Susumu Yokota

𝙎𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙪 𝙔𝙤𝙠𝙤𝙩𝙖’𝙨 “𝙎𝙖𝙠𝙪𝙧𝙖” 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚 — 𝙖 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚, 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙖𝙘 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙙𝙮, 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙢 𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙨.

Created as a musical expression of ki-do-ai-raku — joy, anger, sorrow and happiness — the album moves effortlessly between stillness and motion, light and shadow. Sparse piano lines, soft drones and barely-there rhythmic traces unfold with patience, allowing emotions to surface and dissolve without ever being fixed or overstated.

Rather than describing moods, “Sakura” lets them breathe. Moments of profound calm give way to quiet melancholy, hesitation drifts into warmth, and joy appears fleeting but sincere. The restraint is central to its power, offering space for reflection while remaining deeply human.

Universally acclaimed upon release and praised by figures such as Philip Glass and Brian Eno, “Sakura” became Yokota’s best-known and best-selling album, introducing his work to a global audience. This Skintone edition preserves its timeless delicacy — a work of rare balance that continues to resonate as one of ambient music’s most poetic statements.