For nearly 50 years, Masayoshi Takanaka was virtually unknown outside Japan. Now, thanks to a wave of young fans discovering his music online, the 1970s guitar hero is selling out major venues around the world — and he’s as surprised as anyone.
“I was actually planning to fade out [my career],” Takanaka told The Guardian in April 2026. “But now I feel like this might be my second coming. My life has changed so much in the last few years.”
Masayoshi Takanaka: From Tokyo Stages to Global Stardom
Born in Tokyo in 1953, Takanaka picked up the guitar in middle school, drawn to Western acts including Cream, The Beatles and Ten Years After. By 1972, he was performing with Sadistic Mika Band, which became the first Japanese rock band to tour the U.K. after being invited to support Roxy Music.
The band appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test, where their performance earned praise from Jeff Beck. Takanaka has not returned to the U.K. in approximately 50 years since that tour.
His solo career flourished in Japan. The 1976 album Seychelles helped pioneer Japan’s rock fusion scene. Brasilian Skies (1978), recorded in Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles, featured contributions from Ryuichi Sakamoto and members of Toto. His instrumental track “Blue Lagoon” (1979) was a hit in Japan, and the album Saudade (1982) reached No. 1 on Japanese charts.
Along the way, Takanaka performed a joint concert with Santana and collaborated with Tina Turner and Little Richard.
How the Internet Changed Everything for Masayoshi Takanaka
Interest in Takanaka’s music surged globally in recent years as 1970s and 1980s Japanese jazz and pop gained traction on YouTube through algorithmic recommendations. In 2019, Light in the Attic Records licensed his 1979 track “Bamboo Vender” for its Pacific Breeze compilation series.
“It was a time when Japan was a kind of dreamland, where’s everybody’s got work and money. And you can feel it reflected in the music being produced at the time, and even in the artwork,” said Greg Gouty of Light in the Attic Records in an interview with The Guardian.
A fan-run Instagram account, Takanaka Vibes, created in 2023, has gained over 138,000 followers. Its creator cited discovering Takanaka through a 1981 performance at Tokyo’s Budokan.
His music has also appeared in the soundtrack of The Smashing Machine.
Young Crowds Bring New Energy to Masayoshi Takanaka’s Career
When Takanaka performed in Los Angeles for the first time in nearly 40 years, the audience demographic caught his attention.
“In Japan, most of the people at my shows are in their 50s, 60s or 70s,” Takanaka told The Guardian. “But in LA, most people were in their 20s. You could really feel their energy, and hear the audience cheering so loud. It got me really emotional.”
That energy is evident online, too. In a viral TikTok from one of his U.S. performances posted in April 2026, a user recorded Takanaka performing on his iconic surfboard guitar, writing “Takanaka’s Iconic Surfboard Guitar Makes Its First Debut In America!”
One commenter wrote, “The way the arena cheering like it’s the Super Bowl like it IS this serious 😭” and another posted: “this is the flex you think it is.” Another joked, “I’ve finally found it, the boogie board.”
Masayoshi Takanaka’s World Tour Decades In the Making
In November 2025, Takanaka announced his first U.K. solo performance, initially scheduled at Shepherd’s Bush Empire and later expanded to two nights at Brixton Academy due to demand. He is also scheduled to headline a festival in London’s Crystal Palace Park.
His current world tour includes the U.K., U.S., Australia and New Zealand, with most dates sold out.
For Takanaka, the whirlwind still feels surreal.
“It’s hard to grasp and understand,” he said. “It doesn’t feel real.”
