In 2011, director Takashi Miike revisited the cult classic Harakiri (1962), a masterpiece of samurai cinema starring the great Tatsuya Nakadai. Based on a novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi, the film explores the contradictory ignominy and inner turmoil of a samurai torn between a life of poverty and pride. This theme resonates through Sakamoto’s wistful score, employing strings, piano, oboe, and more instruments that cast their distinct shadow across each scene. Of course, any great film score holds its theme up for inspection through multiple variations. In the track Harakiri, the sustained tones of the strings build tension during the film’s titular ritual suicide scene. Similarly, the piercing upper registers of the violin played in No Way Out evoke a profound sense of despair. Sakamoto deploys the piano softly and sporadically draws on prepared piano techniques to create a block of sound that teeters on the threshold of dissonance. These gestures almost feel more like sound design than mere arrangement. A number of tracks make use of traditional Japanese instruments, fitting for a period piece. For example, God of Death features taiko drumming performed by the three brothers of Sankyokai—Hirotada Kamei, Denzaemon Tanaka, and Denjiro Tanaka. Alternately resembling sound effects as well as a four-on-the-floor kick drum pattern, their taiko adds an atmosphere that distinguishes this soundtrack. The haunting tones of Tamami Tono’s shō (Japanese mouth organ) on Losing also leave a deep impression. Meanwhile, the acoustic guitar of Kaori Muraji offers a richly harmonic counterpoint to the traditional Japanese instruments. Even among the many tracks on this richly textural album, In the Courtyard stands out as a particular highlight. A synth lays down an ambient background, atop which Sakamoto layers percussion (that may or may not also be synthesized) and a breathy flute that evokes a shakuhachi, saturating the space with noise to spectacular effect. Sakamoto manages to cut through the weight of the film’s heavy subject matter with refined dignity and restraint. The soundtrack is truly a masterstroke from a skilled and seasoned hand.