X JAPAN (エックス ジャパン, X JAPAN?) (originally X (エックス) is what many people call the "most influential band in the history of Asian Music". Childhood friends Yoshiki Hayashi (drummer and pianist) and Toshi(lead vocalist) formed the band in Chiba, Jp. The band was originally power metal/speed metal oriented, later gravitating towards a hard rock/progressive metal sound, with an emphasis on ballads.As an indie band they only released a few demos and an album.However, their second album "Blue Blood" propulsed them into the mainstream, and it is still considered one of the best albums in the history of J Rock. The majority of their tracks were composed by Yoshiki and some by hide and Taiji.

The band was inspired by the american band KISS. It was initially named "Dynamite" (1978-'80) and "Noise" (1980-'82), and later X and X-Japan(outside Japan, the name being already taken by an american band). The original X song, "I'll Kill You" was played by Yoshiki, Toshi and Terry in the culture festivals held between 1982 and '83in their Chiba secondary school, along with covers after "In The Mirror"(Loudness), Killers (Iron Maiden) and Highway Star(Deep Purple).They also played covers after "Rock and Roll"(Led Zeppelin) and Burn(Deep Purple) during the East West Japan audition in 1982.The song "I'll Kill You", along with "We Are X" and "Stop Bloody Rain" were released on their first official demo tape in 1984, and they were the proof that the band was moving towards power metal. It was followed by the 2-track EP "I'll Kill You" released in June 1985 (with "Break The Darkness" on side B ). The line up for this demo was consisted by Toshimitsu (Vocal), Yoshiki (Drums, Piano), Tomoyuki (Guitar), Yuji (Guitar), Tokuo (Bass).Because of their form of dressing and performing, no record labels would sign the band. The style would be later known as Visual Kei, one of the most popular trends in Japanese music until present. Therefore, Yoshiki created his own label, "Extasy Records", with the money he got after selling his family's business. The next EP, "Orgasm", was released under this label, in April 1986. So they began touring. (The label also released Poison Arts' "Mystery Temptation", a punk band). At the end of june, 1985, they released two more demo tapes, "X Live" (~"Live") and "Endless Dream"(both featuring Kurenai, Stop Bloody Rain, Lady in Tears, Endless Dream)
The next album was "Heavy Metal Force III", often mistaken for the EP original. In early 1986 they also release the "Kurenai" demo, containing an english version of the song "Kurenai". It is still debated whether they released "Feel Me Tonight", their infamous demo tape , in 1985 or 1986( because they played "Feel Me Tonight" at the 1985.20.11 Yoshiki Birthday GIG Live, and "Stab Me In The Back", the other song on the demo, in 1986 with most likely Toshi on drums and Yoshiki on vocals, during a famous live part switch performance). They also covered Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" in the same year.
In June 1986 they released "Jun Tape"/"(Jun) Studio Rehearsal Tape", featuring the songs "Only Way", "Right Now", "Tune Up Baby/Junon Baby" and an untitled track. Toshi, Yoshiki and Jun also appeared on NTV , on 27 July, and in August the "Rockin' f" magazine released a flexi disc with their song "Kurenai". In March 1987, their guitarist Isao had broke his arm in a car crash, Pata playing as a support member. Hide joined them in March and in April Pata became a permanent member, forming the 5-year line-up for which they are most famous. In August that year they released the "Xclamation" tape.They also performed at the CBS Sony audition on 26 December 1987.
They released in 1988 their album "Vanishing Vision" ( Yoshiki(drums,piano), Toshi(vocal), Pata(guitar), hide(guitar), Taiji(bass) ) that sold out and had been repressed several times since.Street Rock Video Magazine VOS featured~ Toshi on the cover of its Nov. '88 tape, which contained live clips of X playing VANISHING VISION & Orgasm along with an interview with Yoshiki, who had already signed the band to Sony by that point. Prior to this Toshi & Yoshiki participated in the L.O.X Shake Hand "compilation album." Instead of gathering unique bands to contribute their songs, various members of bands were amalgamted to make a sort of "dream band."
