Kyu Sakamoto’s 1961 ballad returns to theaters in new drama

The 2026 Tokyo International Film Festival opens with Sukiyaki, a drama by director Takahisa Zeze that examines the origins of the 1961 song that became a global phenomenon. The film centers on the collaboration between composer Hachidai Nakamura, played by Junichi Okada, and lyricist Rokusuke Ei, portrayed by Tori Matsuzaka. It follows how singer Kyu Sakamoto, played by Taiga Nakano, transformed their musical combination into a cultural symbol of Japan’s postwar recovery.

Nakamura was a jazz pianist struggling with debt and addiction as rockabilly music eclipsed the genre. He formed a partnership with Ei, a radio writer with no prior experience in songwriting, to compose a score for a 1959 movie produced by Toho. The studio is also distributing the 2026 film. In 1961, the duo wrote “Ue o Muite Aruko,” which translates to “I look upwards as I walk.” Nakamura blended traditional Japanese scales with jazz chords and American pop influences, while Ei’s lyrics drew inspiration from the failed mass protests against the Tokyo-Washington security treaty.

Sakamoto was brought in for the song’s premiere at Tokyo’s Sankei Hall on July 21, 1961, on short notice. He received the sheet music only two hours before the performance. Without rehearsal, he deviated from the written score by shifting to a minor key, changing the rhythmic structure, and timing his entries late. These improvisations added layers to the track that contributed to its distinctiveness.

The single was released in Japan and became the Music Life best domestic song from November 1961 to January 1962, selling 300,000 copies. Its international breakthrough came in 1962 when Louis Benjamin of the British label Pye Records heard the melody during a visit to Japan. He provided the track to Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, who recorded an instrumental version titled “Sukiyaki.” That version reached the top ten in Britain in February 1963.

After U.S. releases of the instrumental versions failed to gain traction, Capitol Records decided to release the original Japanese recording under the title “Sukiyaki.” The single entered record stores on May 3, 1963. By June, it had topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. This achievement made Sakamoto the only Japanese artist to reach number one in the United States and the first Asian artist to do so. The record would not be matched by another Asian artist until BTS released “Dynamite” in 2020.

The song topped charts in various countries, including Australia and Norway, and eventually sold more than 13 million copies worldwide. Toshiba reissued the single in Japan, adding the title in katakana and the packaging legend “global hit!” to capitalize on the international success. The song’s popularity coincided with double-digit economic growth in Japan and the rise of global brands like Sony and Toyota.

In 1981, Janice-Marie Johnson, who later founded the R&B group A Taste of Honey, recorded a version of the song. Johnson contacted Ei in Japan for a rough English translation of the lyrics. Despite opposition from her label, her version reached number three on the Hot 100 and topped the R&B chart. The band performed alongside Sakamoto on Japanese television. Johnson’s lyrics were later sampled in the 1985 hip-hop track “La Di Da Di” by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick.

Sakamoto died on August 12, 1985, when Japan Air Lines flight 123 crashed into a mountainside in central Japan shortly after takeoff from Tokyo. The crash killed 520 of the 524 people onboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in aviation history. The song has since been used in various contexts, including a 2011 television commercial featuring 71 celebrities and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony. The new film reuniting the on-screen trio was released in Japan on Christmas Day.