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[
"Nintendo",
"headquarters location",
"Kyoto"
] |
1933–1968: Incorportation, expansion, and diversification
In 1933, Sekiryo Kaneda established the company as a general partnership named Yamauchi Nintendo & Co., Ltd., investing in the construction of a new corporate headquarters located next to the original building, near the Toba-kaidō train station. Because Sekiryo's marriage to Yamauchi's daughter produced no male heirs, he planned to adopt his son-in-law Shikanojo Inaba, an artist in the company's employ and the father of his grandson Hiroshi, born in 1927. However, Inaba abandoned his family and the company, so Hiroshi was made Sekiryo's eventual successor.World War II negatively impacted the company as Japanese authorities prohibited the diffusion of foreign card games, and as the priorities of Japanese society shifted, its interest in recreational activities waned. During this time, Nintendo was partly supported by a financial injection from Hiroshi's wife Michiko Inaba, who came from a wealthy family. In 1947, Sekiryo founded the distribution company Marufuku Co., Ltd., responsible for Nintendo's sales and marketing operations, which would eventually go on to become the present-day Nintendo Co., Ltd., in Higashikawara-cho, Imagumano, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto.In 1950, due to Sekiryo's deteriorating health, Hiroshi Yamauchi assumed the presidency and headed manufacturing operations. His first actions involved several important changes in the operation of the company: in 1951, he changed the company name to Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd., and in the following year, he centralized the manufacturing facilities dispersed in Kyoto, which led to the expansion of the offices in Kamitakamatsu-cho, Fukuine, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. In 1953, Nintendo became the first company to succeed in mass-producing plastic playing cards in Japan. Some of the company's employees, accustomed to a more cautious and conservative leadership, viewed the new measures with concern, and the rising tension led to a call for a strike. However, the measure had no major impact, as Hiroshi resorted to the dismissal of several dissatisfied workers.In 1959, Nintendo moved its headquarters to Kamitakamatsu-cho, Fukuine, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. The company entered into a partnership with The Walt Disney Company to incorporate its characters into playing cards, which opened it up to the children's market and resulted in a boost to Nintendo's playing card business. Nintendo automated the production of Japanese playing cards using backing paper, and also developed distribution system that allowed it to offer its products in toy stores. By 1961, the company had established a Tokyo branch in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and sold more than 1.5 million card packs, holding a high market share, for which it relied on televised advertising campaigns. In 1962, Nintendo became a public company by listing stock on the second section of the Osaka Securities Exchange and on the Kyoto Stock Exchange. In the following year, the company adopted its current name, Nintendo & Co., Ltd., and started manufacturing games in addition to playing cards.In 1964, Nintendo earned ¥150 million. Although the company was experiencing a period of economic prosperity, the Disney cards and derived products made it dependent on the children's market. The situation was exacerbated by the falling sales of its adult-oriented playing cards caused by Japanese society gravitating toward other hobbies such as pachinko, bowling, and nightly outings. When Disney card sales began to decline, Nintendo realized that it had no real alternative to alleviate the situation. After the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Nintendo's stock price plummeted to its lowest recorded level of ¥60.In 1965, Nintendo hired Gunpei Yokoi to maintain the assembly-line machines used to manufacture its playing cards.1999–2003: Game Boy Advance and GameCube
In May 1999, with the advent of the PlayStation 2, Nintendo entered an agreement with IBM and Panasonic to develop the 128-bit Gekko processor and the DVD drive to be used in Nintendo's next home console. Meanwhile, a series of administrative changes occurred in 2000, when Nintendo's corporate offices were moved to the Minami-ku neighborhood in Kyoto, and Nintendo Benelux was established to manage the Dutch and Belgian territories.Branches
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan since the beginning, Nintendo Co., Ltd. oversees the organization's global operations and manages Japanese operations specifically. The company's two major subsidiaries, Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe, manage operations in North America and Europe respectively. Nintendo Co., Ltd. moved from its original Kyoto location to a new office in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, in 2000; this became the research and development building when the head office relocated to its present location in Minami-ku, Kyoto.
| 2
|
[
"Nintendo",
"location",
"Kyoto"
] |
Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes and releases both video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as Nintendo Karuta by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade hanafuda playing cards. After venturing into various lines of business during the 1960s and acquiring a legal status as a public company, Nintendo distributed its first console, the Color TV-Game, in 1977. It gained international recognition with the release of Donkey Kong in 1981 and the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Mario Bros. in 1985.
Since then, Nintendo has produced some of the most successful consoles in the video game industry, such as the Game Boy, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Nintendo DS, the Wii, and the Switch. It has created numerous major franchises, including Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Kirby, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Star Fox, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Super Smash Bros. Nintendo's mascot, Mario, is internationally recognized. The company has sold more than 5.592 billion video games and over 882.6 million hardware units globally, including Color TV-Game and Game & Watch sales, as of March 2023.Nintendo has multiple subsidiaries in Japan and abroad, in addition to business partners such as the Pokémon Company and HAL Laboratory. Nintendo and its staff have received awards including Emmy Awards for Technology & Engineering, Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, and British Academy Games Awards. It is one of the wealthiest and most valuable companies in the Japanese market.1933–1968: Incorportation, expansion, and diversification
In 1933, Sekiryo Kaneda established the company as a general partnership named Yamauchi Nintendo & Co., Ltd., investing in the construction of a new corporate headquarters located next to the original building, near the Toba-kaidō train station. Because Sekiryo's marriage to Yamauchi's daughter produced no male heirs, he planned to adopt his son-in-law Shikanojo Inaba, an artist in the company's employ and the father of his grandson Hiroshi, born in 1927. However, Inaba abandoned his family and the company, so Hiroshi was made Sekiryo's eventual successor.World War II negatively impacted the company as Japanese authorities prohibited the diffusion of foreign card games, and as the priorities of Japanese society shifted, its interest in recreational activities waned. During this time, Nintendo was partly supported by a financial injection from Hiroshi's wife Michiko Inaba, who came from a wealthy family. In 1947, Sekiryo founded the distribution company Marufuku Co., Ltd., responsible for Nintendo's sales and marketing operations, which would eventually go on to become the present-day Nintendo Co., Ltd., in Higashikawara-cho, Imagumano, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto.In 1950, due to Sekiryo's deteriorating health, Hiroshi Yamauchi assumed the presidency and headed manufacturing operations. His first actions involved several important changes in the operation of the company: in 1951, he changed the company name to Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd., and in the following year, he centralized the manufacturing facilities dispersed in Kyoto, which led to the expansion of the offices in Kamitakamatsu-cho, Fukuine, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. In 1953, Nintendo became the first company to succeed in mass-producing plastic playing cards in Japan. Some of the company's employees, accustomed to a more cautious and conservative leadership, viewed the new measures with concern, and the rising tension led to a call for a strike. However, the measure had no major impact, as Hiroshi resorted to the dismissal of several dissatisfied workers.In 1959, Nintendo moved its headquarters to Kamitakamatsu-cho, Fukuine, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. The company entered into a partnership with The Walt Disney Company to incorporate its characters into playing cards, which opened it up to the children's market and resulted in a boost to Nintendo's playing card business. Nintendo automated the production of Japanese playing cards using backing paper, and also developed distribution system that allowed it to offer its products in toy stores. By 1961, the company had established a Tokyo branch in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and sold more than 1.5 million card packs, holding a high market share, for which it relied on televised advertising campaigns. In 1962, Nintendo became a public company by listing stock on the second section of the Osaka Securities Exchange and on the Kyoto Stock Exchange. In the following year, the company adopted its current name, Nintendo & Co., Ltd., and started manufacturing games in addition to playing cards.In 1964, Nintendo earned ¥150 million. Although the company was experiencing a period of economic prosperity, the Disney cards and derived products made it dependent on the children's market. The situation was exacerbated by the falling sales of its adult-oriented playing cards caused by Japanese society gravitating toward other hobbies such as pachinko, bowling, and nightly outings. When Disney card sales began to decline, Nintendo realized that it had no real alternative to alleviate the situation. After the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Nintendo's stock price plummeted to its lowest recorded level of ¥60.In 1965, Nintendo hired Gunpei Yokoi to maintain the assembly-line machines used to manufacture its playing cards.Branches
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan since the beginning, Nintendo Co., Ltd. oversees the organization's global operations and manages Japanese operations specifically. The company's two major subsidiaries, Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe, manage operations in North America and Europe respectively. Nintendo Co., Ltd. moved from its original Kyoto location to a new office in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, in 2000; this became the research and development building when the head office relocated to its present location in Minami-ku, Kyoto.
| 3
|
[
"Nintendo",
"product or material produced",
"software"
] |
Products
Nintendo's central focus is the research, development, production, and distribution of entertainment products—primarily video game software and hardware and card games. Its main markets are Japan, America, and Europe, and more than 70% of its total sales come from the latter two territories. As of 2022, Nintendo has sold more than 5.4 billion video games and over 800 million hardware units.Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (or EPD), the main software development and production division of Nintendo, which focuses on video game and software development, production, and supervising;
Nintendo Platform Technology Development (or PTD), which focuses on home and handheld video game console hardware development; and
Nintendo Business Development (or NBD), which focuses on refining business strategy for dedicated game system business and is responsible for overseeing the smart device arm of the business.
| 4
|
[
"Nintendo",
"product or material produced",
"video game"
] |
Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes and releases both video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as Nintendo Karuta by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade hanafuda playing cards. After venturing into various lines of business during the 1960s and acquiring a legal status as a public company, Nintendo distributed its first console, the Color TV-Game, in 1977. It gained international recognition with the release of Donkey Kong in 1981 and the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Mario Bros. in 1985.
Since then, Nintendo has produced some of the most successful consoles in the video game industry, such as the Game Boy, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Nintendo DS, the Wii, and the Switch. It has created numerous major franchises, including Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Kirby, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Star Fox, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Super Smash Bros. Nintendo's mascot, Mario, is internationally recognized. The company has sold more than 5.592 billion video games and over 882.6 million hardware units globally, including Color TV-Game and Game & Watch sales, as of March 2023.Nintendo has multiple subsidiaries in Japan and abroad, in addition to business partners such as the Pokémon Company and HAL Laboratory. Nintendo and its staff have received awards including Emmy Awards for Technology & Engineering, Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, and British Academy Games Awards. It is one of the wealthiest and most valuable companies in the Japanese market.Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (or EPD), the main software development and production division of Nintendo, which focuses on video game and software development, production, and supervising;
Nintendo Platform Technology Development (or PTD), which focuses on home and handheld video game console hardware development; and
Nintendo Business Development (or NBD), which focuses on refining business strategy for dedicated game system business and is responsible for overseeing the smart device arm of the business.
| 7
|
[
"Nintendo",
"headquarters location",
"Higashiyama-ku"
] |
1933–1968: Incorportation, expansion, and diversification
In 1933, Sekiryo Kaneda established the company as a general partnership named Yamauchi Nintendo & Co., Ltd., investing in the construction of a new corporate headquarters located next to the original building, near the Toba-kaidō train station. Because Sekiryo's marriage to Yamauchi's daughter produced no male heirs, he planned to adopt his son-in-law Shikanojo Inaba, an artist in the company's employ and the father of his grandson Hiroshi, born in 1927. However, Inaba abandoned his family and the company, so Hiroshi was made Sekiryo's eventual successor.World War II negatively impacted the company as Japanese authorities prohibited the diffusion of foreign card games, and as the priorities of Japanese society shifted, its interest in recreational activities waned. During this time, Nintendo was partly supported by a financial injection from Hiroshi's wife Michiko Inaba, who came from a wealthy family. In 1947, Sekiryo founded the distribution company Marufuku Co., Ltd., responsible for Nintendo's sales and marketing operations, which would eventually go on to become the present-day Nintendo Co., Ltd., in Higashikawara-cho, Imagumano, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto.In 1950, due to Sekiryo's deteriorating health, Hiroshi Yamauchi assumed the presidency and headed manufacturing operations. His first actions involved several important changes in the operation of the company: in 1951, he changed the company name to Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd., and in the following year, he centralized the manufacturing facilities dispersed in Kyoto, which led to the expansion of the offices in Kamitakamatsu-cho, Fukuine, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. In 1953, Nintendo became the first company to succeed in mass-producing plastic playing cards in Japan. Some of the company's employees, accustomed to a more cautious and conservative leadership, viewed the new measures with concern, and the rising tension led to a call for a strike. However, the measure had no major impact, as Hiroshi resorted to the dismissal of several dissatisfied workers.In 1959, Nintendo moved its headquarters to Kamitakamatsu-cho, Fukuine, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. The company entered into a partnership with The Walt Disney Company to incorporate its characters into playing cards, which opened it up to the children's market and resulted in a boost to Nintendo's playing card business. Nintendo automated the production of Japanese playing cards using backing paper, and also developed distribution system that allowed it to offer its products in toy stores. By 1961, the company had established a Tokyo branch in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and sold more than 1.5 million card packs, holding a high market share, for which it relied on televised advertising campaigns. In 1962, Nintendo became a public company by listing stock on the second section of the Osaka Securities Exchange and on the Kyoto Stock Exchange. In the following year, the company adopted its current name, Nintendo & Co., Ltd., and started manufacturing games in addition to playing cards.In 1964, Nintendo earned ¥150 million. Although the company was experiencing a period of economic prosperity, the Disney cards and derived products made it dependent on the children's market. The situation was exacerbated by the falling sales of its adult-oriented playing cards caused by Japanese society gravitating toward other hobbies such as pachinko, bowling, and nightly outings. When Disney card sales began to decline, Nintendo realized that it had no real alternative to alleviate the situation. After the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Nintendo's stock price plummeted to its lowest recorded level of ¥60.In 1965, Nintendo hired Gunpei Yokoi to maintain the assembly-line machines used to manufacture its playing cards.
| 21
|
[
"Nintendo",
"instance of",
"business"
] |
Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes and releases both video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as Nintendo Karuta by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade hanafuda playing cards. After venturing into various lines of business during the 1960s and acquiring a legal status as a public company, Nintendo distributed its first console, the Color TV-Game, in 1977. It gained international recognition with the release of Donkey Kong in 1981 and the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Mario Bros. in 1985.
Since then, Nintendo has produced some of the most successful consoles in the video game industry, such as the Game Boy, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Nintendo DS, the Wii, and the Switch. It has created numerous major franchises, including Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Kirby, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Star Fox, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Super Smash Bros. Nintendo's mascot, Mario, is internationally recognized. The company has sold more than 5.592 billion video games and over 882.6 million hardware units globally, including Color TV-Game and Game & Watch sales, as of March 2023.Nintendo has multiple subsidiaries in Japan and abroad, in addition to business partners such as the Pokémon Company and HAL Laboratory. Nintendo and its staff have received awards including Emmy Awards for Technology & Engineering, Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, and British Academy Games Awards. It is one of the wealthiest and most valuable companies in the Japanese market.History
1889–1972: Early history
1889–1932: Origin as a playing card business
Nintendo was founded as Nintendo Karuta on 23 September 1889 by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan, as an unincorporated establishment, to produce and distribute Japanese playing cards, or karuta (かるた, from Portuguese carta ["card"]), most notably hanafuda (花札, "flower cards"). The name "Nintendo" is commonly assumed to mean "leave luck to heaven", but the assumption lacks historical validation; it can alternatively be translated as "the temple of free hanafuda". Hanafuda cards had become popular after Japan banned most forms of gambling in 1882, though tolerated hanafuda. Sales of hanafuda cards were popular with the yakuza-ran gaming parlors in Kyoto. Other card manufacturers had opted to leave the market not wanting to be associated with criminal ties, but Yamauchi persisted without such fears to become the primary producer of hanafuda within a few years. With the increase of the cards' popularity, Yamauchi hired assistants to mass-produce to satisfy the demand. Even with a favorable start, the business faced financial struggle due to operating in a niche market, the slow and expensive manufacturing process, high product price, alongside long durability of the cards, which impacted sales due to the low replacement rate. As a solution, Nintendo produced a cheaper and lower-quality line of playing cards, Tengu, while also conducting product offerings in other cities such as Osaka, where card game profits were high. In addition, local merchants were interested in the prospect of a continuous renewal of decks, thus avoiding the suspicions that reusing cards would generate.According to Nintendo, the business' first western-style card deck was put on the market in 1902, although other documents postpone the date to 1907, shortly after the Russo-Japanese War. Although the cards were initially meant for export, they quickly gained popularity not only abroad but also in Japan. During this time, the business styled itself as Marufuku Nintendo Card Co. The war created considerable difficulties for companies in the leisure sector, which were subject to new levies such as the Karuta Zei ("playing cards tax"). Nintendo subsisted and, in 1907, entered into an agreement with Nihon Senbai—later known as the Japan Tobacco—to market its cards to various cigarette stores throughout the country. A Nintendo promotional calendar from the Taishō era dated to 1915 indicates that the business was named Yamauchi Nintendo, but still used the Marufuku Nintendo Co. brand for its playing cards.Japanese culture stipulated that for Nintendo to continue as a family business after Yamauchi's retirement, Yamauchi had to adopt his son-in-law so that he could take over the business. As a result, Sekiryo Kaneda adopted the Yamauchi surname in 1907 and headed the business in 1929. By that time, Nintendo was the largest playing card business in Japan.
| 23
|
[
"Nintendo",
"instance of",
"video game publisher"
] |
Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes and releases both video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as Nintendo Karuta by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade hanafuda playing cards. After venturing into various lines of business during the 1960s and acquiring a legal status as a public company, Nintendo distributed its first console, the Color TV-Game, in 1977. It gained international recognition with the release of Donkey Kong in 1981 and the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Mario Bros. in 1985.
