Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for May 2026

Every month, Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including those carried over from previous months), the winning topic this time is:

"Composer Comments from the Shenmue Original Sound Track CD"

Released in March 2000, the Shenmue ~Chapter One: Yokosuka~ Original Sound Track included a booklet featuring commentary written by the composers themselves for each track on the album.

Shenmue Chapter One ~Yokosuka~: Original Sound Track

The comments provide a fascinating glimpse into the creation of Shenmue’s music, touching on everything from memories of research trips in China to the atmosphere the composers imagined while writing specific pieces.

The booklet also contains detailed composer credits, providing rare confirmation of which composers created many of Shenmue’s best-known pieces.

In this post, we'll translate the booklet commentary in full, along with composer information and scene screenshots showing where each piece is used in the game.

Coming soon to the blog!

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[Final Part] Shenmue Anecdotes from Composer Osamu Murata

This is the third and final part in our series of anecdotes from Shenmue composer Osamu Murata. For previous parts, see Part One and Part Two. 

Osamu Murata (profile photo from Twitter / X)

Shenmue III

Jun 16, 2015: S3 Festival Begins

スタジオから帰宅！と思ったらお金集まってる！S3祭りはまだまだ続く！お祭りなので、初出しシェンムーお宝。「巌の手紙」に藤岡さんのサイン。1999だって。すげー生きてきたなー、自分。

Translation:  

"Home from the studio! And found out money is being raised! The S3 festival continues! Since it's a festival, here's a Shenmue treasure for the first time. A 'Iwao's letter' signed by Mr. Fujioka. It's from 1999. What an amazing life I've lived!"

Unfortunately, the image associated with this 2015 tweet is no longer available but we can imagine a physical reproduction of the in-game letter left for Ryo by his father. Murata's letter was even signed by the actor for the character of Iwao Hazuki in the Japanese version, Hiroshi Fujioka.

The letter left for Ryo by Iwao Hazuki in Shenmue.

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[Part Two] Shenmue Anecdotes from Composer Osamu Murata

Welcome to the second part in our series of anecdotes from Shenmue composer Osamu Murata, continuing on from Part One, giving us fascinating insights into his experience. 

Osamu Murata (profile photo from Twitter / X)

Sound Effects in Shenmue

Jan 22, 2024: How Shenmue's Sound Effects Were Crafted

The sound effects in Shenmue are subtle but contribute immensely to the atmosphere of the gameplay. Murata explains that most of these sound effects were created internally by the team, simulating real-world sounds with a large amount of custom data.

シェンムーの効果音はほとんど全てを内作で作っていた。しかも関わっていたサウンドクリエイターは皆効果音制作を体験していたと思う。実際フォーリーとか、ない音はみんなであーでもないこーでもないと作ってた。世の中の音をシミュレーションしたのがシェンムーだからね。そのデータは膨大。

Translation:   

"Most of the sound effects for Shenmue were created in-house. I believe that all the sound creators involved in the project experienced making sound effects. We actually made Foley effects* and sounds that didn't exist, by experimenting together to get them right. Shenmue simulates the sounds of the world, so it needed a vast amount of data".

*Foley effects: custom sound effects created to match specific actions in a film, video, or game, like footsteps, rustling clothes, or clinking objects.

Jan 22, 2024: Adapting Sound to Player Movement in Shenmue

Murata points out the dynamic sound system in Shenmue that allows sound effects to change based on player movement.

Unityでいうところの3Dサウンド的なシステムはもちろんドリキャスでも動いていたのだけど、音の変化として面白いのは噴水の音とハトの音。アバディーンにいるハトを追いかけると様々に音が変化する。オブジェクトに近づくと音が変化する、もしくはし続けるというシステムはゲームならでわだね。

Translation:   

"Dreamcast of course ran a 3D sound system, like the one present in Unity*. What's interesting about the changes in sound are the sounds of fountains and pigeons. When you chase pigeons in Aberdeen, the sounds change in various ways. The system where the sound changes, or continues to change, as you move closer to an object, is something that's unique to games".

