Seppuku Pistols are a punk band with a twist: they are 20 members strong and use taiko drums, flutes, shamisen, and a bell while their clothing is noragi (farmers) jackets, bamboo hats, and sandals. Taiko drums sound out thunderously, wolf calls pepper songs, and the shamisen and flute trill throughout as the bell keeps time.
Here’s a taste of them in action:
Led by Hiroyuki Iida, they started out as a Sex Pistols-inspired act but their current incarnation was formed in the shadow of the Fukushima disaster and they draw their unique ethos, sound, and look from the sustainable living of Edo period Japan. In between playing regular clubs, they do pop-up concerts and cultural events in cities, on the seas, and in the countryside and live their ethos through maintaining traditional ways of living.
Their diversity and approach is best exemplified in Yo Umezaki’s music documentary, The Seppuku Pistols.
Winner of the Chicago Japan Film Collective 2022’s Audience Award, The Seppuku Pistols saw Yo Umezaki spend many years travelling thousands of miles around the world with the group to bring raucous concert footage and behind-the-scenes insights into the band’s activities. From Tokyo to Times Square, viewers see the unifying effect of their sound that transcends cultures and how the lengths they go to preserve traditional Japanese culture and apply it to our tumultuous times.
With the band currently in the UK and wowing people in London and Bristol with their sound, I had the opportunity to watch the film and ask director Umezaki about his experiences shooting it and his connection with the band.
What sort of music did you listen to and what did you think of Edo lifestyles when growing up?
From rock to punk, I listened to a wide range of music, including the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Police, U2, The Clash, and Green Day. I had favourite songs at different times, but I had never experienced any music that shook my soul. That was until I met Seppuku Pistols.
ロックからパンクまで、(ローリングストーンズ、ツェッペリン、ポリスやU2、クラッシュ、グリーンデイなど)幅広く聴いてきて、 好きな曲はその時その時でありましたが、魂を揺さぶられるような 音楽体験は、有りませんでした。 切腹ピストルズと出会うまでは。
Regarding the Edo period, I had the impression that it was a peaceful era of 250 years that Japan enjoyed for the first time after the Warring States period. It was a time when a free-spirited town culture was born, vividly colouring the lives of the people.
江戸については、戦国時代を経て日本が初めて享受した250年に及ぶ平和な時代、町民文化が自由な気風の中生まれ、人々の暮らしを生き生きと彩った時代だというイメージがありました。
How did you first discover Seppuku Pistols and what was your first impression?
Pirates. They appeared in a small village in the Seto Inland Sea on a ship, and their shouts, the high-pitched sound of their gongs, and the ground-shaking sound of their drums grabbed my hearing and soul. I had a clear sense that I had to follow them.
海賊。船で瀬戸内海の小さな村に現れ、叫びと甲高い鉦の音、 地を揺るがすような太鼓の音に 聴覚と魂を鷲掴みにされました。 「自分は彼らを追い続けなければならない」とはっきりした意識が 芽生えました。
The documentary is excellently structured to take viewers through the group’s background and capture so many exciting concerts, including ones in New York – good timing(!).
How did this project get started and how long was the production period? Was the Times Square performance known to be coming up when you started?
As mentioned above, the moment of I first encountered them and felt the urge to follow them as much as possible was almost the same. Since then, I have tried to stick as closely as possible to Seppuku Pistols’ unpredictable performance journeys. The aim was to produce the work as a business card to introduce and spread their image to the world. The first episode of this project includes especially hot scenes from the vast footage shot over six years (over 100 performance scenes).
上記の様に、最初の出会いと、 続けられる限り彼らを追いかけたいと感じたのがほぼ同じ瞬間で、 以後 神出鬼没で毎回予測のつかない切腹ピストルズの演奏の旅に 可能な限り密着すること、作品を 名刺代わりとして彼らの姿を世界に発信し、広める狙いで製作を スタートしました。今回の第一弾：エピソード1には6年間 撮り続けた膨大な映像=(演奏シーンだけでも100箇所以上)から 特にホットなシーンを中心に 構成されています。
The leader had always wanted to perform in Times Square, so yes, I knew about it.
タイムズスクエアは隊長が以前から演奏したいと言っており、 もちろん知っていました。
It feels like you are part of the band at points since we are let into private lives as Seppuku Pistols members offer unguarded moments of thinking about people at home or explaining their backgrounds. How did you get close to your subjects?
We ate, drank, and stayed in the same room together during their performances, but all the members of Seppuku Pistols interacted with me in their natural state. On the contrary, I have always drawn a line in my mind not to become too intimate beyond the line of subject and photographer. It’s the same even now.
演奏の度に共に飲み食べ、同じ部屋に泊まらせてもらったというのもありますが、切腹の隊員は 全員ありのままの姿で接してくれるので、逆に被写体と撮影者というラインを超えてまで親密にならないよう 気持ちの中で一線を引いてきました。今もそうです。
During the travels shown in the film, the Seppuku Pistols play to people in care facilities, on small islands, and in New York’s Times Square. The reactions to their Edo-era appearance seems to be bemusement at first but people get into it as the band are quite into interacting with audiences. There were some beautiful shots at some of the locations like in Niigata.
Could you talk a little about the reaction of people to Seppuku Pistols and what was your favourite one?