Since then, Nintendo has produced some of the most successful consoles in the video game industry, such as the Game Boy, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Nintendo DS, the Wii, and the Switch. It has created numerous major franchises, including Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Kirby, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Star Fox, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Super Smash Bros. Nintendo's mascot, Mario, is internationally recognized. The company has sold more than 5.592 billion video games and over 882.6 million hardware units globally, including Color TV-Game and Game & Watch sales, as of March 2023.Nintendo has multiple subsidiaries in Japan and abroad, in addition to business partners such as the Pokémon Company and HAL Laboratory. Nintendo and its staff have received awards including Emmy Awards for Technology & Engineering, Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, and British Academy Games Awards. It is one of the wealthiest and most valuable companies in the Japanese market.
| 30
|
[
"Nintendo",
"legal form",
"kabushiki gaisha"
] |
Branches
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan since the beginning, Nintendo Co., Ltd. oversees the organization's global operations and manages Japanese operations specifically. The company's two major subsidiaries, Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe, manage operations in North America and Europe respectively. Nintendo Co., Ltd. moved from its original Kyoto location to a new office in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, in 2000; this became the research and development building when the head office relocated to its present location in Minami-ku, Kyoto.
| 35
|
[
"Nintendo",
"has subsidiary",
"Nintendo Australia"
] |
Nintendo Australia
Nintendo's Australian subsidiary is based in Melbourne. It handles the publishing, distribution, sales, and marketing of Nintendo products in Australia and New Zealand. It also manufactures some Wii games locally.
| 47
|
[
"Nintendo",
"has subsidiary",
"Nintendo European Research & Development"
] |
Subsidiaries
Although most of the research and development is being done in Japan, there are some R&D facilities in the United States, Europe, and China that are focused on developing software and hardware technologies used in Nintendo products. Although they all are subsidiaries of Nintendo (and therefore first-party), they are often referred to as external resources when being involved in joint development processes with Nintendo's internal developers by the Japanese personnel involved. This can be seen in the Iwata Asks interview series. Nintendo Software Technology (NST) and Nintendo Technology Development (NTD) are located in Redmond, Washington, United States, while Nintendo European Research & Development (NERD) is located in Paris, France, and Nintendo Network Service Database (NSD) is located in Kyoto, Japan.
Most external first-party software development is done in Japan, because the only overseas subsidiaries are Retro Studios in the United States (acquired in 2002) and Next Level Games in Canada (acquired in 2021). Although these studios are all subsidiaries of Nintendo, they are often referred to as external resources when being involved in joint development processes with Nintendo's internal developers by the Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) division. 1-Up Studio and NDcube are located in Tokyo, Japan, and Monolith Soft has one studio located in Tokyo and another in Kyoto.
Nintendo also established the Pokémon Company alongside Creatures and Game Freak to manage the Pokémon brand. Similarly, Warpstar Inc. was formed through a joint investment with HAL Laboratory, which was in charge of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! animated series. Both companies are investments from Nintendo, with Nintendo holding 32% of the shares of the Pokémon Company and 50% of the shares of Warpstar Inc.
In total there are 25 subsidiaries reported by the company with 21 being known as of March 2022 via the Annual Report:
Nintendo of America Inc.
Nintendo of Canada Ltd.
Nintendo of Europe SE
Nintendo RU LLC.
Nintendo Australia Pty Limited
Nintendo of Korea Co. Ltd.
Nintendo (Hong Kong) Limited
Nintendo Sales Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Nintendo Technology Development Inc.
Nintendo Software Technology Corporation
Retro Studios, Inc
Next Level Games Inc
Nintendo European Research and Development SAS
iQue (China) Ltd
NDCUBE Co., Ltd
1-UP Studio Inc
MONOLITH SOFTWARE INC.
Mario Club Co., Ltd.
SRD Co., Ltd.
Nintendo Pictures
Nintendo Systems Co., Ltd. (80%)
| 52
|
[
"Nintendo",
"has subsidiary",
"Nintendo of America"
] |
Branches
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan since the beginning, Nintendo Co., Ltd. oversees the organization's global operations and manages Japanese operations specifically. The company's two major subsidiaries, Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe, manage operations in North America and Europe respectively. Nintendo Co., Ltd. moved from its original Kyoto location to a new office in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, in 2000; this became the research and development building when the head office relocated to its present location in Minami-ku, Kyoto.Nintendo of America
Nintendo founded its North American subsidiary in 1980 as Nintendo of America (NoA). Hiroshi Yamauchi appointed his son-in-law Minoru Arakawa as president, who in turn hired his own wife and Yamauchi's daughter Yoko Yamauchi as the first employee. The Arakawa family moved from Vancouver, British Columbia to select an office in Manhattan, New York, due to its central status in American commerce. Both from extremely affluent families, their goals were set more by achievement than money—and all their seed capital and products would now also be automatically inherited from Nintendo in Japan, and their inaugural target is the existing $8 billion-per-year coin-op arcade video game market and largest entertainment industry in the US, which already outclassed movies and television combined. During the couple's arcade research excursions, NoA hired gamer youths to work in the filthy, hot, ratty warehouse in New Jersey for the receiving and service of game hardware from Japan.In late 1980, NoA contracted the Seattle-based arcade sales and distribution company Far East Video, consisting solely of experienced arcade salespeople Ron Judy and Al Stone. The two had already built a decent reputation and a distribution network, founded specifically for the independent import and sales of games from Nintendo because the Japanese company had for years been the under-represented maverick in America. Now as direct associates to the new NoA, they told Arakawa they could always clear all Nintendo inventory if Nintendo produced better games. Far East Video took NoA's contract for a fixed per-unit commission on the exclusive American distributorship of Nintendo games, to be settled by their Seattle-based lawyer, Howard Lincoln.Based on favorable test arcade sites in Seattle, Arakawa wagered most of NoA's modest finances on a huge order of 3,000 Radar Scope cabinets. He panicked when the game failed in the fickle market upon its arrival from its four-month boat ride from Japan. Far East Video was already in financial trouble due to declining sales and Ron Judy borrowed his aunt's life savings of $50,000, while still hoping Nintendo would develop its first Pac-Man-sized hit. Arakawa regretted founding the Nintendo subsidiary, with the distressed Yoko trapped between her arguing husband and father.Amid financial threat, Nintendo of America relocated from Manhattan to the Seattle metro to remove major stressors: the frenetic New York and New Jersey lifestyle and commute, and the extra weeks or months on the shipping route from Japan as was suffered by the Radar Scope disaster. With the Seattle harbor being the US's closest to Japan at only nine days by boat, and having a lumber production market for arcade cabinets, Arakawa's real estate scouts found a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) warehouse for rent containing three offices—one for Arakawa and one for Judy and Stone. This warehouse in the Tukwila suburb was owned by Mario Segale after whom the Mario character would be named, and was initially managed by former Far East Video employee Don James. After one month, James recruited his college friend Howard Phillips as assistant, who soon took over as warehouse manager. The company remained at fewer than 10 employees for some time, handling sales, marketing, advertising, distribution, and limited manufacturing: 160 of arcade cabinets and Game & Watch handheld units, all sourced and shipped from Nintendo.
Arakawa was still panicked over NoA's ongoing financial crisis. With the parent company having no new game ideas, he had been repeatedly pleading for Yamauchi to reassign some top talent away from existing Japanese products to develop something for America—especially to redeem the massive dead stock of Radar Scope cabinets. Since all of Nintendo's key engineers and programmers were busy, and with NoA representing only a tiny fraction of the parent's overall business, Yamauchi allowed only the assignment of Gunpei Yokoi's young assistant who had no background in engineering, Shigeru Miyamoto.
| 71
|
[
"Rebecca (band)",
"country of origin",
"Japan"
] |
Rebecca (レベッカ, Rebekka) was a Japanese rock band that had a great deal of success throughout the 1980s, fronted by singer Nokko. The band's 1985 album "Rebecca IV ~maybe tomorrow~" sold one million copies in the year, surpassing Yuming, the first truly commercially successful rock album in Japan. They won the Japan Gold Disc Award for Japanese artists in 1988. Rebecca disbanded in 1991.
| 0
|
[
"Rebecca (band)",
"genre",
"rock music"
] |
Rebecca (レベッカ, Rebekka) was a Japanese rock band that had a great deal of success throughout the 1980s, fronted by singer Nokko. The band's 1985 album "Rebecca IV ~maybe tomorrow~" sold one million copies in the year, surpassing Yuming, the first truly commercially successful rock album in Japan. They won the Japan Gold Disc Award for Japanese artists in 1988. Rebecca disbanded in 1991.Discography
Voice Print 1984
Nothing To Lose 1984
Wild & Honey 1985
Rebecca IV ~maybe tomorrow~ 1985
Time 1986
Poison 1987
Blond Saurus 1989
| 2
|
[
"Rebecca (band)",
"instance of",
"rock group"
] |
Rebecca (レベッカ, Rebekka) was a Japanese rock band that had a great deal of success throughout the 1980s, fronted by singer Nokko. The band's 1985 album "Rebecca IV ~maybe tomorrow~" sold one million copies in the year, surpassing Yuming, the first truly commercially successful rock album in Japan. They won the Japan Gold Disc Award for Japanese artists in 1988. Rebecca disbanded in 1991.Discography
Voice Print 1984
Nothing To Lose 1984
Wild & Honey 1985
Rebecca IV ~maybe tomorrow~ 1985
Time 1986
Poison 1987
Blond Saurus 1989
| 3
|
[
"Zard",
"location of formation",
"Japan"
] |
Zard (ザード, Zādo) were a Japanese pop rock group, originally with five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as its only constant member. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are "Makenaide" (1993) (負けないで), "Yureru Omoi" (1993) (揺れる想い), and "My Friend" (1996). As of 2014, Zard had sold over 38 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan.Career
Zard began when the former CEO of Being Corporation, Daikō Nagato, recruited a 24-year-old model named Sachiko Kamachi. Changing her name to Izumi Sakai in an attempt to cut off her past, she created a group called Zard. Zard made a breakthrough with the release of their debut single February 10, 1991 Good-bye My Loneliness, which was a theme song for the Fuji TV drama "Ideals and Reality of Marriage" featuring Misako Tanaka. The song was very successful, reaching No. 9 in the Oricon rankings.
Zard's next two singles did not sell as well. The fourth, "Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite" (眠れない夜を抱いて) took a slightly different approach. The group's rock style had morphed to popular while the seemingly dark music videos turned to a relatively brighter image. In fact, half of Zard's official appearances on TV were related to performing this song, which sold 440,000 copies. At that time, Music Station host Kazuyoshi Morita (aka Tamori) asked Sakai what had taken Zard so long to be on stage. Sakai's reply was that they had wanted to make sure Zard would be an economically viable project and hence did not want to go public prematurely.
The major breakthrough for the group came with their sixth single in 1993, "Makenaide", which became No. 1 in the Oricon charts and went on to sell over 1.8 million copies. Zard went on to release two more songs that reached No. 1, "Yureru Omoi" and "Kitto Wasurenai" in the same year. An album titled "Yureru Omoi" featuring both "Makenaide" and "Yureru Omoi" sold two million copies, the first million milestone for the group in album sales. In fact, Being was so successful in the early 1990s that it was called Being Boom. No one sold more CDs than Zard in this year.
In 1996, Zard had one more million-selling hit, "My Friend". Although their sales fluctuated among six digits in sales for the remainder of the twentieth century, nine of twenty-one singles reached No. 1 and six reached No. 2. Only two could not break the top four mark. Since "Yureru Omoi" (揺れる想い) they also had three hits selling one million and one other hitting two million copies. On August 31, 1999, Zard held their first concert aboard cruise ship Pacific Venus, where six hundred people were randomly selected out of a million applicants. The DVD for this concert, released on January 26, 2000, had a limited production of 300,000 copies.
Besides being the driving force of Zard (and so much so that the name was sometimes used to refer to her alone), Izumi Sakai was a very prolific lyricist. She wrote 150 songs during her 17-year career (numerous songs for other artists as well as all of the Zard songs except for two, Koionna no Yūutsu (恋女の憂鬱) and Onna de Itai (女でいたい) from their first album, Good-bye My Loneliness, which was written by Daria Kawashima,) and she released several books of poetry as well. An editorial in the Asahi Shimbun claimed that the secret to Zard's success was that while the trend in Japan showed a decrease in the number of music programs on television, Sakai used late night commercials to air her voice and so advertise her works.
She also wrote songs for other artists, most notably for the J-pop groups that shared her management company: Field of View, Wands and Deen, and the late mainland Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. She also wrote the lyrics for and participated in the collaboration for the single "Hateshinai Yume o" (果てしない夢を) featuring J-pop groups Zard, Zyyg, Rev & Wands. The single also featured famed Japanese baseball hero Shigeo Nagashima. Some of her singles were used in anime, such as Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball GT and Detective Conan. The lyrics of "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku" (ＤＡＮ ＤＡＮ 心魅かれてく) by Field of View, the opening theme song of Dragon Ball GT, is by Izumi Sakai. Afterward, Zard covered this song in Today Is Another Day album.
Zard's most successful single, Makenaide (負けないで) has been used as a theme song for Nippon Television program 24-hour TV, an annual Japanese television program in which a celebrity host is on screen continually for a whole day. Sakai said that she was honored at the song's being chosen and looked forward to watching the show. She also said that since Makenaide was widely appreciated by the public, she often felt as if that song was not hers to keep.
Sakai was also known for being mysterious. This is partly because her record label did not release much personal information on their artists, but also because she did not make very many personal appearances. She rarely appeared on any live TV music programs (e.g. TV Asahi's Music Station), which had been the main public relations tool for the record industry in Japan since 1993, or make any public appearances. Her first concert was in 1999, this being held on a cruise ship for a mere 600 members of her fan club (300 entries x2 among 2 million concert ticket requests). Her first and only concert tour, "What A Beautiful Moment Tour", was held in 2004, 13 years after her debut. Almost every concert was sold out at the time. The tour ended up having 10 concerts spanning 4 months from March to July 2004, with the final concert held in the famed Nippon Budokan.
Although Zard began as a group, Sakai's dominance within it has led to the name "Zard" often being used in Japan to refer to her alone, as a solo female singer. She used to hold a female record in Japan for most single sales until Ayumi Hamasaki released "No Way to Say". According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, as of August 2007, Zard was No. 8 for overall total in Japan. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Singles Charts, and 9 albums reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Album Charts. 43 of her singles reached top 10 in the Oricon rankings. Zard has released a total of 45 singles and 17 albums.
Zard was also featured in Tak Matsumoto's Ihoujin (August 27, 2003). This single was later included in the cover album The Hit Parade produced by Tak Matsumoto.
On a trivial note, Zard's album "Oh My Love" released in 1994 reached No. 1 for the 500th edition of the Oricon Rankings since it began in 1970. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon.
| 1
|
[
"Zard",
"language used",
"Japanese"
] |
Zard (ザード, Zādo) were a Japanese pop rock group, originally with five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as its only constant member. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are "Makenaide" (1993) (負けないで), "Yureru Omoi" (1993) (揺れる想い), and "My Friend" (1996). As of 2014, Zard had sold over 38 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan.
| 2
|
[
"Zard",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Zard (ザード, Zādo) were a Japanese pop rock group, originally with five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as its only constant member. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are "Makenaide" (1993) (負けないで), "Yureru Omoi" (1993) (揺れる想い), and "My Friend" (1996). As of 2014, Zard had sold over 38 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan.Career
Zard began when the former CEO of Being Corporation, Daikō Nagato, recruited a 24-year-old model named Sachiko Kamachi. Changing her name to Izumi Sakai in an attempt to cut off her past, she created a group called Zard. Zard made a breakthrough with the release of their debut single February 10, 1991 Good-bye My Loneliness, which was a theme song for the Fuji TV drama "Ideals and Reality of Marriage" featuring Misako Tanaka. The song was very successful, reaching No. 9 in the Oricon rankings.
Zard's next two singles did not sell as well. The fourth, "Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite" (眠れない夜を抱いて) took a slightly different approach. The group's rock style had morphed to popular while the seemingly dark music videos turned to a relatively brighter image. In fact, half of Zard's official appearances on TV were related to performing this song, which sold 440,000 copies. At that time, Music Station host Kazuyoshi Morita (aka Tamori) asked Sakai what had taken Zard so long to be on stage. Sakai's reply was that they had wanted to make sure Zard would be an economically viable project and hence did not want to go public prematurely.
The major breakthrough for the group came with their sixth single in 1993, "Makenaide", which became No. 1 in the Oricon charts and went on to sell over 1.8 million copies. Zard went on to release two more songs that reached No. 1, "Yureru Omoi" and "Kitto Wasurenai" in the same year. An album titled "Yureru Omoi" featuring both "Makenaide" and "Yureru Omoi" sold two million copies, the first million milestone for the group in album sales. In fact, Being was so successful in the early 1990s that it was called Being Boom. No one sold more CDs than Zard in this year.
