A Sound Artist in Robes: Yogetsu Akasaka
I first met him at the "Marine Healing Meditation Festival" held at Busan National Maritime University.
His performance on stage—delivered by a monk with a shaved head and elegant robes—captivated the audience in an instant.
Chanting the Heart Sutra and mantras to an otherworldly melody, he drew people deeply in.
If you’ve never seen him before, you might blink at first. But the moment he stands in front of the loop station and lets out the first sound, that doubt quickly transforms into wonder.
Yogetsu Akasaka is a Zen Buddhist monk from Tokyo, Japan, as well as a live looping artist and meditation music producer. He has carved out a unique music genre called "Sound Mandala" by weaving together the hypnotic melodies of a handpan, rhythm-packed beatboxing, and Buddhist mantras (sacred chants) into a single improvisational performance.
A Beatboxer Who Entered Monastic Life Following His Father
Yogetsu was originally a beatboxer. Starting street busking in London and Sydney in 2005, he communicated with the world using nothing but his voice and rhythm. The turning point came from his father. When his father—who had been an ordinary office worker—suddenly chose the path of a monk and became head monk at a temple in Iwate Prefecture (Iwate Prefecture), Yogetsu was deeply moved. Then, in 2015, he also made the decision to enter monastic life.
After becoming a monk, Yogetsu infused his musical talent into the language of practice. Continuing his training at the San Francisco Zen Center, he completed his "Sound Mandala" performance—layering the sounds of Buddhist teachings step by step with a BOSS RC-505 loop machine. His music fully carries the Zen philosophy of "treating this moment as the one precious experience you’ll have only once in your lifetime," the spirit of "Ichigo Ichie" (一期一会).
Heart Sutra Beatbox Remix—Echoing Across the World
When the 2020 pandemic brought the world to a halt, Yogetsu reached even farther. The Heart Sutra Beatbox Remix he released 〈Heart Sutra Beatbox Remix〉 racked up millions of views on YouTube and spread worldwide. In this video, he stacked the Heart Sutra—one of the great Mahayana Buddhist sutras—layer upon layer using a loop station, offering profound comfort and awe to countless people, transcending religious boundaries.
After that, his path only broadened further. He was invited as an official artist to Thailand’s Wonderfruit, the UK’s Shambala, Colours of Ostrava in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and the U.S. SXSW (South by Southwest) in 2023 and 2024. At SXSW, he even took the stage for a NASA keynote speech and guided the audience on an "inner-space journey."
The Ritual of Sound at Hahoe 2026 Ritual Temple
This summer, that awe-inspiring scene comes to Korea.
Yogetsu Akasaka will perform on the stage of the Hahoe Festival 2026 (HAHOE FESTIVAL 2026) Ritual Temple (Ritual Temple). On the deeply storied land of Hahoe tal masks and rituals that have continued since the Goryeo period, his live looping performance is set to unfold.
At the Ritual Temple, he presents an experience where sound and breath operate as one ritual. Instead of being a passive audience member, the crowd becomes an active participant invited directly into the mandala of his sound. It will be a time to meet your inner stillness within the tremble of the handpan, the resonance of the mantra, and the layered depth of looping built up over and over.
A moment when sound becomes a prayer, and breath becomes meditation. You can experience that moment firsthand in Hahoe.
Yogetsu’s mantras are eagerly anticipated to unfold in Andong, where Korea’s traditions breathe.
Program: Ritual Temple — Yogetsu Akasaka Live Looping Performance
A detailed schedule will be announced at a later date.