In 1988 the band took the role of the band mates of Diamond Yukai in the movie Tokyo Pop. In 1989 they released the ThanX video, and a promo tape with clips of the making of XCLAMATION video. They released their most successful album, "Blue Blood" on April 21, 1989.The tour for the album was a great success, and after they finished it, they started writing more songs and recording some promotional videos, like Celebration and Rose Of Pain. They soon started another tour, as a result of their success, called Rose & Blood Tour
They started recording the new album Jealousy in Los Angeles, and it debuted nomber 1 on the Oricon charts in Japan. Their popularity increased, so they started making more coplete tours that the ones for Vanishing Vision and Blue Blood. Every member of the band made a contribution to the compositions, and during the recordings of the album, Yoshiki and Taiji started having musical differences. They started the tour Violence and Jealousy after the release, and they made their first concert in the Tokyo Dome.
They became a widely known band by 1992, and started focusing on America. Since there was already a punk band named "X", they decided to change the name to "X Japan". The feud between Yoshiki and Taiji led to Taiji's departure (he went with Loudness) ,being replaced by Heath. After the first lives of Heath, Yoshiki started writing their most notable song, Art of Life is a carefully crafted progressive rock/metal piece nearly twenty nine minutes in length. The song was released in a mini-album with the same name as the song, the first weeks of its release was a great success in Japan, becoming a best-seller of the band. ART OF LIFE was performed live only twice, in the Tokyo Dome on December 30th and 31st, 1993 (This live version lasting over thirty four minutes). This was the first live that Toshi sang with the hair lowered and with a light make up. Yoshiki loved classical music, and this influence is apparent in tracks like "ROSE OF PAIN", "ART OF LIFE" and the symphonic composition "Amethyst". He led a project called Eternal Melody which consisted of X's songs rearranged by George Martin and other arrangers for classical performance. The double album, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, was released in 1993. Yoshiki also selected some classical pieces for two compilations called Yoshiki Selection and Yoshiki Selection II. He remade the song "Black Diamond" by KISS into a classical piece listed in 1994's Kiss My Ass album, a tribute to the aforementioned band. After releasing their third album they released one of their most famous songs, Tears, and it was played in some TV programs and in the same live as Art of Life. The last release of X Japan that year was a compilation of most of the singles that the band released during the time when they were only called X, " X Singles".
The 10th of July, 1994 they released another single, Rusty Nail, one of the last rock songs of X Japan. In their next album most of the songs were ballads. And because this was the only new X Japan's songs during 1994 they performed it in most of the TV programs they went at that year and because the song debuted at the first position on the Oricon charts. In the last day of 1994 they did a concert in the Tokyo Dome were they played another new song, Longing, and they gave to some people a demo of the song. All these songs were released in their final album, DAHLIA.
After the tour, when they reached the peak of their success, Toshi announced he was leaving the band. Since Toshi had been the lead singer since the band's founding and an icon of the group, it seemed impossible to replace him, so X Japan, on 22 September, 1997 in a press conference, without Toshi, announced their dissolution. Toshi joined a cult, related to nature and music therapy, led by a man named Masaya. Many say that this cult influenced Toshi's departure from the band. He later continued his solo career, saying that his friend Masaya was an inspiration for his new compositions. There are many rumours surrounding the cult and Toshi's involvement in it. Some even say Toshi was brainwashed. It is said that Toshi sued his brother for libel because he tried to convince Toshi not to spend money on Masaya's cult. This was later disregarded as it was proven that Toshi met the man named Masaya after leaving the band and Masaya was proven to be only a musician. Another theory is that Toshi left the band due to his recent happiness found in marriage and X songs are generally related to grief, the true cause remains a mystery. The 31st of December, 1997, the band did their last concert at the Tokyo Dome.