In 1996, Zard had one more million-selling hit, "My Friend". Although their sales fluctuated among six digits in sales for the remainder of the twentieth century, nine of twenty-one singles reached No. 1 and six reached No. 2. Only two could not break the top four mark. Since "Yureru Omoi" (揺れる想い) they also had three hits selling one million and one other hitting two million copies. On August 31, 1999, Zard held their first concert aboard cruise ship Pacific Venus, where six hundred people were randomly selected out of a million applicants. The DVD for this concert, released on January 26, 2000, had a limited production of 300,000 copies.
Besides being the driving force of Zard (and so much so that the name was sometimes used to refer to her alone), Izumi Sakai was a very prolific lyricist. She wrote 150 songs during her 17-year career (numerous songs for other artists as well as all of the Zard songs except for two, Koionna no Yūutsu (恋女の憂鬱) and Onna de Itai (女でいたい) from their first album, Good-bye My Loneliness, which was written by Daria Kawashima,) and she released several books of poetry as well. An editorial in the Asahi Shimbun claimed that the secret to Zard's success was that while the trend in Japan showed a decrease in the number of music programs on television, Sakai used late night commercials to air her voice and so advertise her works.
She also wrote songs for other artists, most notably for the J-pop groups that shared her management company: Field of View, Wands and Deen, and the late mainland Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. She also wrote the lyrics for and participated in the collaboration for the single "Hateshinai Yume o" (果てしない夢を) featuring J-pop groups Zard, Zyyg, Rev & Wands. The single also featured famed Japanese baseball hero Shigeo Nagashima. Some of her singles were used in anime, such as Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball GT and Detective Conan. The lyrics of "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku" (ＤＡＮ ＤＡＮ 心魅かれてく) by Field of View, the opening theme song of Dragon Ball GT, is by Izumi Sakai. Afterward, Zard covered this song in Today Is Another Day album.
Zard's most successful single, Makenaide (負けないで) has been used as a theme song for Nippon Television program 24-hour TV, an annual Japanese television program in which a celebrity host is on screen continually for a whole day. Sakai said that she was honored at the song's being chosen and looked forward to watching the show. She also said that since Makenaide was widely appreciated by the public, she often felt as if that song was not hers to keep.
Sakai was also known for being mysterious. This is partly because her record label did not release much personal information on their artists, but also because she did not make very many personal appearances. She rarely appeared on any live TV music programs (e.g. TV Asahi's Music Station), which had been the main public relations tool for the record industry in Japan since 1993, or make any public appearances. Her first concert was in 1999, this being held on a cruise ship for a mere 600 members of her fan club (300 entries x2 among 2 million concert ticket requests). Her first and only concert tour, "What A Beautiful Moment Tour", was held in 2004, 13 years after her debut. Almost every concert was sold out at the time. The tour ended up having 10 concerts spanning 4 months from March to July 2004, with the final concert held in the famed Nippon Budokan.
Although Zard began as a group, Sakai's dominance within it has led to the name "Zard" often being used in Japan to refer to her alone, as a solo female singer. She used to hold a female record in Japan for most single sales until Ayumi Hamasaki released "No Way to Say". According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, as of August 2007, Zard was No. 8 for overall total in Japan. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Singles Charts, and 9 albums reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Album Charts. 43 of her singles reached top 10 in the Oricon rankings. Zard has released a total of 45 singles and 17 albums.
Zard was also featured in Tak Matsumoto's Ihoujin (August 27, 2003). This single was later included in the cover album The Hit Parade produced by Tak Matsumoto.
On a trivial note, Zard's album "Oh My Love" released in 1994 reached No. 1 for the 500th edition of the Oricon Rankings since it began in 1970. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon.
| 5
|
[
"Zard",
"notable work",
"Makenaide"
] |
Zard (ザード, Zādo) were a Japanese pop rock group, originally with five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as its only constant member. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are "Makenaide" (1993) (負けないで), "Yureru Omoi" (1993) (揺れる想い), and "My Friend" (1996). As of 2014, Zard had sold over 38 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan.Career
Zard began when the former CEO of Being Corporation, Daikō Nagato, recruited a 24-year-old model named Sachiko Kamachi. Changing her name to Izumi Sakai in an attempt to cut off her past, she created a group called Zard. Zard made a breakthrough with the release of their debut single February 10, 1991 Good-bye My Loneliness, which was a theme song for the Fuji TV drama "Ideals and Reality of Marriage" featuring Misako Tanaka. The song was very successful, reaching No. 9 in the Oricon rankings.
Zard's next two singles did not sell as well. The fourth, "Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite" (眠れない夜を抱いて) took a slightly different approach. The group's rock style had morphed to popular while the seemingly dark music videos turned to a relatively brighter image. In fact, half of Zard's official appearances on TV were related to performing this song, which sold 440,000 copies. At that time, Music Station host Kazuyoshi Morita (aka Tamori) asked Sakai what had taken Zard so long to be on stage. Sakai's reply was that they had wanted to make sure Zard would be an economically viable project and hence did not want to go public prematurely.
The major breakthrough for the group came with their sixth single in 1993, "Makenaide", which became No. 1 in the Oricon charts and went on to sell over 1.8 million copies. Zard went on to release two more songs that reached No. 1, "Yureru Omoi" and "Kitto Wasurenai" in the same year. An album titled "Yureru Omoi" featuring both "Makenaide" and "Yureru Omoi" sold two million copies, the first million milestone for the group in album sales. In fact, Being was so successful in the early 1990s that it was called Being Boom. No one sold more CDs than Zard in this year.
In 1996, Zard had one more million-selling hit, "My Friend". Although their sales fluctuated among six digits in sales for the remainder of the twentieth century, nine of twenty-one singles reached No. 1 and six reached No. 2. Only two could not break the top four mark. Since "Yureru Omoi" (揺れる想い) they also had three hits selling one million and one other hitting two million copies. On August 31, 1999, Zard held their first concert aboard cruise ship Pacific Venus, where six hundred people were randomly selected out of a million applicants. The DVD for this concert, released on January 26, 2000, had a limited production of 300,000 copies.
Besides being the driving force of Zard (and so much so that the name was sometimes used to refer to her alone), Izumi Sakai was a very prolific lyricist. She wrote 150 songs during her 17-year career (numerous songs for other artists as well as all of the Zard songs except for two, Koionna no Yūutsu (恋女の憂鬱) and Onna de Itai (女でいたい) from their first album, Good-bye My Loneliness, which was written by Daria Kawashima,) and she released several books of poetry as well. An editorial in the Asahi Shimbun claimed that the secret to Zard's success was that while the trend in Japan showed a decrease in the number of music programs on television, Sakai used late night commercials to air her voice and so advertise her works.
She also wrote songs for other artists, most notably for the J-pop groups that shared her management company: Field of View, Wands and Deen, and the late mainland Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. She also wrote the lyrics for and participated in the collaboration for the single "Hateshinai Yume o" (果てしない夢を) featuring J-pop groups Zard, Zyyg, Rev & Wands. The single also featured famed Japanese baseball hero Shigeo Nagashima. Some of her singles were used in anime, such as Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball GT and Detective Conan. The lyrics of "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku" (ＤＡＮ ＤＡＮ 心魅かれてく) by Field of View, the opening theme song of Dragon Ball GT, is by Izumi Sakai. Afterward, Zard covered this song in Today Is Another Day album.
Zard's most successful single, Makenaide (負けないで) has been used as a theme song for Nippon Television program 24-hour TV, an annual Japanese television program in which a celebrity host is on screen continually for a whole day. Sakai said that she was honored at the song's being chosen and looked forward to watching the show. She also said that since Makenaide was widely appreciated by the public, she often felt as if that song was not hers to keep.
Sakai was also known for being mysterious. This is partly because her record label did not release much personal information on their artists, but also because she did not make very many personal appearances. She rarely appeared on any live TV music programs (e.g. TV Asahi's Music Station), which had been the main public relations tool for the record industry in Japan since 1993, or make any public appearances. Her first concert was in 1999, this being held on a cruise ship for a mere 600 members of her fan club (300 entries x2 among 2 million concert ticket requests). Her first and only concert tour, "What A Beautiful Moment Tour", was held in 2004, 13 years after her debut. Almost every concert was sold out at the time. The tour ended up having 10 concerts spanning 4 months from March to July 2004, with the final concert held in the famed Nippon Budokan.
Although Zard began as a group, Sakai's dominance within it has led to the name "Zard" often being used in Japan to refer to her alone, as a solo female singer. She used to hold a female record in Japan for most single sales until Ayumi Hamasaki released "No Way to Say". According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, as of August 2007, Zard was No. 8 for overall total in Japan. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Singles Charts, and 9 albums reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Album Charts. 43 of her singles reached top 10 in the Oricon rankings. Zard has released a total of 45 singles and 17 albums.
Zard was also featured in Tak Matsumoto's Ihoujin (August 27, 2003). This single was later included in the cover album The Hit Parade produced by Tak Matsumoto.
On a trivial note, Zard's album "Oh My Love" released in 1994 reached No. 1 for the 500th edition of the Oricon Rankings since it began in 1970. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon.
| 6
|
[
"Zard",
"has part(s)",
"Izumi Sakai"
] |
Zard (ザード, Zādo) were a Japanese pop rock group, originally with five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as its only constant member. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are "Makenaide" (1993) (負けないで), "Yureru Omoi" (1993) (揺れる想い), and "My Friend" (1996). As of 2014, Zard had sold over 38 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan.
| 8
|
[
"Zard",
"notable work",
"Yureru Omoi"
] |
Zard (ザード, Zādo) were a Japanese pop rock group, originally with five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as its only constant member. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are "Makenaide" (1993) (負けないで), "Yureru Omoi" (1993) (揺れる想い), and "My Friend" (1996). As of 2014, Zard had sold over 38 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan.Career
Zard began when the former CEO of Being Corporation, Daikō Nagato, recruited a 24-year-old model named Sachiko Kamachi. Changing her name to Izumi Sakai in an attempt to cut off her past, she created a group called Zard. Zard made a breakthrough with the release of their debut single February 10, 1991 Good-bye My Loneliness, which was a theme song for the Fuji TV drama "Ideals and Reality of Marriage" featuring Misako Tanaka. The song was very successful, reaching No. 9 in the Oricon rankings.
Zard's next two singles did not sell as well. The fourth, "Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite" (眠れない夜を抱いて) took a slightly different approach. The group's rock style had morphed to popular while the seemingly dark music videos turned to a relatively brighter image. In fact, half of Zard's official appearances on TV were related to performing this song, which sold 440,000 copies. At that time, Music Station host Kazuyoshi Morita (aka Tamori) asked Sakai what had taken Zard so long to be on stage. Sakai's reply was that they had wanted to make sure Zard would be an economically viable project and hence did not want to go public prematurely.
The major breakthrough for the group came with their sixth single in 1993, "Makenaide", which became No. 1 in the Oricon charts and went on to sell over 1.8 million copies. Zard went on to release two more songs that reached No. 1, "Yureru Omoi" and "Kitto Wasurenai" in the same year. An album titled "Yureru Omoi" featuring both "Makenaide" and "Yureru Omoi" sold two million copies, the first million milestone for the group in album sales. In fact, Being was so successful in the early 1990s that it was called Being Boom. No one sold more CDs than Zard in this year.
In 1996, Zard had one more million-selling hit, "My Friend". Although their sales fluctuated among six digits in sales for the remainder of the twentieth century, nine of twenty-one singles reached No. 1 and six reached No. 2. Only two could not break the top four mark. Since "Yureru Omoi" (揺れる想い) they also had three hits selling one million and one other hitting two million copies. On August 31, 1999, Zard held their first concert aboard cruise ship Pacific Venus, where six hundred people were randomly selected out of a million applicants. The DVD for this concert, released on January 26, 2000, had a limited production of 300,000 copies.
Besides being the driving force of Zard (and so much so that the name was sometimes used to refer to her alone), Izumi Sakai was a very prolific lyricist. She wrote 150 songs during her 17-year career (numerous songs for other artists as well as all of the Zard songs except for two, Koionna no Yūutsu (恋女の憂鬱) and Onna de Itai (女でいたい) from their first album, Good-bye My Loneliness, which was written by Daria Kawashima,) and she released several books of poetry as well. An editorial in the Asahi Shimbun claimed that the secret to Zard's success was that while the trend in Japan showed a decrease in the number of music programs on television, Sakai used late night commercials to air her voice and so advertise her works.
She also wrote songs for other artists, most notably for the J-pop groups that shared her management company: Field of View, Wands and Deen, and the late mainland Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. She also wrote the lyrics for and participated in the collaboration for the single "Hateshinai Yume o" (果てしない夢を) featuring J-pop groups Zard, Zyyg, Rev & Wands. The single also featured famed Japanese baseball hero Shigeo Nagashima. Some of her singles were used in anime, such as Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball GT and Detective Conan. The lyrics of "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku" (ＤＡＮ ＤＡＮ 心魅かれてく) by Field of View, the opening theme song of Dragon Ball GT, is by Izumi Sakai. Afterward, Zard covered this song in Today Is Another Day album.
Zard's most successful single, Makenaide (負けないで) has been used as a theme song for Nippon Television program 24-hour TV, an annual Japanese television program in which a celebrity host is on screen continually for a whole day. Sakai said that she was honored at the song's being chosen and looked forward to watching the show. She also said that since Makenaide was widely appreciated by the public, she often felt as if that song was not hers to keep.
Sakai was also known for being mysterious. This is partly because her record label did not release much personal information on their artists, but also because she did not make very many personal appearances. She rarely appeared on any live TV music programs (e.g. TV Asahi's Music Station), which had been the main public relations tool for the record industry in Japan since 1993, or make any public appearances. Her first concert was in 1999, this being held on a cruise ship for a mere 600 members of her fan club (300 entries x2 among 2 million concert ticket requests). Her first and only concert tour, "What A Beautiful Moment Tour", was held in 2004, 13 years after her debut. Almost every concert was sold out at the time. The tour ended up having 10 concerts spanning 4 months from March to July 2004, with the final concert held in the famed Nippon Budokan.
Although Zard began as a group, Sakai's dominance within it has led to the name "Zard" often being used in Japan to refer to her alone, as a solo female singer. She used to hold a female record in Japan for most single sales until Ayumi Hamasaki released "No Way to Say". According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, as of August 2007, Zard was No. 8 for overall total in Japan. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Singles Charts, and 9 albums reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Album Charts. 43 of her singles reached top 10 in the Oricon rankings. Zard has released a total of 45 singles and 17 albums.
Zard was also featured in Tak Matsumoto's Ihoujin (August 27, 2003). This single was later included in the cover album The Hit Parade produced by Tak Matsumoto.
On a trivial note, Zard's album "Oh My Love" released in 1994 reached No. 1 for the 500th edition of the Oricon Rankings since it began in 1970. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon.
| 10
|
[
"Zard",
"record label",
"B-Gram RECORDS"
] |
Zard (ザード, Zādo) were a Japanese pop rock group, originally with five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as its only constant member. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are "Makenaide" (1993) (負けないで), "Yureru Omoi" (1993) (揺れる想い), and "My Friend" (1996). As of 2014, Zard had sold over 38 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan.
| 12
|
[
"Zard",
"notable work",
"Kitto Wasurenai"
] |
Career
Zard began when the former CEO of Being Corporation, Daikō Nagato, recruited a 24-year-old model named Sachiko Kamachi. Changing her name to Izumi Sakai in an attempt to cut off her past, she created a group called Zard. Zard made a breakthrough with the release of their debut single February 10, 1991 Good-bye My Loneliness, which was a theme song for the Fuji TV drama "Ideals and Reality of Marriage" featuring Misako Tanaka. The song was very successful, reaching No. 9 in the Oricon rankings.
Zard's next two singles did not sell as well. The fourth, "Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite" (眠れない夜を抱いて) took a slightly different approach. The group's rock style had morphed to popular while the seemingly dark music videos turned to a relatively brighter image. In fact, half of Zard's official appearances on TV were related to performing this song, which sold 440,000 copies. At that time, Music Station host Kazuyoshi Morita (aka Tamori) asked Sakai what had taken Zard so long to be on stage. Sakai's reply was that they had wanted to make sure Zard would be an economically viable project and hence did not want to go public prematurely.
The major breakthrough for the group came with their sixth single in 1993, "Makenaide", which became No. 1 in the Oricon charts and went on to sell over 1.8 million copies. Zard went on to release two more songs that reached No. 1, "Yureru Omoi" and "Kitto Wasurenai" in the same year. An album titled "Yureru Omoi" featuring both "Makenaide" and "Yureru Omoi" sold two million copies, the first million milestone for the group in album sales. In fact, Being was so successful in the early 1990s that it was called Being Boom. No one sold more CDs than Zard in this year.
In 1996, Zard had one more million-selling hit, "My Friend". Although their sales fluctuated among six digits in sales for the remainder of the twentieth century, nine of twenty-one singles reached No. 1 and six reached No. 2. Only two could not break the top four mark. Since "Yureru Omoi" (揺れる想い) they also had three hits selling one million and one other hitting two million copies. On August 31, 1999, Zard held their first concert aboard cruise ship Pacific Venus, where six hundred people were randomly selected out of a million applicants. The DVD for this concert, released on January 26, 2000, had a limited production of 300,000 copies.
