The Japanese writer Ryu Murakami passed away on October 17 at his home, at the age of 74, as announced jointly by his office and the publisher Gentosha.
The cause of death was not disclosed, and the funeral was held privately, with close family members.
Murakami, born in 1952 in Nagasaki Prefecture, was a central figure in contemporary Japanese literature, but for the world of Cuban music, he represented something different: the man who produced recordings and concerts for NG La Banda in Japan when timba was virtually unknown in that country.
In the early nineties, the writer began traveling to Cuba and met José Luis Cortés «El Tosco», founder and director of NG La Banda.
In November 1992, he produced a recording session for the orchestra in Japan, which resulted in nine tracks, including "Échale limón" and "Murakami Mambo," a song dedicated to him that bears his name.
According to the documentation by the producer Grio in the historical overview of the project RYU'S CUBAN NIGHT, Murakami also produced the Japanese edition of the album "Nueva Generación" by NG La Banda and the live album "Live in Japan," recorded in Tokyo in August 1993. In 1995, during the production of his film "KYOKO," he recorded "Siboney" with members of the same orchestra.
For about two decades, he maintained the concert series "RYU'S CUBAN NIGHT," which brought artists such as Issac Delgado, Haila Mompié, Bamboleo, and Tania Pantoja to Japan. Murakami himself described NG La Banda as the band that led him to "deeply engage with Cuban music."
On November 13, 2013, the concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of the cycle took place at the Stellar Hall of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo, featuring Tony Calá, Mayito Rivera, Tania Pantoja, and El Tosco himself as the guest flutist. The live album from that night was released in April 2014.
As a novelist, Murakami made his debut in 1976 with "Almost Transparent Blue," written while he was studying at Musashino Art University, west of Tokyo. The work won the Akutagawa Prize and sold approximately 3.5 million copies. Some of his most well-known titles include "The Cabinet Man" (1980), "Miso Soup" (1997), and "Piercing" (1994). His latest novel, "Youtuber," was published in 2023.
Murakami shares a surname, but no relation, with the also famous Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.
The publisher Gentosha expressed in its statement that "we are deeply saddened by the news of Ryu Murakami's passing, who dedicated his career to tirelessly publishing impactful works that resonated with younger generations."
The spokesperson for the Japanese Government, Minoru Kihara, stated that the writer "has sharply depicted the lights and shadows of society, as well as the hopes and anxieties of the people, leaving a significant mark on Japanese literature."
The Cuban musician most directly connected to Murakami, José Luis Cortés «El Tosco», passed away four years earlier, in April 2022, after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke. Murakami outlived him, but the song that bears his name will remain the most direct testament to an unlikely bond between a Japanese novelist and Cuban timba.
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