Seppuku Pistols (Japan)

Seppuku Pistols was formed by four ex-punks in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear disaster. Their first performance took place on the edge of the no-entry zone surrounding the power plant — an act of resistance that set the tone for everything that followed. Since then, the group has rebelled against deceptive modernization, channeling protest through an indigenous Edo-era aesthetic and spirit.

What began as a small collective has grown into a roaming force of around 30 members across Japan, drawing in new participants who encounter them live. Performing anywhere and everywhere — indoors or outdoors, with or without electricity — Seppuku Pistols unleash deafening, chaotic rituals using traditional instruments like shamisen, shinobue flute, taiko drums, and gongs. From villages and nightclubs to protests, shrines, schools, mountains, and the sea, they create explosive situations where children, punks, workers, and elders collide in shared release. Beyond performance, members engage in farming, folklore research, craft, and community learning, embodying a living bridge to Edo culture and connecting audiences with ancestral memory, symbolized by their Yakamashi crest of arrow, sickle, and will.

せっぷくぴすとるず (@seppuku_pistols) • Instagram profile

Seppuku Pistols (Live in London, 2024.8.2)