Besides being the driving force of Zard (and so much so that the name was sometimes used to refer to her alone), Izumi Sakai was a very prolific lyricist. She wrote 150 songs during her 17-year career (numerous songs for other artists as well as all of the Zard songs except for two, Koionna no Yūutsu (恋女の憂鬱) and Onna de Itai (女でいたい) from their first album, Good-bye My Loneliness, which was written by Daria Kawashima,) and she released several books of poetry as well. An editorial in the Asahi Shimbun claimed that the secret to Zard's success was that while the trend in Japan showed a decrease in the number of music programs on television, Sakai used late night commercials to air her voice and so advertise her works.
She also wrote songs for other artists, most notably for the J-pop groups that shared her management company: Field of View, Wands and Deen, and the late mainland Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. She also wrote the lyrics for and participated in the collaboration for the single "Hateshinai Yume o" (果てしない夢を) featuring J-pop groups Zard, Zyyg, Rev & Wands. The single also featured famed Japanese baseball hero Shigeo Nagashima. Some of her singles were used in anime, such as Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball GT and Detective Conan. The lyrics of "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku" (ＤＡＮ ＤＡＮ 心魅かれてく) by Field of View, the opening theme song of Dragon Ball GT, is by Izumi Sakai. Afterward, Zard covered this song in Today Is Another Day album.
Zard's most successful single, Makenaide (負けないで) has been used as a theme song for Nippon Television program 24-hour TV, an annual Japanese television program in which a celebrity host is on screen continually for a whole day. Sakai said that she was honored at the song's being chosen and looked forward to watching the show. She also said that since Makenaide was widely appreciated by the public, she often felt as if that song was not hers to keep.
Sakai was also known for being mysterious. This is partly because her record label did not release much personal information on their artists, but also because she did not make very many personal appearances. She rarely appeared on any live TV music programs (e.g. TV Asahi's Music Station), which had been the main public relations tool for the record industry in Japan since 1993, or make any public appearances. Her first concert was in 1999, this being held on a cruise ship for a mere 600 members of her fan club (300 entries x2 among 2 million concert ticket requests). Her first and only concert tour, "What A Beautiful Moment Tour", was held in 2004, 13 years after her debut. Almost every concert was sold out at the time. The tour ended up having 10 concerts spanning 4 months from March to July 2004, with the final concert held in the famed Nippon Budokan.
Although Zard began as a group, Sakai's dominance within it has led to the name "Zard" often being used in Japan to refer to her alone, as a solo female singer. She used to hold a female record in Japan for most single sales until Ayumi Hamasaki released "No Way to Say". According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, as of August 2007, Zard was No. 8 for overall total in Japan. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Singles Charts, and 9 albums reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Album Charts. 43 of her singles reached top 10 in the Oricon rankings. Zard has released a total of 45 singles and 17 albums.
Zard was also featured in Tak Matsumoto's Ihoujin (August 27, 2003). This single was later included in the cover album The Hit Parade produced by Tak Matsumoto.
On a trivial note, Zard's album "Oh My Love" released in 1994 reached No. 1 for the 500th edition of the Oricon Rankings since it began in 1970. She has had 12 singles reach the No. 1 spot on the Oricon.
| 14
|
[
"Intelligent Systems",
"country",
"Japan"
] |
Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games published by Nintendo with the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and Wars video game series. Originally, the company was headquartered at the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, but later moved to a building near Nintendo's main headquarters in October 2013. They were also responsible for the creation of various development hardware both first and 3rd party developers would use to make games for Nintendo systems, such as the IS Nitro Emulator, the official development kit for the Nintendo DS.
| 0
|
[
"Intelligent Systems",
"location of formation",
"Japan"
] |
Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games published by Nintendo with the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and Wars video game series. Originally, the company was headquartered at the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, but later moved to a building near Nintendo's main headquarters in October 2013. They were also responsible for the creation of various development hardware both first and 3rd party developers would use to make games for Nintendo systems, such as the IS Nitro Emulator, the official development kit for the Nintendo DS.History
Intelligent Systems started when programmer Toru Narihiro was hired by Nintendo to port Famicom Disk System software to the standard ROM-cartridge format that was being used outside Japan on the NES. Similarly to the origins of HAL Laboratory, the team soon became an auxiliary program unit for Nintendo that provided system tools and hired people to program, fix, or port Nintendo-developed software. Much of the team's original work consists of minor contributions to larger games developed by Nintendo R&D1 and Nintendo EAD.Narihiro programmed his first video games, Famicom Wars and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, towards the end of the Famicom's life cycle, although the game design, graphic design, and music was provided by the Nintendo R&D1 team. Because of Narihiro's success, Intelligent Systems began to hire graphic designers, programmers, and musicians to extend the company from an auxiliary–tool developer to a game development group. The company continued to develop new entries in the Wars and Fire Emblem franchises.
In 2000, Intelligent Systems produced Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64, which became a surprise hit, leading to five sequels. Three years later, the first entry in the WarioWare series was released on the Game Boy Advance, and it too became a successful series.
Not all games developed by Intelligent Systems are published by Nintendo. Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest (which was co-developed by Intelligent Systems) was published by Atlus in North America; Intelligent Systems also developed various Dragon Quest games, which were published by Square Enix.
| 1
|
[
"Intelligent Systems",
"headquarters location",
"Kyoto"
] |
Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games published by Nintendo with the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and Wars video game series. Originally, the company was headquartered at the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, but later moved to a building near Nintendo's main headquarters in October 2013. They were also responsible for the creation of various development hardware both first and 3rd party developers would use to make games for Nintendo systems, such as the IS Nitro Emulator, the official development kit for the Nintendo DS.
| 3
|
[
"Intelligent Systems",
"instance of",
"video game developer"
] |
Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games published by Nintendo with the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and Wars video game series. Originally, the company was headquartered at the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, but later moved to a building near Nintendo's main headquarters in October 2013. They were also responsible for the creation of various development hardware both first and 3rd party developers would use to make games for Nintendo systems, such as the IS Nitro Emulator, the official development kit for the Nintendo DS.History
Intelligent Systems started when programmer Toru Narihiro was hired by Nintendo to port Famicom Disk System software to the standard ROM-cartridge format that was being used outside Japan on the NES. Similarly to the origins of HAL Laboratory, the team soon became an auxiliary program unit for Nintendo that provided system tools and hired people to program, fix, or port Nintendo-developed software. Much of the team's original work consists of minor contributions to larger games developed by Nintendo R&D1 and Nintendo EAD.Narihiro programmed his first video games, Famicom Wars and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, towards the end of the Famicom's life cycle, although the game design, graphic design, and music was provided by the Nintendo R&D1 team. Because of Narihiro's success, Intelligent Systems began to hire graphic designers, programmers, and musicians to extend the company from an auxiliary–tool developer to a game development group. The company continued to develop new entries in the Wars and Fire Emblem franchises.
In 2000, Intelligent Systems produced Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64, which became a surprise hit, leading to five sequels. Three years later, the first entry in the WarioWare series was released on the Game Boy Advance, and it too became a successful series.
Not all games developed by Intelligent Systems are published by Nintendo. Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest (which was co-developed by Intelligent Systems) was published by Atlus in North America; Intelligent Systems also developed various Dragon Quest games, which were published by Square Enix.
| 5
|
[
"Intelligent Systems",
"industry",
"video game industry"
] |
Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games published by Nintendo with the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and Wars video game series. Originally, the company was headquartered at the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, but later moved to a building near Nintendo's main headquarters in October 2013. They were also responsible for the creation of various development hardware both first and 3rd party developers would use to make games for Nintendo systems, such as the IS Nitro Emulator, the official development kit for the Nintendo DS.
| 6
|
[
"Moi dix Mois",
"country",
"Japan"
] |
Moi dix Mois (lit. "Me Ten Months" in French) is a Japanese visual kei gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by Mana after Malice Mizer paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup changes, and the band's material is released on his own record label Midi:Nette.History
March 19, 2002, approximately three months after Malice Mizer announced their indefinite hiatus, Mana announced the formation of his solo project, Moi dix Mois. Their first single, "Dialogue Symphonie", was released October 19 of the same year.
Moi dix Mois played their first concerts outside Japan in March 2005 in Munich, Germany and Paris, France as part of their Invite to Immorality Tour. After the tour's final show on April 24, 2005 in Tokyo, singer Juka left the band.
A new phase of the band began on March 1, 2006, when they released the album, Beyond the Gate. This featured a new vocalist named Seth. Before the album was released, Mana indicated that the sound would be the beginning of a renewed direction for the band, possibly more integrated towards electronic music. After the announcement of the Beyond the Gate release was made, Seth was revealed as the new vocalist, and it was announced that Kazuno (bass) and Tohru (drums) were both leaving the group.
In June 2006, Moi dix Mois headlined the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. They then returned to touring in Japan. A prospective five city tour in the United States was scheduled for July 2006, but cancelled due to the band citing "differences in policies" with the tour organizer; however, Mana did make a U.S. appearance at the 2006 Anime Expo in Anaheim, CA on July 1, where he announced that Moi dix Mois was planning to tour America sometime "within the calendar year". However, this US tour did not materialize in 2006.
On March 28, 2007, they released their fourth album, Dixanadu, the first with the current lineup. On December 27, 2008, Moi dix Mois held the Dis Inferno Vol.VI ~Last Year Party~, where they played a session gig along with Mana's fellow Malice Mizer guitarist Közi.
They performed at Anime Expo 2009, the largest anime convention in North America, on July 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Also in July they went on a short two-gig coupling tour with Közi called Deep Sanctuary, playing on the 17 in Osaka and the 19 in Tokyo. At the V-Rock Festival '09 on October 24, Moi Dix Mois played two new songs, "Dead Scape" and "The Sect", and a new version of "The Prophet".In July 2010, they went on another tour with Közi, titled Deep Sanctuary II, this time with Malice Mizer bassist Yu~ki as a special guest at Akasaka Blitz on the 17. This was the first time in 9 years that the three Malice Mizer members were on stage together. Moi dix Mois' fifth album, D+Sect, was released on December 15, 2010.
On August 27, 2011, Mana announced that Moi dix Mois will be releasing a compilation album as part of their 10th anniversary celebration. The album is composed of re-recordings of older songs, from the group's first two albums, by the current line-up. Fans requested which songs were chosen through Mana's blog. The album, titled Reprise, was released on July 11, 2012 and includes the new song "Je l'aime". On April 7, 2012, Moi dix Mois performed at Sakura-Con 2012 in Seattle, Washington.To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Moi dix Mois held a special concert at Shinjuku Blaze on March 20, 2013. At the end, former members Juka, Kazuno and Tohru reunited with Mana for a one-off performance of the group's original lineup.On May 19, 2014, guitarist K was found dead at his home by relatives. A memorial concert was held on September 15 where Moi dix Mois performed, including the new song "Beast Side" that was composed in memory of the guitarist. His replacement, Ryux formerly from the band Omega Dripp, was announced by Mana on December 3.
| 0
|
[
"Moi dix Mois",
"country of origin",
"Japan"
] |
Moi dix Mois (lit. "Me Ten Months" in French) is a Japanese visual kei gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by Mana after Malice Mizer paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup changes, and the band's material is released on his own record label Midi:Nette.History
March 19, 2002, approximately three months after Malice Mizer announced their indefinite hiatus, Mana announced the formation of his solo project, Moi dix Mois. Their first single, "Dialogue Symphonie", was released October 19 of the same year.
Moi dix Mois played their first concerts outside Japan in March 2005 in Munich, Germany and Paris, France as part of their Invite to Immorality Tour. After the tour's final show on April 24, 2005 in Tokyo, singer Juka left the band.
A new phase of the band began on March 1, 2006, when they released the album, Beyond the Gate. This featured a new vocalist named Seth. Before the album was released, Mana indicated that the sound would be the beginning of a renewed direction for the band, possibly more integrated towards electronic music. After the announcement of the Beyond the Gate release was made, Seth was revealed as the new vocalist, and it was announced that Kazuno (bass) and Tohru (drums) were both leaving the group.
In June 2006, Moi dix Mois headlined the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. They then returned to touring in Japan. A prospective five city tour in the United States was scheduled for July 2006, but cancelled due to the band citing "differences in policies" with the tour organizer; however, Mana did make a U.S. appearance at the 2006 Anime Expo in Anaheim, CA on July 1, where he announced that Moi dix Mois was planning to tour America sometime "within the calendar year". However, this US tour did not materialize in 2006.
On March 28, 2007, they released their fourth album, Dixanadu, the first with the current lineup. On December 27, 2008, Moi dix Mois held the Dis Inferno Vol.VI ~Last Year Party~, where they played a session gig along with Mana's fellow Malice Mizer guitarist Közi.
They performed at Anime Expo 2009, the largest anime convention in North America, on July 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Also in July they went on a short two-gig coupling tour with Közi called Deep Sanctuary, playing on the 17 in Osaka and the 19 in Tokyo. At the V-Rock Festival '09 on October 24, Moi Dix Mois played two new songs, "Dead Scape" and "The Sect", and a new version of "The Prophet".In July 2010, they went on another tour with Közi, titled Deep Sanctuary II, this time with Malice Mizer bassist Yu~ki as a special guest at Akasaka Blitz on the 17. This was the first time in 9 years that the three Malice Mizer members were on stage together. Moi dix Mois' fifth album, D+Sect, was released on December 15, 2010.
On August 27, 2011, Mana announced that Moi dix Mois will be releasing a compilation album as part of their 10th anniversary celebration. The album is composed of re-recordings of older songs, from the group's first two albums, by the current line-up. Fans requested which songs were chosen through Mana's blog. The album, titled Reprise, was released on July 11, 2012 and includes the new song "Je l'aime". On April 7, 2012, Moi dix Mois performed at Sakura-Con 2012 in Seattle, Washington.To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Moi dix Mois held a special concert at Shinjuku Blaze on March 20, 2013. At the end, former members Juka, Kazuno and Tohru reunited with Mana for a one-off performance of the group's original lineup.On May 19, 2014, guitarist K was found dead at his home by relatives. A memorial concert was held on September 15 where Moi dix Mois performed, including the new song "Beast Side" that was composed in memory of the guitarist. His replacement, Ryux formerly from the band Omega Dripp, was announced by Mana on December 3.
| 1
|
[
"Moi dix Mois",
"location of formation",
"Japan"
] |
Moi dix Mois (lit. "Me Ten Months" in French) is a Japanese visual kei gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by Mana after Malice Mizer paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup changes, and the band's material is released on his own record label Midi:Nette.History
March 19, 2002, approximately three months after Malice Mizer announced their indefinite hiatus, Mana announced the formation of his solo project, Moi dix Mois. Their first single, "Dialogue Symphonie", was released October 19 of the same year.
Moi dix Mois played their first concerts outside Japan in March 2005 in Munich, Germany and Paris, France as part of their Invite to Immorality Tour. After the tour's final show on April 24, 2005 in Tokyo, singer Juka left the band.
A new phase of the band began on March 1, 2006, when they released the album, Beyond the Gate. This featured a new vocalist named Seth. Before the album was released, Mana indicated that the sound would be the beginning of a renewed direction for the band, possibly more integrated towards electronic music. After the announcement of the Beyond the Gate release was made, Seth was revealed as the new vocalist, and it was announced that Kazuno (bass) and Tohru (drums) were both leaving the group.
In June 2006, Moi dix Mois headlined the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. They then returned to touring in Japan. A prospective five city tour in the United States was scheduled for July 2006, but cancelled due to the band citing "differences in policies" with the tour organizer; however, Mana did make a U.S. appearance at the 2006 Anime Expo in Anaheim, CA on July 1, where he announced that Moi dix Mois was planning to tour America sometime "within the calendar year". However, this US tour did not materialize in 2006.
On March 28, 2007, they released their fourth album, Dixanadu, the first with the current lineup. On December 27, 2008, Moi dix Mois held the Dis Inferno Vol.VI ~Last Year Party~, where they played a session gig along with Mana's fellow Malice Mizer guitarist Közi.
They performed at Anime Expo 2009, the largest anime convention in North America, on July 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Also in July they went on a short two-gig coupling tour with Közi called Deep Sanctuary, playing on the 17 in Osaka and the 19 in Tokyo. At the V-Rock Festival '09 on October 24, Moi Dix Mois played two new songs, "Dead Scape" and "The Sect", and a new version of "The Prophet".In July 2010, they went on another tour with Közi, titled Deep Sanctuary II, this time with Malice Mizer bassist Yu~ki as a special guest at Akasaka Blitz on the 17. This was the first time in 9 years that the three Malice Mizer members were on stage together. Moi dix Mois' fifth album, D+Sect, was released on December 15, 2010.
