Concerned by falling audience numbers and a lack of young people taking up bunraku, Yoshida combined the ancient art form with his love of rock music, which he combined for a 1980 adaptation of The Love Suicides at Sonezaki (Sonezaki Shinjū) with the music written and performed by Japanese rock musician Ryudo Uzaki, and occasionally with a live orchestra.
As a musician, he played keyboards in a number of bands, including Ryudo Uzaki's Ryūdōgumi.