck-Tick 櫻井ソロ The Mortal、初アルバム全貌明らかに". Natalie. October 9, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  25. ^ "氣志團 綾小路 翔、ロックスターであり続けるBuck-Tickへの憧れ 青春を捧げた思い出から交流秘話まで明かす". Real Sound (in Japanese). February 22, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  26. ^ "みゃあすう（枚数）限定！アニメ映画『猫企画』DVD、2020年6月29日（にくきゅう記念日）、予約受付開始だぎゃあ！". PR Times (in Japanese). June 29, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  27. ^ "椎名林檎、櫻井敦司（Buck-Tick）との「駆け落ち者」配信リリース＆新 Al ジャケット公開". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). May 1, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  28. ^ a b c d e "「Buck-Tick」ボーカル・櫻井敦司さん死去 57歳 ライブ中に救急搬送…搬送先の病院で脳幹出血". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Buck-Tick 櫻井敦司、脳幹出血のため57歳で死去 公演中に体調不良". Natalie (in Japanese). October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  30. ^ "Atsushi Sakurai | From mortality to immortality: honoring Atsushi Sakurai's (BUCK-TICK) legacy — an icon whose influence transcends time and genre". Visual Music Japan. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
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  32. ^ "Buck-Tick 櫻井敦司さん死去 57歳 公式サイトで発表「あまりに早すぎる旅立ち」 19日コンサート中に救急搬送". Oricon (in Japanese). October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  33. ^ "Buck-Tick櫻井敦司さん偲ぶ『The Ceremony』12月8日・9日に開催 公式サイトで発表". Oricon (in Japanese). November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  34. ^ "Buck-Tick櫻井敦司を偲ぶ会、Zepp Hanedaで開催". Natalie (in Japanese). November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  35. ^ "櫻井敦司さん献花式　祭壇にはマイクが…ファン涙の別れ「あっちゃん、ありがとう」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  36. ^ a b c d "櫻井敦司さん急逝 芸能界から追悼の声 メンバーや後輩Izam ら悲痛 音楽業界に衝撃…出版社もコメント". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  37. ^ "「Buck-Tick」櫻井敦司さん訃報に仲間たちの追悼の声… 布袋「もう会えないなんてうそだろ？」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  38. ^ "Buck-Tick 櫻井敦司さん 死去 芸能界から追悼の声・続々【Sugizo・布袋寅泰・永野・西川貴教・Daigo・綾小路翔・ダイアモンド✡ユカイ・今井寿・Izam】". TBS News Dig (in Japanese). October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  39. ^ "伊集院静さん、『日本レコード大賞』特別功労賞受賞 訃報を受け…記者会見で追加発表". Oricon (in Japanese). December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  40. ^ "輝く！日本レコード大賞". TBS (in Japanese). Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  41. ^ Grunebaum, Dan (May 19, 2011). "Pantheon of Japanese Rock Gods". Metropolis. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  42. ^ Basu, Shweta (2017). "Flowers of Evil to Aku no Hana: Baudelaire's Transculturation across Space and Time". Spring Magazine on English Literature. III (I): 69. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  43. ^ "Itami no Genten". Read. 002. Takarajimasha. September 2003.
  44. ^ "-異種格闘技対談-Ring【round2】第24回/Inoran". Barks (in Japanese). March 17, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  45. ^ a b c 櫻井敦司のシングル売り上げランキング. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  46. ^ 櫻井敦司のアルバム売り上げランキング. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 19, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  47. ^ a b "櫻井敦司のDVD売り上げランキング". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 18, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  48. ^ a b The Mortal のアルバム売り上げランキング. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved February 28, 2016.

External links[edit]

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