On August 27, 2011, Mana announced that Moi dix Mois will be releasing a compilation album as part of their 10th anniversary celebration. The album is composed of re-recordings of older songs, from the group's first two albums, by the current line-up. Fans requested which songs were chosen through Mana's blog. The album, titled Reprise, was released on July 11, 2012 and includes the new song "Je l'aime". On April 7, 2012, Moi dix Mois performed at Sakura-Con 2012 in Seattle, Washington.To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Moi dix Mois held a special concert at Shinjuku Blaze on March 20, 2013. At the end, former members Juka, Kazuno and Tohru reunited with Mana for a one-off performance of the group's original lineup.On May 19, 2014, guitarist K was found dead at his home by relatives. A memorial concert was held on September 15 where Moi dix Mois performed, including the new song "Beast Side" that was composed in memory of the guitarist. His replacement, Ryux formerly from the band Omega Dripp, was announced by Mana on December 3.
| 2
|
[
"Moi dix Mois",
"genre",
"gothic metal"
] |
Moi dix Mois (lit. "Me Ten Months" in French) is a Japanese visual kei gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by Mana after Malice Mizer paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup changes, and the band's material is released on his own record label Midi:Nette.
| 3
|
[
"Moi dix Mois",
"record label",
"Midi:Nette M.†.M"
] |
Moi dix Mois (lit. "Me Ten Months" in French) is a Japanese visual kei gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by Mana after Malice Mizer paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup changes, and the band's material is released on his own record label Midi:Nette.
| 4
|
[
"Moi dix Mois",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Moi dix Mois (lit. "Me Ten Months" in French) is a Japanese visual kei gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by Mana after Malice Mizer paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup changes, and the band's material is released on his own record label Midi:Nette.History
March 19, 2002, approximately three months after Malice Mizer announced their indefinite hiatus, Mana announced the formation of his solo project, Moi dix Mois. Their first single, "Dialogue Symphonie", was released October 19 of the same year.
Moi dix Mois played their first concerts outside Japan in March 2005 in Munich, Germany and Paris, France as part of their Invite to Immorality Tour. After the tour's final show on April 24, 2005 in Tokyo, singer Juka left the band.
A new phase of the band began on March 1, 2006, when they released the album, Beyond the Gate. This featured a new vocalist named Seth. Before the album was released, Mana indicated that the sound would be the beginning of a renewed direction for the band, possibly more integrated towards electronic music. After the announcement of the Beyond the Gate release was made, Seth was revealed as the new vocalist, and it was announced that Kazuno (bass) and Tohru (drums) were both leaving the group.
In June 2006, Moi dix Mois headlined the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. They then returned to touring in Japan. A prospective five city tour in the United States was scheduled for July 2006, but cancelled due to the band citing "differences in policies" with the tour organizer; however, Mana did make a U.S. appearance at the 2006 Anime Expo in Anaheim, CA on July 1, where he announced that Moi dix Mois was planning to tour America sometime "within the calendar year". However, this US tour did not materialize in 2006.
On March 28, 2007, they released their fourth album, Dixanadu, the first with the current lineup. On December 27, 2008, Moi dix Mois held the Dis Inferno Vol.VI ~Last Year Party~, where they played a session gig along with Mana's fellow Malice Mizer guitarist Közi.
They performed at Anime Expo 2009, the largest anime convention in North America, on July 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Also in July they went on a short two-gig coupling tour with Közi called Deep Sanctuary, playing on the 17 in Osaka and the 19 in Tokyo. At the V-Rock Festival '09 on October 24, Moi Dix Mois played two new songs, "Dead Scape" and "The Sect", and a new version of "The Prophet".In July 2010, they went on another tour with Közi, titled Deep Sanctuary II, this time with Malice Mizer bassist Yu~ki as a special guest at Akasaka Blitz on the 17. This was the first time in 9 years that the three Malice Mizer members were on stage together. Moi dix Mois' fifth album, D+Sect, was released on December 15, 2010.
On August 27, 2011, Mana announced that Moi dix Mois will be releasing a compilation album as part of their 10th anniversary celebration. The album is composed of re-recordings of older songs, from the group's first two albums, by the current line-up. Fans requested which songs were chosen through Mana's blog. The album, titled Reprise, was released on July 11, 2012 and includes the new song "Je l'aime". On April 7, 2012, Moi dix Mois performed at Sakura-Con 2012 in Seattle, Washington.To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Moi dix Mois held a special concert at Shinjuku Blaze on March 20, 2013. At the end, former members Juka, Kazuno and Tohru reunited with Mana for a one-off performance of the group's original lineup.On May 19, 2014, guitarist K was found dead at his home by relatives. A memorial concert was held on September 15 where Moi dix Mois performed, including the new song "Beast Side" that was composed in memory of the guitarist. His replacement, Ryux formerly from the band Omega Dripp, was announced by Mana on December 3.
| 7
|
[
"Moi dix Mois",
"has part(s)",
"Mana"
] |
Moi dix Mois (lit. "Me Ten Months" in French) is a Japanese visual kei gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by Mana after Malice Mizer paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup changes, and the band's material is released on his own record label Midi:Nette.History
March 19, 2002, approximately three months after Malice Mizer announced their indefinite hiatus, Mana announced the formation of his solo project, Moi dix Mois. Their first single, "Dialogue Symphonie", was released October 19 of the same year.
Moi dix Mois played their first concerts outside Japan in March 2005 in Munich, Germany and Paris, France as part of their Invite to Immorality Tour. After the tour's final show on April 24, 2005 in Tokyo, singer Juka left the band.
A new phase of the band began on March 1, 2006, when they released the album, Beyond the Gate. This featured a new vocalist named Seth. Before the album was released, Mana indicated that the sound would be the beginning of a renewed direction for the band, possibly more integrated towards electronic music. After the announcement of the Beyond the Gate release was made, Seth was revealed as the new vocalist, and it was announced that Kazuno (bass) and Tohru (drums) were both leaving the group.
In June 2006, Moi dix Mois headlined the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. They then returned to touring in Japan. A prospective five city tour in the United States was scheduled for July 2006, but cancelled due to the band citing "differences in policies" with the tour organizer; however, Mana did make a U.S. appearance at the 2006 Anime Expo in Anaheim, CA on July 1, where he announced that Moi dix Mois was planning to tour America sometime "within the calendar year". However, this US tour did not materialize in 2006.
On March 28, 2007, they released their fourth album, Dixanadu, the first with the current lineup. On December 27, 2008, Moi dix Mois held the Dis Inferno Vol.VI ~Last Year Party~, where they played a session gig along with Mana's fellow Malice Mizer guitarist Közi.
They performed at Anime Expo 2009, the largest anime convention in North America, on July 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Also in July they went on a short two-gig coupling tour with Közi called Deep Sanctuary, playing on the 17 in Osaka and the 19 in Tokyo. At the V-Rock Festival '09 on October 24, Moi Dix Mois played two new songs, "Dead Scape" and "The Sect", and a new version of "The Prophet".In July 2010, they went on another tour with Közi, titled Deep Sanctuary II, this time with Malice Mizer bassist Yu~ki as a special guest at Akasaka Blitz on the 17. This was the first time in 9 years that the three Malice Mizer members were on stage together. Moi dix Mois' fifth album, D+Sect, was released on December 15, 2010.
On August 27, 2011, Mana announced that Moi dix Mois will be releasing a compilation album as part of their 10th anniversary celebration. The album is composed of re-recordings of older songs, from the group's first two albums, by the current line-up. Fans requested which songs were chosen through Mana's blog. The album, titled Reprise, was released on July 11, 2012 and includes the new song "Je l'aime". On April 7, 2012, Moi dix Mois performed at Sakura-Con 2012 in Seattle, Washington.To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Moi dix Mois held a special concert at Shinjuku Blaze on March 20, 2013. At the end, former members Juka, Kazuno and Tohru reunited with Mana for a one-off performance of the group's original lineup.On May 19, 2014, guitarist K was found dead at his home by relatives. A memorial concert was held on September 15 where Moi dix Mois performed, including the new song "Beast Side" that was composed in memory of the guitarist. His replacement, Ryux formerly from the band Omega Dripp, was announced by Mana on December 3.
| 8
|
[
"Yousei Teikoku",
"country of origin",
"Japan"
] |
Yousei Teikoku (Japanese: 妖精帝國, Hepburn: Yōsei Teikoku, German: Das Feenreich; lit. "Fairy Empire") is a Japanese rock band formed in 1997. Their music mixes elements of gothic metal, heavy metal, electronic and classical music. Their works include the opening tracks of several anime series, including Future Diary, Magical Pokan, Innocent Venus, Kurokami: The Animation, The Qwaser of Stigmata, Big Order, and the Tokyo ESP soundtrack. After releasing several independent albums, the band released seven major-label albums with their current label Lantis: Gothic Lolita Propaganda, Metanoia, Gothic Lolita Doctrine, Gothic Lolita Agitator, Pax Vesania, Shadow Corps(e) and The Age Of Villains.
Yousei Teikoku is led by vocalist Yui, whose official title is "Dictator for Life". She bestows honorary titles on the band members as part of the Fairy Empire.
| 0
|
[
"Yousei Teikoku",
"location of formation",
"Japan"
] |
Yousei Teikoku (Japanese: 妖精帝國, Hepburn: Yōsei Teikoku, German: Das Feenreich; lit. "Fairy Empire") is a Japanese rock band formed in 1997. Their music mixes elements of gothic metal, heavy metal, electronic and classical music. Their works include the opening tracks of several anime series, including Future Diary, Magical Pokan, Innocent Venus, Kurokami: The Animation, The Qwaser of Stigmata, Big Order, and the Tokyo ESP soundtrack. After releasing several independent albums, the band released seven major-label albums with their current label Lantis: Gothic Lolita Propaganda, Metanoia, Gothic Lolita Doctrine, Gothic Lolita Agitator, Pax Vesania, Shadow Corps(e) and The Age Of Villains.
Yousei Teikoku is led by vocalist Yui, whose official title is "Dictator for Life". She bestows honorary titles on the band members as part of the Fairy Empire.
| 1
|
[
"Yousei Teikoku",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Yousei Teikoku (Japanese: 妖精帝國, Hepburn: Yōsei Teikoku, German: Das Feenreich; lit. "Fairy Empire") is a Japanese rock band formed in 1997. Their music mixes elements of gothic metal, heavy metal, electronic and classical music. Their works include the opening tracks of several anime series, including Future Diary, Magical Pokan, Innocent Venus, Kurokami: The Animation, The Qwaser of Stigmata, Big Order, and the Tokyo ESP soundtrack. After releasing several independent albums, the band released seven major-label albums with their current label Lantis: Gothic Lolita Propaganda, Metanoia, Gothic Lolita Doctrine, Gothic Lolita Agitator, Pax Vesania, Shadow Corps(e) and The Age Of Villains.
Yousei Teikoku is led by vocalist Yui, whose official title is "Dictator for Life". She bestows honorary titles on the band members as part of the Fairy Empire.
| 12
|
[
"Yousei Teikoku",
"genre",
"gothic rock"
] |
Yousei Teikoku (Japanese: 妖精帝國, Hepburn: Yōsei Teikoku, German: Das Feenreich; lit. "Fairy Empire") is a Japanese rock band formed in 1997. Their music mixes elements of gothic metal, heavy metal, electronic and classical music. Their works include the opening tracks of several anime series, including Future Diary, Magical Pokan, Innocent Venus, Kurokami: The Animation, The Qwaser of Stigmata, Big Order, and the Tokyo ESP soundtrack. After releasing several independent albums, the band released seven major-label albums with their current label Lantis: Gothic Lolita Propaganda, Metanoia, Gothic Lolita Doctrine, Gothic Lolita Agitator, Pax Vesania, Shadow Corps(e) and The Age Of Villains.
Yousei Teikoku is led by vocalist Yui, whose official title is "Dictator for Life". She bestows honorary titles on the band members as part of the Fairy Empire.
| 13
|
[
"Cool Joke",
"country of origin",
"Japan"
] |
Cool Joke is a Japanese rock band formed in 2001. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Hiroya Ishikawa (石川 寛也), guitarist Suguru Asabatake (麻畠 卓) and drummer Hiroyuki Saitō (斉藤 広幸). In addition to Ishikawa, Asabatake and Saitō, the band originally featured bassist Keita Hayashi (林 圭太). However, Hayashi left the band in 2006. They performed under the Sony Music Japan Records label, but currently they are under the high numbers dream indie label. During their time as an indie band, their activity was centered in the Fukui prefecture area. They are now performing on a national level, and one of their songs, "UNDO", was used as the third opening theme song for the popular anime television show, Fullmetal Alchemist.
| 0
|
[
"Cool Joke",
"location of formation",
"Japan"
] |
Cool Joke is a Japanese rock band formed in 2001. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Hiroya Ishikawa (石川 寛也), guitarist Suguru Asabatake (麻畠 卓) and drummer Hiroyuki Saitō (斉藤 広幸). In addition to Ishikawa, Asabatake and Saitō, the band originally featured bassist Keita Hayashi (林 圭太). However, Hayashi left the band in 2006. They performed under the Sony Music Japan Records label, but currently they are under the high numbers dream indie label. During their time as an indie band, their activity was centered in the Fukui prefecture area. They are now performing on a national level, and one of their songs, "UNDO", was used as the third opening theme song for the popular anime television show, Fullmetal Alchemist.
| 1
|
[
"Cool Joke",
"genre",
"Japanese rock"
] |
Cool Joke is a Japanese rock band formed in 2001. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Hiroya Ishikawa (石川 寛也), guitarist Suguru Asabatake (麻畠 卓) and drummer Hiroyuki Saitō (斉藤 広幸). In addition to Ishikawa, Asabatake and Saitō, the band originally featured bassist Keita Hayashi (林 圭太). However, Hayashi left the band in 2006. They performed under the Sony Music Japan Records label, but currently they are under the high numbers dream indie label. During their time as an indie band, their activity was centered in the Fukui prefecture area. They are now performing on a national level, and one of their songs, "UNDO", was used as the third opening theme song for the popular anime television show, Fullmetal Alchemist.
| 2
|
[
"Cool Joke",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Cool Joke is a Japanese rock band formed in 2001. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Hiroya Ishikawa (石川 寛也), guitarist Suguru Asabatake (麻畠 卓) and drummer Hiroyuki Saitō (斉藤 広幸). In addition to Ishikawa, Asabatake and Saitō, the band originally featured bassist Keita Hayashi (林 圭太). However, Hayashi left the band in 2006. They performed under the Sony Music Japan Records label, but currently they are under the high numbers dream indie label. During their time as an indie band, their activity was centered in the Fukui prefecture area. They are now performing on a national level, and one of their songs, "UNDO", was used as the third opening theme song for the popular anime television show, Fullmetal Alchemist.
| 3
|
[
"Kitarō",
"instance of",
"human"
] |
Early life: 1954–76
Masanori Takahashi was born in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, and is a graduate of Sahid University. Kitarō, which is his boyhood name meaning "man of love and joy", a practicing Buddhist himself, was born in a family of Shinto-Buddhist farmers. After graduating his parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. In an effort to maneuver him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he did not show for the job without telling them, and managed to convince them to work on something he loved.In high school Kitarō played electric guitar in a band that played American rhythm and blues of Otis Redding and covers by The Beatles. After graduating, and learning to play drums and bass, Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and he recalls having "just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound".
In the early 1970s he changed completely to keyboard and joined the Japanese progressive rock band Far East Family Band and recorded four albums with them. While in Japan and Europe in 1975, he met the German electronica and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for controlling synthesizers. In 1976, Kitaro left Far East Family Band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).
| 0
|
[
"Kitarō",
"country of citizenship",
"Japan"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).
| 1
|
[
"Kitarō",
"location of formation",
"Japan"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).Early life: 1954–76
Masanori Takahashi was born in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, and is a graduate of Sahid University. Kitarō, which is his boyhood name meaning "man of love and joy", a practicing Buddhist himself, was born in a family of Shinto-Buddhist farmers. After graduating his parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. In an effort to maneuver him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he did not show for the job without telling them, and managed to convince them to work on something he loved.In high school Kitarō played electric guitar in a band that played American rhythm and blues of Otis Redding and covers by The Beatles. After graduating, and learning to play drums and bass, Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and he recalls having "just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound".
In the early 1970s he changed completely to keyboard and joined the Japanese progressive rock band Far East Family Band and recorded four albums with them. While in Japan and Europe in 1975, he met the German electronica and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for controlling synthesizers. In 1976, Kitaro left Far East Family Band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).Solo career: 1977–present
Back in Japan, Kitaro started his solo career in 1977. The first two albums Ten Kai and Daichi were released in 1978 and 1979. He performed his first symphonic concert at the "Small Hall" of the Kosei Nenkin Kaikan in Shinjuku, Tokyo.Silk Road
The Silk Road: The Rise And Fall Of Civilizations is an NHK Tokushu documentary series that first aired on 7 April 1980, with sequels being broadcast over a 10-year period. It took a total of 17 years from conception to complete what many consider a landmark in Japan's broadcasting television history. The intention of the program was to reveal how ancient Japan was influenced by the Silk Road trade route. The documentary was narrated by Ishizaka Koji with music composed by Kitaro, who insisted that the show be broadcast in stereo. The music was composed mainly using a Minimoog, Minikorg 700, and Maxikorg DV800. The score received a Galaxy Award, and the series of soundtracks sold millions of copies. The success created from the program brought Kitaro international attention.Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai series
Kitaro’s music has long been recognized for its messages of peace and spirituality. In the wake of 9/11, during which time the conceptual endeavor, which he envisioned as an artistic means to help unify people globally, the artist began recording Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai (2003), a series of peace-themed albums inspired by the Shikoku Henro Pilgrimage, the travel of Kūkai more than 1100 years ago. The four volumes in the album series were released in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2011, respectively. Every track on the 4 volumes of Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai contains samples from ancient Japanese temple bells (Peace Bells) from 88 sacred temples on the island of Shikoku, Japan.
| 2
|
[
"Kitarō",
"languages spoken, written or signed",
"Japanese"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).
| 3
|
[
"Kitarō",
"nominated for",
"Grammy Awards"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).
| 5
|
[
"Kitarō",
"place of birth",
"Toyohashi"
] |
Early life: 1954–76
Masanori Takahashi was born in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, and is a graduate of Sahid University. Kitarō, which is his boyhood name meaning "man of love and joy", a practicing Buddhist himself, was born in a family of Shinto-Buddhist farmers. After graduating his parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. In an effort to maneuver him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he did not show for the job without telling them, and managed to convince them to work on something he loved.In high school Kitarō played electric guitar in a band that played American rhythm and blues of Otis Redding and covers by The Beatles. After graduating, and learning to play drums and bass, Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and he recalls having "just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound".