After the dissolution of the band, hide continued his very successful solo career with his band "hide with Spread Beaver", Pata performing with him on occasion. Pata and Heath joined DopeHEADz, until their breakup in 2003. Now Heath is a solo artist as well as being in a band called Lynx, and Pata in currently in Ra:IN.
Toshi goes to small places like convalescent homes and senior communities, giving them the music he and Masaya did together to help heal the sick. He was in the news around 2004, when he was accused of being involved in child abuse and brainwashing them to do certain errands. Toshi, claims that those are lies, and that he or anyone with Masaya would ever harm people or something of the sort.
Yoshiki and Hide were believed to have been secretly planning to resurrect X in 2000, without Toshi, and were looking for a replacement singer. Tragedy rendered these plans impossible when hide died in the hospital on May 2, 1998 after a night of hard drinking. He was found hung to a doorknob by a towel. This news stunned Japan's youth; four fans around the country attempted suicide, two of whom died. Much speculation about hide's death has taken place, but no definitive explanation has been found. An apparent suicide, it is thought by some to be an accidental death, but there is not a clear motive for either suicide or murder. Some speculate that the lyrics to the song "Pink Spider" by Hide, which was set to be released the day after his death, is a suicide note of sorts. Following Hide's demise, Yoshiki entered a state of depression for almost three years, being unable to compose or play.
In late 2000, Yoshiki recovered, and announced the creation of his new project Violet UK, a project involving music, visuals and art. He also collaborated with Roger Taylor in several songs. In 2002 he produced and starred in three commercials for the chain of 24-hour stores 7-Eleven, using some Violet UK music and concepts for those. Unfortunately, as of present, not much else from Violet UK has been shown or released. In the same year, Yoshiki announced he was joining the J-Pop band Globe, to help his long time friend Tetsuya Komuro (in 1991 Yoshiki, on drums, and Komuro, on keyboards and singing, did a musical collaboration under the name of V2, releasing some singles and performing live). At Otakon on August 5th, 2006 Yoshiki announced he will be forming a band with the japanese musician Gackt.
As a side note, former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had said that he is a big fan of X JAPAN, which had helped create his image as a different type of politician more in touch with average Japanese citizens.
X JAPAN has always been characterized by having spectacular live shows. In 1982 when the band was formed, they began to play in cultural events and parties, with this X Japan began to obtain a fanbase.
Tokyo Dome held most of the major X Japan lives
The day after the launch of their first disc, VANISHING VISION, they sold all the entrances for a concert at the Tokyo Nakano Kohkaido. The band also began their first tour for the disc, called the Vanishing Tour. In 1989 they toured some cities, it was known as the Blue Blood Tour and was to promote their just released album BLUE BLOOD. The tour was a great success.
X JAPAN released their third album on July, 1st 1991. In January 1992, a concert in the Tokyo Dome attracted lot of people over three nights, this was Taiji's last live performance. Because of him leaving the band, X JAPAN stopped touring, while they were searching for a new bassist. In the final days of 1993 they did the first major live with Heath on bass, the concert was called X Japan Returns, because they didn't play since 1992. The concert was a success with the Tokyo Dome full for two days.
In the early months of 1995 the band started playing some new songs at Japanese TV programs such as Music Station (and the yearly special, Super Live) and HEY!HEY!HEY! MUSIC CHAMP, and later in November, they decided to start the DAHLIA TOUR (based on their last studio album with the same name). The tour finished on the last two days of the year at the Tokyo Dome. In 1996, with the release of DAHLIA, they did another tour called Dahlia Tour Final finishing too at the Tokyo Dome. Finally the band, because of its dissolution did their last live performance at the Tokyo Dome on December 31, 1997, which was known as The Last Live.

