Interview with Kyomdarak
What does the name “Kyomdarak” mean?
Kyomdarak is my original word made by connecting two words. kyom is 虚無, darak is 堕落. 虚無 means nothingness in Japanese. 堕落 means depravity in Japanese. The English translation of kyomdarak is "nothingness and depravity."
Your public persona is unusual. Amongst your talk of music, you divulge a great deal about matters such as bug-infested cars, details of your fishing equipment, opinions about the government’s taxation policies…. Why have you chosen not to keep these things seperate?
I think it's a hassle to change SNS accounts for each theme. It's weird for a black metal band to talk about fishing and bears. But I think it's funny.
It seems that as well as being well acquainted with fish, you are also familiar with black bears. Any close encounters you would like to regale us with?
I never expected to be asked a question about bears. The end of last summer. I went fishing deep in the mountains. There I encountered a huge bear.
Not as cute as Winnie the Pooh. The bear was far away from where I was standing. So I wasn't attacked.
The photos on the covers of your albums are reminiscent of some shots from your online fishing channel. Sometimes these are jarring choices considering the music. How do you decide which images to use for your music?
I try not to think too much about the artwork. When I was young, I was very particular about song titles and designs… Most of the song titles on my new album are written in numbers. That was also influenced by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
The only “band photo” I have seen of Kyomdarak is a black and white photo of a Japanese gentleman in military regalia, covered in medals and a grey beard. Who is this person and what is their significance to the music of Kyomdarak?
His name is Togo Heihachiro. He's a former samurai. After the Meiji Restoration, he became a naval officer. He was a commander who was active in the Russo-Japanese War. I used the photo without permission, but so far I haven't received any complaints...
Different black metal projects focus on themes like nature worship, cosmic nihilism, paganism, tradition or history. Gifu prefecture is a place steeped in history, yet your aesthetic is stark and inhuman. Can you say a little more?
Black metal has elements of nature worship. However, it is also stylized. As you say, I use photos of natural scenery, but I don't worship nature. I'm expressing the scenery in my heart.
I read that you were inspired by the manga “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”. Some of your song/album titles seem to point in this direction. How directly is your music inspired, here? For instance “a new ecosystem”...
Nausicaa.
My past work...
the song called "青い空洞(Blue Hollow)". There is a scene in Nausicaa where she is swallowed by quicksand. However, the air underground was clean. ``青い空洞'' is a song inspired by that scenery. The new album depicts new life thriving in a purified world. At first, I was composing music with images of "real fear" and "real pain" in mind… It changed little by little. Apparently I don't have the sense to write brutal songs.
Some Western readers regard the eponymous character to be a kind of Christ-like figure, because of her self-sacrifice. Some Japanese readers retort that she is rather to be seen in the context of traditional Japanese myths/customs/religion. What are your thoughts?
That's a difficult question. Nausicaa is not Christ, and I think she is different from traditional Japanese gods(kami). Humanity was to be reborn as a new human race adapted to a purified world. Nausicaa chose to destroy it and perish proudly as a species. This ending is not depicted in the movie. You can watch it in the original manga by Hayao Miyazaki. Nausicaa's spirit is more like a samurai.
Many of your song titles involve dreams, illusions, fantasy and sleep. Do you practice lucid dreaming, astral projection, meditative techniques, or anything similar?
I have had lucid dreams. I flew in the sky. Even in dreams, there is a society, and we can't do what we want. The dream world is not that different from the real world. I don't really notice it though… My songs often include the word "dream".
During your lucid dreams (or perhaps when you are awake) did you ever have the sense of being a character in someone else's dream?
When I have a lucid dream, it is almost the same as in the real world. So it's subjective. I am the main character.
Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis dreams? Many who make dark music claim to be inspired by such experiences.
I have had dreams of being tied up several times. I didn't take much inspiration from that experience. However, that experience may have influenced my music a little.