In the early 1970s he changed completely to keyboard and joined the Japanese progressive rock band Far East Family Band and recorded four albums with them. While in Japan and Europe in 1975, he met the German electronica and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for controlling synthesizers. In 1976, Kitaro left Far East Family Band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).
| 8
|
[
"Kitarō",
"genre",
"new age music"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).1984–1993
In 1984, Kitaro embarked on a "Live in Asia" tour. Notably, he was forced to cancel a leg in Singapore because he had long hair and at that time the country had a policy banning it.He entered into a worldwide distribution arrangement with Geffen Records in 1985–1986. This included a re-releasing of six prior albums entitled Ten Kai (aka Astral Voyage), Daichi (aka Full Moon Story), Millennia, India, Silver Cloud and Live in Asia (aka Asia) (each packaged with Japanesque obi strips) as well as a new album, aptly titled Toward the West. Due to his combination of electronic and acoustic sounds, mellow music, and repeating chords which resembled the umbrella New age music category in the United States and Europe, his music was labeled as "new age". While he's not comfortable with the term, it doesn't mean much to him: "Whether people say my music is new age or not, it's OK with me. I'm just going to keep calling it Kitaro's music". On his music he noted that his outlook on life, study of philosophy, and responsibility to create music which has a good influence on society, influence his musical creation.In 1987, he collaborated with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead for the album The Light of the Spirit (which sold two million copies) and in 1992 with Jon Anderson (Yes) for the album Dream. In 1988, his record sales soared to 10 million worldwide following a successful US tour. He was nominated three times for Grammy Award for Best New Age Album during his tenure at Geffen Records. In 1990 was released studio album Kojiki, which was inspired by the Japense 8th century chronicle Kojiki, and it reached #159 on Billboard 200, and #1 on Billboard New Age albums chart. His soundtrack for the movie Heaven & Earth (1993) won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. Kitaro also produced an album Scenes (1992) released by Shrapnel Records with former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman.
| 10
|
[
"Kitarō",
"occupation",
"musician"
] |
Early life: 1954–76
Masanori Takahashi was born in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, and is a graduate of Sahid University. Kitarō, which is his boyhood name meaning "man of love and joy", a practicing Buddhist himself, was born in a family of Shinto-Buddhist farmers. After graduating his parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. In an effort to maneuver him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he did not show for the job without telling them, and managed to convince them to work on something he loved.In high school Kitarō played electric guitar in a band that played American rhythm and blues of Otis Redding and covers by The Beatles. After graduating, and learning to play drums and bass, Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and he recalls having "just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound".
In the early 1970s he changed completely to keyboard and joined the Japanese progressive rock band Far East Family Band and recorded four albums with them. While in Japan and Europe in 1975, he met the German electronica and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for controlling synthesizers. In 1976, Kitaro left Far East Family Band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).
| 11
|
[
"Kitarō",
"genre",
"electronica"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).
| 12
|
[
"Kitarō",
"family name",
"Takahashi"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).Early life: 1954–76
Masanori Takahashi was born in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, and is a graduate of Sahid University. Kitarō, which is his boyhood name meaning "man of love and joy", a practicing Buddhist himself, was born in a family of Shinto-Buddhist farmers. After graduating his parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. In an effort to maneuver him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he did not show for the job without telling them, and managed to convince them to work on something he loved.In high school Kitarō played electric guitar in a band that played American rhythm and blues of Otis Redding and covers by The Beatles. After graduating, and learning to play drums and bass, Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and he recalls having "just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound".
In the early 1970s he changed completely to keyboard and joined the Japanese progressive rock band Far East Family Band and recorded four albums with them. While in Japan and Europe in 1975, he met the German electronica and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for controlling synthesizers. In 1976, Kitaro left Far East Family Band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).
| 15
|
[
"Kitarō",
"award received",
"Grammy Award for Best New Age Album"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).1994–present
Domo Records
Since his 1994 debut for Domo Records, and the Grammy-nominated Mandala, Kitaro has released 24 studio albums. Among them, the live An Enchanted Evening (1995), Gaia-Onbashira (1998), and Ancient (2001) were all Grammy nominated. In 1999, Thinking of You won the Grammy for Best New Age Album. Kitaro and Randy Miller's soundtrack album The Soong Sisters (2000) received Best Original Music Award from the Hong Kong Film Award (1998), as well as the Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival and Award (1997).
| 17
|
[
"Kitarō",
"sex or gender",
"male"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).Early life: 1954–76
Masanori Takahashi was born in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, and is a graduate of Sahid University. Kitarō, which is his boyhood name meaning "man of love and joy", a practicing Buddhist himself, was born in a family of Shinto-Buddhist farmers. After graduating his parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. In an effort to maneuver him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he did not show for the job without telling them, and managed to convince them to work on something he loved.In high school Kitarō played electric guitar in a band that played American rhythm and blues of Otis Redding and covers by The Beatles. After graduating, and learning to play drums and bass, Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and he recalls having "just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound".
In the early 1970s he changed completely to keyboard and joined the Japanese progressive rock band Far East Family Band and recorded four albums with them. While in Japan and Europe in 1975, he met the German electronica and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for controlling synthesizers. In 1976, Kitaro left Far East Family Band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).
| 19
|
[
"Kitarō",
"award received",
"Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score"
] |
1984–1993
In 1984, Kitaro embarked on a "Live in Asia" tour. Notably, he was forced to cancel a leg in Singapore because he had long hair and at that time the country had a policy banning it.He entered into a worldwide distribution arrangement with Geffen Records in 1985–1986. This included a re-releasing of six prior albums entitled Ten Kai (aka Astral Voyage), Daichi (aka Full Moon Story), Millennia, India, Silver Cloud and Live in Asia (aka Asia) (each packaged with Japanesque obi strips) as well as a new album, aptly titled Toward the West. Due to his combination of electronic and acoustic sounds, mellow music, and repeating chords which resembled the umbrella New age music category in the United States and Europe, his music was labeled as "new age". While he's not comfortable with the term, it doesn't mean much to him: "Whether people say my music is new age or not, it's OK with me. I'm just going to keep calling it Kitaro's music". On his music he noted that his outlook on life, study of philosophy, and responsibility to create music which has a good influence on society, influence his musical creation.In 1987, he collaborated with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead for the album The Light of the Spirit (which sold two million copies) and in 1992 with Jon Anderson (Yes) for the album Dream. In 1988, his record sales soared to 10 million worldwide following a successful US tour. He was nominated three times for Grammy Award for Best New Age Album during his tenure at Geffen Records. In 1990 was released studio album Kojiki, which was inspired by the Japense 8th century chronicle Kojiki, and it reached #159 on Billboard 200, and #1 on Billboard New Age albums chart. His soundtrack for the movie Heaven & Earth (1993) won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. Kitaro also produced an album Scenes (1992) released by Shrapnel Records with former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman.
| 20
|
[
"Kitarō",
"given name",
"Masanori"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).Early life: 1954–76
Masanori Takahashi was born in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, and is a graduate of Sahid University. Kitarō, which is his boyhood name meaning "man of love and joy", a practicing Buddhist himself, was born in a family of Shinto-Buddhist farmers. After graduating his parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. In an effort to maneuver him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he did not show for the job without telling them, and managed to convince them to work on something he loved.In high school Kitarō played electric guitar in a band that played American rhythm and blues of Otis Redding and covers by The Beatles. After graduating, and learning to play drums and bass, Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and he recalls having "just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound".
In the early 1970s he changed completely to keyboard and joined the Japanese progressive rock band Far East Family Band and recorded four albums with them. While in Japan and Europe in 1975, he met the German electronica and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for controlling synthesizers. In 1976, Kitaro left Far East Family Band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).
| 23
|
[
"Kitarō",
"instrument",
"electronic keyboard"
] |
Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).
| 25
|
[
"Kitarō",
"occupation",
"film score composer"
] |
Impressions of the West Lake
In 2007, Kitaro composed the music for Impression West Lake, a large-scale opera, directed by the renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou. The opera reflects Hangzhou city’s history and culture through music and dance. Using modern technology, the stage is 75 centimeters below the lake’s surface during the day so as not to affect the landscape and boating activities. In the evening, the stage is a few centimeters below the lake’s surface so actors can walk and perform freely over a surprising water mirror that compose with the lights and colors. The one-hour event had its opening night in March 2007. In 2009, Domo Records released the original soundtrack album Impressions of the West Lake which was nominated for the Grammy in Best New Age Album category.
| 26
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
AAA (pronounced Triple A; also a backronym for Attack All Around) are a 5-member Japanese pop group signed to the label Avex Trax which debuted in September of 2005. The name has the meaning of “challenging everything” or “against all odds”, and the group is marketed by their label as a "super performance unit".The group was formed through Avex's own auditions, and originally consisted of five young men and three young women who had appeared in commercials and/or had prior experience as backup dancers for other Japanese stars, such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Ami Suzuki.
| 6
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"has part(s)",
"Shūta Sueyoshi"
] |
Discography
Attack (2006)
All (2007)
CCC: Challenge Cover Collection (2007)
Around (2007)
Departure (2009)
Heartful (2010)
Buzz Communication (2011)
777: Triple Seven (2012)
Eighth Wonder (2013)
Gold Symphony (2014)
AAA 10th Anniversary Best (2015)
Way of Glory (2017)
Color a Life (2018)
| 9
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"has part(s)",
"Takahiro Nishijima"
] |
Discography
Attack (2006)
All (2007)
CCC: Challenge Cover Collection (2007)
Around (2007)
Departure (2009)
Heartful (2010)
Buzz Communication (2011)
777: Triple Seven (2012)
Eighth Wonder (2013)
Gold Symphony (2014)
AAA 10th Anniversary Best (2015)
Way of Glory (2017)
Color a Life (2018)
| 10
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"record label",
"Avex Group"
] |
AAA (pronounced Triple A; also a backronym for Attack All Around) are a 5-member Japanese pop group signed to the label Avex Trax which debuted in September of 2005. The name has the meaning of “challenging everything” or “against all odds”, and the group is marketed by their label as a "super performance unit".The group was formed through Avex's own auditions, and originally consisted of five young men and three young women who had appeared in commercials and/or had prior experience as backup dancers for other Japanese stars, such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Ami Suzuki.
| 12
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"has part(s)",
"Naoya Urata"
] |
Discography
Attack (2006)
All (2007)
CCC: Challenge Cover Collection (2007)
Around (2007)
Departure (2009)
Heartful (2010)
Buzz Communication (2011)
777: Triple Seven (2012)
Eighth Wonder (2013)
Gold Symphony (2014)
AAA 10th Anniversary Best (2015)
Way of Glory (2017)
Color a Life (2018)
| 13
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"has part(s)",
"Mitsuhiro Hidaka"
] |
Discography
Attack (2006)
All (2007)
CCC: Challenge Cover Collection (2007)
Around (2007)
Departure (2009)
Heartful (2010)
Buzz Communication (2011)
777: Triple Seven (2012)
Eighth Wonder (2013)
Gold Symphony (2014)
AAA 10th Anniversary Best (2015)
Way of Glory (2017)
Color a Life (2018)
| 14
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"record label",
"Avex Trax"
] |
AAA (pronounced Triple A; also a backronym for Attack All Around) are a 5-member Japanese pop group signed to the label Avex Trax which debuted in September of 2005. The name has the meaning of “challenging everything” or “against all odds”, and the group is marketed by their label as a "super performance unit".The group was formed through Avex's own auditions, and originally consisted of five young men and three young women who had appeared in commercials and/or had prior experience as backup dancers for other Japanese stars, such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Ami Suzuki.
| 15
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"has part(s)",
"Misako Uno"
] |
Discography
Attack (2006)
All (2007)
CCC: Challenge Cover Collection (2007)
Around (2007)
Departure (2009)
Heartful (2010)
Buzz Communication (2011)
777: Triple Seven (2012)
Eighth Wonder (2013)
Gold Symphony (2014)
AAA 10th Anniversary Best (2015)
Way of Glory (2017)
Color a Life (2018)
| 16
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"has part(s)",
"Chiaki Itō"
] |
Discography
Attack (2006)
All (2007)
CCC: Challenge Cover Collection (2007)
Around (2007)
Departure (2009)
Heartful (2010)
Buzz Communication (2011)
777: Triple Seven (2012)
Eighth Wonder (2013)
Gold Symphony (2014)
AAA 10th Anniversary Best (2015)
Way of Glory (2017)
Color a Life (2018)
| 17
|
[
"AAA (band)",
"has part(s)",
"Shinjirō Atae"
] |
Members
The information listed is according to their profiles.
Takahiro Nishijima
Misako Uno
Mitsuhiro Hidaka
Shinjiro Atae
Shuta SueyoshiDiscography
Attack (2006)
All (2007)
CCC: Challenge Cover Collection (2007)
Around (2007)
Departure (2009)
Heartful (2010)
Buzz Communication (2011)
777: Triple Seven (2012)
Eighth Wonder (2013)
Gold Symphony (2014)
AAA 10th Anniversary Best (2015)
Way of Glory (2017)
Color a Life (2018)
| 18
|
[
"A Bathing Ape",
"product or material produced",
"clothing"
] |
Design
Bape frequently collaborates with other brands and features characters from popular media such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Marvel comics characters, Nintendo, DC Comics, and Hello Kitty and the Sanrio Family. These designs are used throughout the Bathing Ape range, on goodies, accessories, hoodies, jackets, T-shirts and shoes. A Bathing Ape has also collaborated with many other famous brands such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Rimowa, M*A*C, Comme des Garçons, mastermind Japan, Undercover, Supreme, Stüssy, Carhartt, Casio, Adidas, Timberland and artists such as Biggie Smalls, Wiz Khalifa, Beastie Boys, The Weeknd, Soulja Boy, Pharrell, UNKLE, Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Westside Gunn, Kid Cudi, Juelz Santana, Pusha T, KAWS, Kreayshawn, Linkin Park, Gary Panter, Big Sean, Josip On Deck, Lil' Wayne, Chris Brown, Flatbush Zombies, Travis Scott, Domo Genesis, Damian Lillard, and Keith Ape.
In late 2018, the firm announced that it will produce a tie-in fashion line based on the Disney animated film Ralph Breaks the Internet, marking this as the first time BAPE has directly partnered with Disney.
| 4
|
[
"Supercell (band)",
"genre",
"J-pop"
] |
Musical style and influences
Daniel Robson of The Japan Times described Supercell's music as "sentimental J-pop...[that] also explores the genre's jazzier, spunkier and dancier elements." Their sound has been compared to pop singers Aiko and Yui, and Ryo has stated himself that he likes expressing human emotions in his music. When creating a song, Ryo has often hummed a tune into a digital recorder, or starts by playing the piano. While it depends on the song, Ryo has stated he generally "play[s] the piano and take[s] notes of the chord progression" and then writes the lyrics. Ryo has cited "artists that blend rock and hip-hop styles with today's latest technology" as influencing his music, including: Massive Attack, Boom Boom Satellites, Portishead, Tricky, and Unkle.Ryo found it difficult at first to write "tenderhearted" lyrics for songs meant to be sung by young women. When describing the lyrics for his songs using Hatsune Miku as the vocalist, Ryo felt that writing without hesitation based on his initial ideas with minimal editing was best, because the singer, as a computer program, would not feel embarrassed about singing the lyrics. He admitted that his friends would laugh when he played the songs, but he thought that "if a 16-year-old girl is supposed to be singing...it is best if she sings about romance." When writing lyrics for human singers, Ryo takes more care in writing lyrics that singers would not be embarrassed to sing. When Ryo receives an offer to compose theme music, he writes lyrics that tie in with the theme and mood of the given work, such as the ending themes "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" for the anime Bakemonogatari, and "Hoshi ga Matataku Konna Yoru ni" for the visual novel Mahōtsukai no Yoru.
| 5
|
[
"Bump.y",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
bump.y is a girl idol group, founded in 2009 by Sweet Power (スウィートパワー).
The concept of the group is to bring six actresses together as an idol group; the group's name is an acronym and each member's attributed characteristic is supposed to correspond to each component of the acronym: Brilliant, Universal, Miracle, Power, the period is intended to represent "moving freely", and finally Youthful. The group "graduated" in end of June 2014.
| 4
|
[
"Nano Ripe",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Nano Ripe (styled as nano.RIPE) is a Japanese pop rock duo that formed in 1998 as an indie band. They released three singles and four mini-albums before being signed to Lantis in 2010. Although the core of the band is made up of Kimiko (composition, lyrics, vocals, guitar) and Jun Sasaki (composition, guitar), when they debuted on Lantis in 2010, the band also consisted of bassist Nobuyuki Abe and drummer Shinn. Shinn left the band in 2011, but Yūki Aoyama joined the band as the drummer in 2013. Abe and Aoyama left the band in 2016.