Scenes where elderly people in nursing home clap along to the music with sparkling eyes, an old lady in Harlem dancing because she couldn’t resist, and a young man named Matthew shedding tears for no apparent reason are some of my favourites. The moment the sound of the taiko drums transcends nationality, language, generation, and all other backgrounds, and the audience becomes one, I always get emotional.
介護施設でお年寄りが目を輝かせて演奏に合わせて手拍子しているシーン、ハーレムで老女が我慢出来ずに踊り出すシーン、マシューという青年が訳もなく涙を流すシーンなどです。太鼓の響きが 国籍や言葉、世代やあらゆる背景 の違いを越え、オーディエンスがひとつになる瞬間には毎回胸が熱くなります。
In terms of shooting the concerts, could you explain a little what approach you took to capture the experience in terms of visuals and sound for audiences in cinema? How big was your crew, for example?
Over 90% of the film was shot by myself. Visually, I aimed to express the live feeling as close to the audience’s perspective as possible, by, for example, diving into the mosh pit. Since there was no sound staff, I mounted GoPros and smartphones on my DSLR to add variety to the angles. I mixed these audio sources to make the drum sound as close to live as possible.
撮影体制は作品の90%以上は 1人で撮影しました。視覚的には モッシュの中に突っ込んでいくなど限界まで観客の目線に近いライブ感を表現すること、音声スタッフがいないので一眼レフにgoproやスマホを搭載して画角にバリエーションをつけること、これらの音源をミックスしてなるべく太鼓の胴鳴りと音の芯が生に近く聴こえるようにすることを心がけました。
I really liked how you had a theme of sustainable living by showing the contrast between modernity and the traditional styles of the group. For example, seeing the group’s leader Iida-san hunt for noragi, repair them and wear them and Suzuki Sun-san making traditional sandals.
I think that this film might pair up well with Okiku and the World by Junji Sakamoto (interview), where we see how people in the Edo period reused and repaired items.
What are your views on preserving old ways of culture and after working with Seppuku Pistols for so long, have you adopted some aspect of the way that they live?
Traditional styles and ancient wisdom mostly involved obtaining or repairing indispensable items oneself, unlike the modern era filled with goods and services. I think the leader’s words about Noragi, “It becomes a unique piece as you repeatedly repair it when it tears,” reflect the aesthetic of old Japan. I haven’t particularly adopted their lifestyle because approaching Seppuku Pistols’ style on my own would make me feel like just one of their followers, so I avoid it.
伝統様式や古くからの暮らしの 知恵はほとんどが、モノやサービスに溢れた現代と違い 生活に欠かせないものや長く使うものは自分で工夫して手に入れたり修復してきました。隊長が野良着について「破れたら直すを繰り返すうちに自分だけの一点ものになる」と語っていた言葉が、古き日本の美意識を表していると思います。 彼らの生活様式を取り入れたりは 特にしませんし、自分から切腹ピストルズのスタイルに寄せていくと、1人のフォロワーみたいな感覚になってしまうので避けています。
In New York, Seppuku Pistols make a mega-fan out of a young man named Matthew. It goes to show how universal their music and way of living is. Could you talk about recording his journey and if he kept touch with the group after university?
Matthew still contacts Seppuku Pistols members and me. After coming to Japan, he continued to visit Asia in search of himself and particularly idolizes the leader. He got a tattoo of the leader’s profile on his arm and constantly expresses in emails that Seppuku Pistols are always in his heart. Even during this London tour, he sent several emails.
マシューは今でも切腹の隊員や 梅崎にも連絡をくれます。 彼は来日後も自分探し的にアジアを訪れたり、特に隊長に心酔しているので、腕に隊長の横顔のタトゥーを入れたり、メールで常に心に切腹ピストルズの存在がある事を伝えて来ます。今回のロンドンツアー中も何回きメールが来ました。
What was the most memorable gig for you?
Such a difficult question! It’s hard to pick just one, but the first time I teared up while filming was at the “Bridge Under World Music Festival” at the beginning of the movie, witnessing the unification of the huge crowd. It was an experience that felt like bathing in the primal source of human vitality, where everyone, regardless of title or status, could smile and get excited.
難しすぎる質問！一番は難しいですが、初めて撮影しながら涙が 滲んだのは映画の冒頭の「橋の下世界音楽祭」で大観衆と一体化しているのを目撃した時。肩書きも立場も関係なく誰もが笑顔で熱狂できる、人間のプリミティブな 生命力の源を浴びたような体験でした。
Seppuku Pistols will tour the UK in August 2024. How do you recommend people approach the concerts?
They have already been appearing everywhere and heating up various people. Just “Don’t think! Feel!” Empty your mind and let yourself be carried away by the sound of the drums!
もう各地に出没し、あらゆる人々をヒートアップさせています。 Don’t think! Feel! あるのみ。 アタマを空っぽにして太鼓の響きに身を任せてください！
As mentioned in the last question, Seppuku Pistols are currently in the UK touring venues in London and Bristol. You can find out more on details and dates in this post.
The next gig is from 13:00 at the Museum of the Home, 136 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8EA.
Their final date is Thu 08th, at night: secret gig in Bristol
My thanks go out to Yo Umezaki for taking part in the interview and Yuki for making it happen!
Also! One last recommend for GREEN ROOM, a film where punks fight Neo-Nazis. I saw this at a cinema with my mother and sister and we still regard it as a great film!