Black metal in the West (usually) rejects Christianity, Islam and other “state religions”. Similarly, its lyrics often deal with the occult, or with non-”standard” Western spiritual traditions. But what does this all mean to the Japanese?
Many Japanese people think of European metal styles as a joke. Most people don't understand ideology. Japanese people imitate whatever they think is cool. For example, Rage against the machine is very popular in Japan.
RATM is famous for their extreme criticism of their home country.
However, many Japanese people hardly understand the meaning of their lyrics…
Is there an “occultism” practiced there contrary to “state-religion”? Do bands sing about that stuff? What are your thoughts on Japanese bands invoking Western symbols and concepts, given that Christianity never really took-over there?
The extremely ancient belief in the Holy Spirit is deeply rooted in the Japanese lifestyle. It is the concept that gods reside in all things. But Christianity is /thriving in Japan. My grandpa was a Christian.
You say the Japanese are mostly "ignorant" of ideology. Does "ignorance" produce innocence here (in the sense of liberatation from self-doubt) or is "ignorance" plain stupidity?
Many Japanese people do not actively express themselves in public.
This is because it has been considered a virtue in Japan for a long time. Many people pretend to be ignorant. It's a way to avoid unnecessary conflicts. I said that Japanese people don't care about ideology. But not everyone is like that.
What does Burzum mean to you?
Burzum is a true originator. “You can do it alone!” He told me. I have a lot of respect for him.
Though you make black metal music, the sound in your recordings is aggressively clean. The drum programming has a similarly inhuman quality, and very few of your tracks have any vocals. Are these all intentional choices, and if so, why?
Kyomdarak was originally ambient music. I was tired of extreme music.
I wanted music that was introverted and quiet. The ideal music would be something like Ulver and Ryuichi Sakamoto. I also liked the side projects of the members of ISIS(US band). My drum programming is influenced by math-core. So maybe it's not black metal. Even now, I have no intention of playing black metal.
Two bands you often mention are Starlingraid and Wombscape. Do you have a connection with these bands, and with your local music scene more generally? Or do you prefer to remain somewhat…aloof?
I used to be in a band with Roman from starlingraid and Ryo from wombscape. "You can express your world through music" they taught me that
Abort mastication/kandarivas : kyoske
Abort mastication/butcher ABC : taka
Abort mastication : kageyama
They were also members of the same band. They are the same age as me.
Taka is a recording engineer. I once had him master a song of mine.
That song is called "防護シェルター"
I would imagine that kyomdarak’s music is impossible to perform live. However, do you, (or have you ever) performed with another band?
In the early days I used to play live. I was once invited to a wombscape event.
But I no longer felt the meaning of performing live. As you say, it's difficult to reproduce album songs live.
You’ve also talked about Jesu before. What relationship, if any, does the music of J. Broadrick have with the music you write for Kyomdarak?
I went to see JESU live. In Shibuya, Tokyo. At that time I was living in Tokyo.
"JESU" was a really good album. It's incredibly heavy, but it's also warm.
My music isn't just dark either. I think he had an influence on me.
What are your thoughts on the concept of “influence”? As in, when one musician claims to be “influenced” by another. Is that a real thing? If so, what is your experience?
If I have advanced playing skills, I can imitate many things. However, that's only on the surface. I think the most important thing is what's inside. I think that's what "influence" means.
What are the bands/composers you listen to the most, currently?
A death metal band called Disconformity recently released a new EP.
It's really cool. And… I've been listening to Ryuichi Sakamoto's last album "12" a lot. This is the album I've been listening to the most this year.
Does art need words to explain its meaning? Isn't explaining art or music a bit like explaining the punchline of a joke?
I don't think it's necessary to explain art in words. "Don't think, feel." You're right. "Explaining art in words" It's like explaining the punchline of a joke.
Any final remarks?
All your questions were interesting. Thanks to you, I couldn't sleep last night.
Because I was using Google's translation function all night. I hope the meaning is conveyed properly.
Interview by O.G.