Following the release of their major debut single "Patricia" (2010), they released four more singles from 2010 to 2011; all five were featured on their major debut album Hoshi no Yoru no Myaku no Oto no (2011). Their next three studio albums were Plus to Minus no Shikumi (2012), Namida no Ochiru Sokudo (2013), and Nanairo Megane no Himitsu (2014). After the release of their compilation album Shiawase no Kutsu (2015), they released their fifth studio album Space Echo (2016) and their sixth studio album Pippala no Ki no Shita de (2018). This was followed by their second compilation album Tsuki ni Sumu Hoshi no Uta: Nano Ripe 10th Anniversary Best (2020) and their seventh studio album Fuminshō no Neko to Yoru (2022).
| 4
|
[
"Lead (band)",
"country of origin",
"Japan"
] |
Biography
Pre-debut and formation of Lead
Hiroki Nakadoi, Shinya Taniuchi and Akira Kagimoto all attended the CALESS Vocal & Dance School (キャレスボーカル&ダンススクール) in Osaka, Japan, where they met each other and became good friends. By March 2002, they began doing live street performances on the streets of Shiroten at Osaka Castle Park under the dance unit name of "Rhymix" (リミックス). By May 2002, they renamed the group from "Rhymix" to "flow" and began performing by Kyobashi Station. After the name change, the three decided to recruit a fourth member.Meanwhile, on April 13, 2002, the Kyushu/Fukuoka Joint Starlight Audition (九州・沖縄合同スターライトオーディション) was being held in Okinawa by Rising Production on a search for new talent. At the time, Keita Furuya and another contestant, Seimi Senoe (瀬上聖未), were declared winners out of the 8,751 hopefuls that auditioned. flow tracked down Keita and he soon joined the group on May 18, 2002.
On May 23, 2002, the group underwent another and final name change, officially becoming "Lead", whereas they had hoped to become a "leading group" of the age.
| 0
|
[
"Lead (band)",
"location of formation",
"Japan"
] |
Lead () is a Japanese hip-hop dance and vocal group, initially formed under the name Rhymix in Osaka, Japan in March 2002. They went through two name changes before debuting as "Lead" in May 2002 under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master. The group consists of Shinya Taniuichi, Keita Furuya, Akira Kagimoto and, formerly, Hiroki Nakadoi.
Upon debuting on July 31, 2002 with "Manatsu no Magic", the group experienced early success due to their dancing and vocal skills at a young age. The release of their second single "Show Me the Way" earned the group the Best Newcomer Award during the 44th Japan Record Awards. Their debut album Life On Da Beat took the No. 5 spot on the Oricon charts.
In 2010, the group moved from Flight Master to the parent label of Pony Canyon with their single "Speed Star."
Beginning with the single "Wanna Be With You" (2012), the group began a string of top-charting singles. The single peaked at No. 3 on Orion and their singles have continued to chart in the top five. Their album The Showcase (2016) became their highest-charting album at No. 2 and their following album Milestone (2018) became their longest-charting album, remaining on the charts for seven weeks.
In 2013, leader and lead vocalist Hiroki Nakadoi left the group after feelings of inadequacy. The last single he was featured in was "Still", and he officially left the group after their 2012 Upturn tour.
| 1
|
[
"Lead (band)",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Lead () is a Japanese hip-hop dance and vocal group, initially formed under the name Rhymix in Osaka, Japan in March 2002. They went through two name changes before debuting as "Lead" in May 2002 under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master. The group consists of Shinya Taniuichi, Keita Furuya, Akira Kagimoto and, formerly, Hiroki Nakadoi.
Upon debuting on July 31, 2002 with "Manatsu no Magic", the group experienced early success due to their dancing and vocal skills at a young age. The release of their second single "Show Me the Way" earned the group the Best Newcomer Award during the 44th Japan Record Awards. Their debut album Life On Da Beat took the No. 5 spot on the Oricon charts.
In 2010, the group moved from Flight Master to the parent label of Pony Canyon with their single "Speed Star."
Beginning with the single "Wanna Be With You" (2012), the group began a string of top-charting singles. The single peaked at No. 3 on Orion and their singles have continued to chart in the top five. Their album The Showcase (2016) became their highest-charting album at No. 2 and their following album Milestone (2018) became their longest-charting album, remaining on the charts for seven weeks.
In 2013, leader and lead vocalist Hiroki Nakadoi left the group after feelings of inadequacy. The last single he was featured in was "Still", and he officially left the group after their 2012 Upturn tour.
| 3
|
[
"Lead (band)",
"record label",
"Pony Canyon"
] |
Lead () is a Japanese hip-hop dance and vocal group, initially formed under the name Rhymix in Osaka, Japan in March 2002. They went through two name changes before debuting as "Lead" in May 2002 under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master. The group consists of Shinya Taniuichi, Keita Furuya, Akira Kagimoto and, formerly, Hiroki Nakadoi.
Upon debuting on July 31, 2002 with "Manatsu no Magic", the group experienced early success due to their dancing and vocal skills at a young age. The release of their second single "Show Me the Way" earned the group the Best Newcomer Award during the 44th Japan Record Awards. Their debut album Life On Da Beat took the No. 5 spot on the Oricon charts.
In 2010, the group moved from Flight Master to the parent label of Pony Canyon with their single "Speed Star."
Beginning with the single "Wanna Be With You" (2012), the group began a string of top-charting singles. The single peaked at No. 3 on Orion and their singles have continued to chart in the top five. Their album The Showcase (2016) became their highest-charting album at No. 2 and their following album Milestone (2018) became their longest-charting album, remaining on the charts for seven weeks.
In 2013, leader and lead vocalist Hiroki Nakadoi left the group after feelings of inadequacy. The last single he was featured in was "Still", and he officially left the group after their 2012 Upturn tour.
| 6
|
[
"Sug",
"record label",
"Pony Canyon"
] |
Sug (typeset as SuG) was a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 2006. The band has released two EPs, five full-length studio albums, and several singles. Until 2009, the band was signed to "Indie PSC", a subdivision of PS Company. As of 2010, they have signed onto a major label, Pony Canyon. The band's tagline in promotional work is "Heavy Positive Rock".History
Vocalist Takeru and guitarists Masato and Yuji had previously performed in a band called Travel. After Travel disbanded, they joined with AmeriA's bassist, Shouta, to form Sug in October 2006. The drummer Mitsuru then joined in November of the same year.Shouta left the band in February and was replaced by Chiyu on bass. Their first release was "7th Breeze" on the compilation album Cannonball Vol. 03. The band signed to the visual-kei management PS Company, and in August 2007, the band released their first single, "Scheat". Months after the release of their first single, Sug released their first EP, titled I Scream Party. To promote their music outside Japan, Sug performed at "J-Rock Invasion" in Germany alongside Kagrra, Kra, Alice Nine, and Screw—all of whom are also signed to CLJ Records, a German label.Mitsuru left Sug after their concert on 9 May 2009. Their support drummer at the time, Shinpei, became a full-time member of the band after Mitsuru's departure.Following the announcement of their single "Gr8 Story", Sug announced their move onto major label PS Company during the live event called "Sug Fes 2009 Alternative Pop Show: Vol.6" on 30 November 2009. "Gr8 Story" was released through Pony Canyon, and the title track was used as the ending song for the Katekyō Hitman Reborn! anime According to the band, the song is "rather punkish", yet with a catchy tune and an "easy-listening appeal".Their second studio album and their first album through Pony Canyon, Tokyo Muzical Hotel, was released on 9 March 2010. Their third studio album and their second album through Pony Canyon, Thrill Ride Pirates, was released a year later, also on 9 March, and included two singles; "mad$hip" and "Crazy Bunny Coaster".
On 25 April 2012, the band released their third studio album, Lollipop Kingdom, which produced five singles: "Pastel Horror Yum Yum Show", "Gimme×Gimme", "Toy Soldier", "Howling Magic", and "不完全BeautyFool Days".
On 7 October 2012, Sug announced they would officially leave PSC after their performance on 29 December at Yoyogi Kyogijo Daini Taikukan, resulting in a temporary hiatus. Sug announced on 19 September 2013 that the hiatus would end in late December of that year. The band went on to release three singles, "Missing", "B.A.B.Y." and "Cry Out" over the course of 2014.
On 4 March 2015 Sug released Black, their first full-length album since the end of their hiatus. The album included three new singles in addition to the three released in 2014. On 15 July 2015, Sug released another single, "TeenAge Dream". On 11 September Sug announced that they would be going on their first full-length Europe Tour starting from 29 November, and they would tour a total of 5 countries (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia and Finland).On 31 July 2017, SuG announced that it would be going on indefinite hiatus for the second time. The band's final performance occurred on 2 September 2017 at Nippon Budokan. Although officially labelled a hiatus, Takeru doubted that the band would ever resume its activities. On 20 December 2017, the band announced on its official website that it had decided to disband.
| 2
|
[
"Chemistry (band)",
"country",
"Japan"
] |
Chemistry (styled as CHEMISTRY) is a Japanese pop duo, consisting of Yoshikuni Dōchin (堂珍 嘉邦, born November 17, 1978) and Kaname Kawabata (川畑 要, born January 28, 1979).History
They were the winners of the Asayan audition (similar to the American Idol series) in 2000 organized by Sony Music Entertainment Japan.Their first single "Pieces of a Dream" was released on March 3, 2001, and was the best selling single that year (over 2 million). Most of their singles have reached #1 on the Oricon charts; all five albums have reached #1 the day they were released. Their #1 streak was broken by the KinKi Kids' album H Album: Hand, scoring them a #2 rank for Fo(u)r.
Chemistry is also known in Korea for the popular collaboration song "Let's Get Together Now," featuring talents from both Korea and Japan and for collaborating with Korean singer Lena Park who appears in the B-side "Dance with Me" on the "Kimi ga Iru" single.
On March 6, 2008, Kaname Kawabata married model Miki Takahashi. They met after she appeared in the PV for "This Night."Their single "Period" was selected as the fourth opening for the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
In 2010, Chemistry worked together with the 4-person dance group Synergy to release "Shawty". Another joint work of the two groups was released November 3, 2010, titled "Keep Your Love".
In 2011, Chemistry was tapped by Bandai Visual to record a song for the OVA series, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, due to be the title song for the 3rd episode, "The Ghost of Laplace". "Merry-go-round" is due for release on March 2, 2011, as a follow up before the OVA's actual release on March 5, 2011.
Their 15th single "Wings of Words" was used as the fourth opening theme for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny from PHASE-38 to 49. Chemistry performed this song live in collaboration with the two-time Olympic champion in figure skating, Yuzuru Hanyu, at the 2018 Fantasy on Ice in Makuhari and Kanazawa. Kawabata made a solo appearance in the 2016 edition of the ice show as well.After going on hiatus in 2012 so that both members could focus on pursuing solo careers, the pair resumed activities as a musical duo in 2017. Their new single "Windy" was used as the second ending theme song for the anime adaptation of Altair: A Record of Battles.
| 0
|
[
"Chemistry (band)",
"country of origin",
"Japan"
] |
Chemistry (styled as CHEMISTRY) is a Japanese pop duo, consisting of Yoshikuni Dōchin (堂珍 嘉邦, born November 17, 1978) and Kaname Kawabata (川畑 要, born January 28, 1979).History
They were the winners of the Asayan audition (similar to the American Idol series) in 2000 organized by Sony Music Entertainment Japan.Their first single "Pieces of a Dream" was released on March 3, 2001, and was the best selling single that year (over 2 million). Most of their singles have reached #1 on the Oricon charts; all five albums have reached #1 the day they were released. Their #1 streak was broken by the KinKi Kids' album H Album: Hand, scoring them a #2 rank for Fo(u)r.
Chemistry is also known in Korea for the popular collaboration song "Let's Get Together Now," featuring talents from both Korea and Japan and for collaborating with Korean singer Lena Park who appears in the B-side "Dance with Me" on the "Kimi ga Iru" single.
On March 6, 2008, Kaname Kawabata married model Miki Takahashi. They met after she appeared in the PV for "This Night."Their single "Period" was selected as the fourth opening for the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
In 2010, Chemistry worked together with the 4-person dance group Synergy to release "Shawty". Another joint work of the two groups was released November 3, 2010, titled "Keep Your Love".
In 2011, Chemistry was tapped by Bandai Visual to record a song for the OVA series, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, due to be the title song for the 3rd episode, "The Ghost of Laplace". "Merry-go-round" is due for release on March 2, 2011, as a follow up before the OVA's actual release on March 5, 2011.
Their 15th single "Wings of Words" was used as the fourth opening theme for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny from PHASE-38 to 49. Chemistry performed this song live in collaboration with the two-time Olympic champion in figure skating, Yuzuru Hanyu, at the 2018 Fantasy on Ice in Makuhari and Kanazawa. Kawabata made a solo appearance in the 2016 edition of the ice show as well.After going on hiatus in 2012 so that both members could focus on pursuing solo careers, the pair resumed activities as a musical duo in 2017. Their new single "Windy" was used as the second ending theme song for the anime adaptation of Altair: A Record of Battles.
| 1
|
[
"Chemistry (band)",
"genre",
"pop music"
] |
Chemistry (styled as CHEMISTRY) is a Japanese pop duo, consisting of Yoshikuni Dōchin (堂珍 嘉邦, born November 17, 1978) and Kaname Kawabata (川畑 要, born January 28, 1979).History
They were the winners of the Asayan audition (similar to the American Idol series) in 2000 organized by Sony Music Entertainment Japan.Their first single "Pieces of a Dream" was released on March 3, 2001, and was the best selling single that year (over 2 million). Most of their singles have reached #1 on the Oricon charts; all five albums have reached #1 the day they were released. Their #1 streak was broken by the KinKi Kids' album H Album: Hand, scoring them a #2 rank for Fo(u)r.
Chemistry is also known in Korea for the popular collaboration song "Let's Get Together Now," featuring talents from both Korea and Japan and for collaborating with Korean singer Lena Park who appears in the B-side "Dance with Me" on the "Kimi ga Iru" single.
On March 6, 2008, Kaname Kawabata married model Miki Takahashi. They met after she appeared in the PV for "This Night."Their single "Period" was selected as the fourth opening for the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
In 2010, Chemistry worked together with the 4-person dance group Synergy to release "Shawty". Another joint work of the two groups was released November 3, 2010, titled "Keep Your Love".
In 2011, Chemistry was tapped by Bandai Visual to record a song for the OVA series, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, due to be the title song for the 3rd episode, "The Ghost of Laplace". "Merry-go-round" is due for release on March 2, 2011, as a follow up before the OVA's actual release on March 5, 2011.
Their 15th single "Wings of Words" was used as the fourth opening theme for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny from PHASE-38 to 49. Chemistry performed this song live in collaboration with the two-time Olympic champion in figure skating, Yuzuru Hanyu, at the 2018 Fantasy on Ice in Makuhari and Kanazawa. Kawabata made a solo appearance in the 2016 edition of the ice show as well.After going on hiatus in 2012 so that both members could focus on pursuing solo careers, the pair resumed activities as a musical duo in 2017. Their new single "Windy" was used as the second ending theme song for the anime adaptation of Altair: A Record of Battles.
| 4
|
[
"Chemistry (band)",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Chemistry (styled as CHEMISTRY) is a Japanese pop duo, consisting of Yoshikuni Dōchin (堂珍 嘉邦, born November 17, 1978) and Kaname Kawabata (川畑 要, born January 28, 1979).History
They were the winners of the Asayan audition (similar to the American Idol series) in 2000 organized by Sony Music Entertainment Japan.Their first single "Pieces of a Dream" was released on March 3, 2001, and was the best selling single that year (over 2 million). Most of their singles have reached #1 on the Oricon charts; all five albums have reached #1 the day they were released. Their #1 streak was broken by the KinKi Kids' album H Album: Hand, scoring them a #2 rank for Fo(u)r.
Chemistry is also known in Korea for the popular collaboration song "Let's Get Together Now," featuring talents from both Korea and Japan and for collaborating with Korean singer Lena Park who appears in the B-side "Dance with Me" on the "Kimi ga Iru" single.
On March 6, 2008, Kaname Kawabata married model Miki Takahashi. They met after she appeared in the PV for "This Night."Their single "Period" was selected as the fourth opening for the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
In 2010, Chemistry worked together with the 4-person dance group Synergy to release "Shawty". Another joint work of the two groups was released November 3, 2010, titled "Keep Your Love".
In 2011, Chemistry was tapped by Bandai Visual to record a song for the OVA series, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, due to be the title song for the 3rd episode, "The Ghost of Laplace". "Merry-go-round" is due for release on March 2, 2011, as a follow up before the OVA's actual release on March 5, 2011.