*Unity, along with Unreal Engine, is one of the most popular software development platforms used to create 2D and 3D games and simulations.

Three-dimensional sound is employed effectively with the pigeons in Aberdeen 

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[Part One] Shenmue Anecdotes from Composer Osamu Murata

The Musical Genius of Osamu Murata

The musical talents of Osamu Murata have left an indelible mark on the Shenmue series, captivating players around the world with his unforgettable compositions.

Osamu Murata (profile photo from Twitter / X)

Fresh out of university, Murata joined the AM2 Sound Section at SEGA in 1997 and quickly immersed himself in a number of arcade projects - more than 10 titles during his time there, including classics like F355 Challenge and Virtua Cop 3.

Murata's exceptional talent as a composer led him to create an estimated 800-1000 songs for the Shenmue project, pouring his heart and soul into crafting the atmospheric pieces that enrich the Shenmue experience. His dedication to his craft was so intense that he once blacked out at the piano during a grueling composing session (as he shared in an interview with Shenmue World magazine, Issue 2).

When Murata first joined the Shenmue project, he was also responsible for recording voice lines for many actors and is officially credited as Voice Recording Chief for US Shenmue.

Among his many compositions are such standouts as Nozomi's Theme, Xiuying's Theme, and Yokosuka Blues (Goro's Theme) which became instant classics, each adding depth and emotion to the Shenmue universe. Additionally, some of his compositions, from the vast pool of unused music from the original project, were selected for inclusion in the latest chapter, Shenmue 3.

In today's post, we share a selection of Murata's tweets from recent years, where he recounts anecdotes and memories from his time working on the Shenmue project as one of the music composers. These tweets offer an insightful look into the creative process behind one of gaming's most beloved series, directly from the perspective of one of the individuals who contributed to its music.

Let's dive into Murata's firsthand experiences and reflections below!

Note: Additional images and videos accompany some of the tweets for additional context.

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for April 2024

Every month, Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including accumulated votes from previous months), the winning topic that has been voted for this time is:

"Shenmue Anecdotes from Shenmue Music Composer Osamu Murata"

Osamu Murata (profile photo from Twitter / X)

The musical talents of Osamu Murata left an indelible mark on the Shenmue series, captivating players around the world with his unforgettable compositions.

Fresh out of university, Murata joined AM2 Sound Section at SEGA and quickly immersed himself in a number of arcade projects, over 10 titles during his time there, including classics like F355 Challenge and Virtua Cop 3.

Murata's exceptional talent as a composer saw him produce a staggering estimated 800-1000 songs during the project, pouring his heart and soul into crafting the atmospheric pieces that enrich the Shenmue experience. Murata's dedication to his craft was such that he pushed himself to the brink, even blacking out at the piano during an arduous composing session (as related in his interview with Shenmue World magazine, Issue 2).

When Murata first joined the Shenmue project, he was also responsible for recording the spoken lines of a great number of voice actors, and is officially credited as Voice Recording Chief for US Shenmue.

Among his many compositions are such standouts as Nozomi's Theme, Xiuying's Theme, and Yokosuka Blues (Goro's Theme) which became instant classics, each adding depth and emotion to the Shenmue universe. Also, a number of his compositions from among the vast pool of music that ended up unused during the original project were selected for inclusion in the latest chapter, Shenmue 3.

Xiuying's Theme, composed by Osamu Murata, which accompanies her instruction on the Swallow Flip move

In our upcoming post, we'll share a selection of Murata's tweets from recent years, where he recounts anecdotes and memories from his time working on the Shenmue project as one of the music composers. These tweets offer an insightful look into the creative process behind one of gaming's most beloved series, directly from the perspective of one of the individuals who contributed to its music. Get ready to dive into Murata's firsthand experiences and reflections!

Become a Patron!