Their 15th single "Wings of Words" was used as the fourth opening theme for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny from PHASE-38 to 49. Chemistry performed this song live in collaboration with the two-time Olympic champion in figure skating, Yuzuru Hanyu, at the 2018 Fantasy on Ice in Makuhari and Kanazawa. Kawabata made a solo appearance in the 2016 edition of the ice show as well.After going on hiatus in 2012 so that both members could focus on pursuing solo careers, the pair resumed activities as a musical duo in 2017. Their new single "Windy" was used as the second ending theme song for the anime adaptation of Altair: A Record of Battles.
| 7
|
[
"Skin (Japanese band)",
"country of origin",
"United States of America"
] |
Skin (stylized as S.K.I.N.) is a United States-based Japanese visual kei rock supergroup founded by Japanese musicians Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi in 2007. The group's debut performance was on June 29, 2007 at Long Beach Arena, California. Although they had announced more activities, including a live tour and releasing a record, no new activities have occurred.
| 1
|
[
"Skin (Japanese band)",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Skin (stylized as S.K.I.N.) is a United States-based Japanese visual kei rock supergroup founded by Japanese musicians Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi in 2007. The group's debut performance was on June 29, 2007 at Long Beach Arena, California. Although they had announced more activities, including a live tour and releasing a record, no new activities have occurred.History
Conception and announcement
The origin of the band dates back to when Yoshiki invited Gackt to his Los Angeles mansion in 2002, where they decided to produce some music together.The band was publicly announced in July 2006 at an Otakon conference where Yoshiki as a guest said, he would be starting a band with Gackt. He announced how the band would be composed of five members, and they are going to produce a recording with a live tour in 2007. In December of the same year, it was announced that Sugizo would be the third member and the first guitarist of the group. And then at the first "JRock Revolution Festival" on May 25, 2007, organized by Yoshiki, he officially announced that Miyavi would be the fourth member and second guitarist, and that Skin would be having its debut performance on June 29, 2007 at the anime expo in Long Beach. Yoshiki confirmed that the group was planning to release an album and that rough recordings of seven or eight songs were made in March 2007. With the well known members the band is considered a supergroup, causing their concert to be called the "Japanese rock concert of the century". Both Gackt and Yoshiki said that they want to be the first Asian band to conquer the world charts, beginning with America. Their aim was to open the market for Japanese artists in the Western music industry.
| 2
|
[
"Skin (Japanese band)",
"has part(s)",
"Gackt"
] |
Skin (stylized as S.K.I.N.) is a United States-based Japanese visual kei rock supergroup founded by Japanese musicians Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi in 2007. The group's debut performance was on June 29, 2007 at Long Beach Arena, California. Although they had announced more activities, including a live tour and releasing a record, no new activities have occurred.History
Conception and announcement
The origin of the band dates back to when Yoshiki invited Gackt to his Los Angeles mansion in 2002, where they decided to produce some music together.The band was publicly announced in July 2006 at an Otakon conference where Yoshiki as a guest said, he would be starting a band with Gackt. He announced how the band would be composed of five members, and they are going to produce a recording with a live tour in 2007. In December of the same year, it was announced that Sugizo would be the third member and the first guitarist of the group. And then at the first "JRock Revolution Festival" on May 25, 2007, organized by Yoshiki, he officially announced that Miyavi would be the fourth member and second guitarist, and that Skin would be having its debut performance on June 29, 2007 at the anime expo in Long Beach. Yoshiki confirmed that the group was planning to release an album and that rough recordings of seven or eight songs were made in March 2007. With the well known members the band is considered a supergroup, causing their concert to be called the "Japanese rock concert of the century". Both Gackt and Yoshiki said that they want to be the first Asian band to conquer the world charts, beginning with America. Their aim was to open the market for Japanese artists in the Western music industry.
| 3
|
[
"Skin (Japanese band)",
"genre",
"rock music"
] |
Skin (stylized as S.K.I.N.) is a United States-based Japanese visual kei rock supergroup founded by Japanese musicians Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi in 2007. The group's debut performance was on June 29, 2007 at Long Beach Arena, California. Although they had announced more activities, including a live tour and releasing a record, no new activities have occurred.History
Conception and announcement
The origin of the band dates back to when Yoshiki invited Gackt to his Los Angeles mansion in 2002, where they decided to produce some music together.The band was publicly announced in July 2006 at an Otakon conference where Yoshiki as a guest said, he would be starting a band with Gackt. He announced how the band would be composed of five members, and they are going to produce a recording with a live tour in 2007. In December of the same year, it was announced that Sugizo would be the third member and the first guitarist of the group. And then at the first "JRock Revolution Festival" on May 25, 2007, organized by Yoshiki, he officially announced that Miyavi would be the fourth member and second guitarist, and that Skin would be having its debut performance on June 29, 2007 at the anime expo in Long Beach. Yoshiki confirmed that the group was planning to release an album and that rough recordings of seven or eight songs were made in March 2007. With the well known members the band is considered a supergroup, causing their concert to be called the "Japanese rock concert of the century". Both Gackt and Yoshiki said that they want to be the first Asian band to conquer the world charts, beginning with America. Their aim was to open the market for Japanese artists in the Western music industry.
| 4
|
[
"Skin (Japanese band)",
"has part(s)",
"Sugizo"
] |
Skin (stylized as S.K.I.N.) is a United States-based Japanese visual kei rock supergroup founded by Japanese musicians Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi in 2007. The group's debut performance was on June 29, 2007 at Long Beach Arena, California. Although they had announced more activities, including a live tour and releasing a record, no new activities have occurred.History
Conception and announcement
The origin of the band dates back to when Yoshiki invited Gackt to his Los Angeles mansion in 2002, where they decided to produce some music together.The band was publicly announced in July 2006 at an Otakon conference where Yoshiki as a guest said, he would be starting a band with Gackt. He announced how the band would be composed of five members, and they are going to produce a recording with a live tour in 2007. In December of the same year, it was announced that Sugizo would be the third member and the first guitarist of the group. And then at the first "JRock Revolution Festival" on May 25, 2007, organized by Yoshiki, he officially announced that Miyavi would be the fourth member and second guitarist, and that Skin would be having its debut performance on June 29, 2007 at the anime expo in Long Beach. Yoshiki confirmed that the group was planning to release an album and that rough recordings of seven or eight songs were made in March 2007. With the well known members the band is considered a supergroup, causing their concert to be called the "Japanese rock concert of the century". Both Gackt and Yoshiki said that they want to be the first Asian band to conquer the world charts, beginning with America. Their aim was to open the market for Japanese artists in the Western music industry.
| 5
|
[
"Skin (Japanese band)",
"has part(s)",
"Yoshiki"
] |
Skin (stylized as S.K.I.N.) is a United States-based Japanese visual kei rock supergroup founded by Japanese musicians Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi in 2007. The group's debut performance was on June 29, 2007 at Long Beach Arena, California. Although they had announced more activities, including a live tour and releasing a record, no new activities have occurred.History
Conception and announcement
The origin of the band dates back to when Yoshiki invited Gackt to his Los Angeles mansion in 2002, where they decided to produce some music together.The band was publicly announced in July 2006 at an Otakon conference where Yoshiki as a guest said, he would be starting a band with Gackt. He announced how the band would be composed of five members, and they are going to produce a recording with a live tour in 2007. In December of the same year, it was announced that Sugizo would be the third member and the first guitarist of the group. And then at the first "JRock Revolution Festival" on May 25, 2007, organized by Yoshiki, he officially announced that Miyavi would be the fourth member and second guitarist, and that Skin would be having its debut performance on June 29, 2007 at the anime expo in Long Beach. Yoshiki confirmed that the group was planning to release an album and that rough recordings of seven or eight songs were made in March 2007. With the well known members the band is considered a supergroup, causing their concert to be called the "Japanese rock concert of the century". Both Gackt and Yoshiki said that they want to be the first Asian band to conquer the world charts, beginning with America. Their aim was to open the market for Japanese artists in the Western music industry.
| 7
|
[
"Lareine",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Reunited (2003–2006)
On March 26, 2003 Emiru announced he was rejoining Lareine, as was new drummer Kazumi. On May 17, at a concert, Mayu also rejoined the group. On September 5, 2004 the album Never Cage was released.
On March 1, 2006 Kazumi left the band and quit the music business. They recruited their roadie, Kazami, as support drummer and continued to perform. But Mayu started to blow off gigs and lose touch with the rest of the group, so in October Lareine announced they would disband in February 2007. Their last official performance was on October 31, 2006, with Hizaki filling in on guitar. Vocalist Kamijo, has since formed Versailles, with Hizaki. Emiru is now called Run and is the bassist for Anubis.
| 6
|
[
"Lareine",
"record label",
"Sony Music Entertainment Japan"
] |
Lareine (1996–2000)
In August 1996 Akira joined as second guitarist. In December they released their first EP, Blue Romance. In August 1997 Akira left the group. In January 1999 Lareine signed with Sony Music Entertainment Japan and in February 2000 released their second album, Fierte no Umi to Tomo ni Kiyu ~The Last of Romance~. However soon after Emiru announced that he was leaving the group, and Mayu and Machi decided to leave as well. So in August 2000 Lareine held their last concert for fan club members only.
| 8
|
[
"The Hiatus",
"country of origin",
"Japan"
] |
The Hiatus is a Japanese rock supergroup formed by Takeshi Hosomi, lead vocalist of Ellegarden.Members
Takeshi Hosomi (細美 武士, Hosomi Takeshi) – vocals, guitar (Ellegarden, MONOEYES)
Masasucks – guitar (Fullscratch)
Koji Ueno (ウエノ コウジ, Ueno Koji) – bass (Radio Caroline, ex-Thee Michelle Gun Elephant)
Takashi Kashikura (柏倉 隆史, Kashikura Takashi) – drums (Toe)
Hirohisa Horie (堀江 博久, Horie Hirohisa) – keyboard (Neil & Iraiza) - Left group in late 2012 to pursue his own albumLive support members
| 0
|
[
"The Hiatus",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
The Hiatus is a Japanese rock supergroup formed by Takeshi Hosomi, lead vocalist of Ellegarden.Members
Takeshi Hosomi (細美 武士, Hosomi Takeshi) – vocals, guitar (Ellegarden, MONOEYES)
Masasucks – guitar (Fullscratch)
Koji Ueno (ウエノ コウジ, Ueno Koji) – bass (Radio Caroline, ex-Thee Michelle Gun Elephant)
Takashi Kashikura (柏倉 隆史, Kashikura Takashi) – drums (Toe)
Hirohisa Horie (堀江 博久, Horie Hirohisa) – keyboard (Neil & Iraiza) - Left group in late 2012 to pursue his own albumLive support members
| 3
|
[
"The Hiatus",
"genre",
"alternative rock"
] |
The Hiatus is a Japanese rock supergroup formed by Takeshi Hosomi, lead vocalist of Ellegarden.Members
Takeshi Hosomi (細美 武士, Hosomi Takeshi) – vocals, guitar (Ellegarden, MONOEYES)
Masasucks – guitar (Fullscratch)
Koji Ueno (ウエノ コウジ, Ueno Koji) – bass (Radio Caroline, ex-Thee Michelle Gun Elephant)
Takashi Kashikura (柏倉 隆史, Kashikura Takashi) – drums (Toe)
Hirohisa Horie (堀江 博久, Horie Hirohisa) – keyboard (Neil & Iraiza) - Left group in late 2012 to pursue his own albumLive support members
| 4
|
[
"Going Under Ground",
"country of origin",
"Japan"
] |
Going Under Ground (ゴーイング・アンダー・グラウンド) are a Japanese alternative rock band, formed in Okegawa, Saitama, 1991. Sometimes referred to as just "Going", they got their name from the British hit single, "Going Underground" by The Jam.Members
Matsumoto Sou – lead vocals, guitar
Nakazawa Hiroki – guitar, backing and lead vocals
Ishihara Satoshi – bass, backing vocals
| 0
|
[
"Going Under Ground",
"instance of",
"musical group"
] |
Going Under Ground (ゴーイング・アンダー・グラウンド) are a Japanese alternative rock band, formed in Okegawa, Saitama, 1991. Sometimes referred to as just "Going", they got their name from the British hit single, "Going Underground" by The Jam.Members
Matsumoto Sou – lead vocals, guitar
Nakazawa Hiroki – guitar, backing and lead vocals
Ishihara Satoshi – bass, backing vocals
| 2
|
[
"Going Under Ground",
"genre",
"rock music"
] |
Going Under Ground (ゴーイング・アンダー・グラウンド) are a Japanese alternative rock band, formed in Okegawa, Saitama, 1991. Sometimes referred to as just "Going", they got their name from the British hit single, "Going Underground" by The Jam.
| 3
|
[
"High-King",
"country of origin",
"Japan"
] |
High-King (ハイ・キング, Hai-Kingu) was a Japanese girl group associated with Hello! Project. The group was created to promote Morning Musume's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, titled Cinderella the Musical (シンデレラ the ミュージカル). Their sound is said to have an R&B feel.History
The group's debut single, "C\C (Cinderella\Complex)" (Ｃ＼Ｃ （シンデレラ＼コンプレックス）), was released on June 11, 2008, under the Zetima label in two versions. The regular version contains the CD-single only, while the limited version contains a bonus DVD. The Single V was also released for the song two weeks later, on June 25, 2008.High-King returned in 2009 along with other shuffle units, releasing two new songs to compilations in 2009, "Diamonds", a cover song and a new original song later in 2009 called "DESTINY LOVE".
High-King ceased activities in September 2011 when Ai Takahashi graduated Morning Musume and Hello! Project, effectively graduating from High-King as well.
In 2013, High-King briefly returned to perform "C/C (Cinderella Complex)" as Ai Takahashi with High-King, making High-King officially a three-member unit with Reina, Saki and Maimi.
In 2015, Saki Shimizu and Maimi Yajima briefly performed during Berryz Kobo Matsuri on February 28 and March 1 as High-King, performing the song "Koiku no Meiro".
| 0
|
[
"High-King",
"location of formation",
"Japan"
] |
High-King (ハイ・キング, Hai-Kingu) was a Japanese girl group associated with Hello! Project. The group was created to promote Morning Musume's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, titled Cinderella the Musical (シンデレラ the ミュージカル). Their sound is said to have an R&B feel.History
The group's debut single, "C\C (Cinderella\Complex)" (Ｃ＼Ｃ （シンデレラ＼コンプレックス）), was released on June 11, 2008, under the Zetima label in two versions. The regular version contains the CD-single only, while the limited version contains a bonus DVD. The Single V was also released for the song two weeks later, on June 25, 2008.High-King returned in 2009 along with other shuffle units, releasing two new songs to compilations in 2009, "Diamonds", a cover song and a new original song later in 2009 called "DESTINY LOVE".
High-King ceased activities in September 2011 when Ai Takahashi graduated Morning Musume and Hello! Project, effectively graduating from High-King as well.
In 2013, High-King briefly returned to perform "C/C (Cinderella Complex)" as Ai Takahashi with High-King, making High-King officially a three-member unit with Reina, Saki and Maimi.
In 2015, Saki Shimizu and Maimi Yajima briefly performed during Berryz Kobo Matsuri on February 28 and March 1 as High-King, performing the song "Koiku no Meiro".
| 1
|
[
"High-King",
"genre",
"J-pop"
] |
History
The group's debut single, "C\C (Cinderella\Complex)" (Ｃ＼Ｃ （シンデレラ＼コンプレックス）), was released on June 11, 2008, under the Zetima label in two versions. The regular version contains the CD-single only, while the limited version contains a bonus DVD. The Single V was also released for the song two weeks later, on June 25, 2008.High-King returned in 2009 along with other shuffle units, releasing two new songs to compilations in 2009, "Diamonds", a cover song and a new original song later in 2009 called "DESTINY LOVE".
High-King ceased activities in September 2011 when Ai Takahashi graduated Morning Musume and Hello! Project, effectively graduating from High-King as well.
In 2013, High-King briefly returned to perform "C/C (Cinderella Complex)" as Ai Takahashi with High-King, making High-King officially a three-member unit with Reina, Saki and Maimi.
In 2015, Saki Shimizu and Maimi Yajima briefly performed during Berryz Kobo Matsuri on February 28 and March 1 as High-King, performing the song "Koiku no Meiro".
| 2
|
[
"High-King",
"has part(s)",
"Reina Tanaka"
] |
Members
Reina Tanaka (Leader of High King and member of Morning Musume) (graduated May 2013)
Ai Takahashi (Leader of Morning Musume) (graduated September 2011)
Saki Shimizu (Leader of Berryz Kobo)
Maimi Yajima (Leader of Cute)
Yuuka Maeda (Member of Hello! Pro Egg, and after S/mileage member) (graduated December 2011)
| 7
|
[
"High-King",
"instance of",
"girl group"
] |
High-King (ハイ・キング, Hai-Kingu) was a Japanese girl group associated with Hello! Project. The group was created to promote Morning Musume's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, titled Cinderella the Musical (シンデレラ the ミュージカル). Their sound is said to have an R&B feel.History
The group's debut single, "C\C (Cinderella\Complex)" (Ｃ＼Ｃ （シンデレラ＼コンプレックス）), was released on June 11, 2008, under the Zetima label in two versions. The regular version contains the CD-single only, while the limited version contains a bonus DVD. The Single V was also released for the song two weeks later, on June 25, 2008.High-King returned in 2009 along with other shuffle units, releasing two new songs to compilations in 2009, "Diamonds", a cover song and a new original song later in 2009 called "DESTINY LOVE".
High-King ceased activities in September 2011 when Ai Takahashi graduated Morning Musume and Hello! Project, effectively graduating from High-King as well.
In 2013, High-King briefly returned to perform "C/C (Cinderella Complex)" as Ai Takahashi with High-King, making High-King officially a three-member unit with Reina, Saki and Maimi.
In 2015, Saki Shimizu and Maimi Yajima briefly performed during Berryz Kobo Matsuri on February 28 and March 1 as High-King, performing the song "Koiku no Meiro".
| 8
|
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