Final line-up

* Toshi (Toshimitsu Deyama (Toshimitsu Deyama) - Vocals

He is the youngest of 3 brothers and he said that as a child he was fat. His mother is a piano teacher and is, like Yoshiki's mother, a small person. He and Yoshiki have been friends since their kindergarten times. Toshi was a baseball fan, especially a Giants fan. He always liked to sing, but never took part in competitions, he only sang at home or at school excursions. To accompany himself he learned to play the guitar and the piano. He also played in the school orchestra.
In 1982 Yoshiki and Toshi founded a Copyband and then he realized that singing was what he could do best. Yoshiki told all band members to sing to find out who is the best and no one could beat Toshi, who wanted to be the guitar player. Toshi's voice goes over about 3 octaves and so he can even sing songs that are originally written for a woman's voice.
At one concert he tells a story of a fan who drew a picture of him. The fan died when he/she was 19 year old because of AIDS. Toshi met the parents and friends and was very moved. After telling this he sung the song Tears. He had the picture called Passion printed on a T-Shirt and wears it often at concerts. It's also said that his solo song Passion of love is inspired by this picture. Like all other members of X he is very dedicated to the AIDS help.
He married the actress Kaori on February, 17th in 1997. He seems to be very happy, his solo album Aoi hoshi no tabibito (produced with Norihiro Tsuru) sounds beautiful and full of harmony and love. He met Kaori in 1994 when he took part in the rock opera Hamlet. Toshi was Hamlet and she was Ophelia. Later Toshi found his appearance a little bit ridiculous and embarrassing.
Toshi likes to play volleyball. He is the quietest member of the band, but he has a very powerful voice. He is friendly, honest and nature and environmental issues are important to him. He sometimes even has his lyrics translated into sign language so that deaf people can understand them. Yoshiki says about Toshi that he always was an average person, a 'normal' person. So it sometimes was a weird contrast to have him dressed like a wild rocker, but talking like the nice boy from next door.
In 1997 he left X Japan. His reason was that he has couldn't cope with Yoshiki's music anymore. He told in an interview that he has to be in a painful mood to sing X Japan songs, and that this is more and more difficult for him.
There's a rumor that he left the band because he joined a cult who is lead by a man called Masaya. It's true that he joined this cult but nobody knows if this has something to do with his decision to leave X. The cult works with music therapy. They make courses for finding yourself and they are very expensive. There are also rumours that Toshi was brainwashed. Toshi told in an interview that he only now has realized that he feels inadequate since childhood and that was the reason that he always was friendly and nice to everybody. He believed that he was worth nothing if he wasn't famous and loved. Nobody knows whether this comes from Masaya or whether it is true. He broke ties with his friends and family and sued his brother (he was responsible for Toshis money) because he wanted to stop Toshi from giving his money to Masaya. It was a very obscure thing and Toshi's image got damaged through all this. He isn't featured in the media anymore and people say that he lost his own way of singing and only sings in Masaya's style.
In 2004, news reports said that Toshi announced his retirement in music after being accused of child abuse and brainwashing. In his site, he denied those claims as well as saying that Masaya does not harm anyone especially children, helping them instead. He is still making music as of today.



* Pata (Tomoaki Ishizuka (Tomoaki Ishizuka) - Guitar (1987~)

Tomoaki Ishizuka (born Ishizuka Tomoaki, November 4th, 1965 in Chiba, Japan), better known as Pata, was a guitarist in the Japanese rock band X Japan. He joined the band in 1987 and remained in it until its demise in 1997.
Pata was originally a studio guitarist whom X Japan used. They eventually requested that he join the band when they understood his obvious level of skill. This addition to the band dramatically helped since Pata and hide could both play synchronized; when one made a mistake so did the other.
Pata is well-known for his long, curly hair and his guitar skill. Pata usually seems sleepy, in stark contrast with hide's flamboyant performances. He is also fond of Jack Daniel's and can be seen sporting a Jack Daniel's shirt during several concerts and promotional videos. Pata seems to like cats as well; there are quite a few photoshoots that feature him posing with a domestic housecat.
After the breakup of X Japan, he has released two solo albums, "Pata's 1st Solo Album" and "Raised on Rock", both starring American musicians, and formed the group DopeHEADz with former bandmate, Heath.
As of 2003, Pata is working with Ra:IN (Rock and Inspiration), another Japanese band. They have released two albums, The Line (2003) and Before the Siren (2006)

* hide (Hideto Matsumoto (Hideto Matsumoto) - Guitar (1987 - 1998. IN THE BAND)

In his late teens, hide led the controversial indie act Saver Tiger (not to be confused with Saber Tiger; in the Japanese phonetic language, the v and b are interchangeable. Saber Tiger is a different band that is still active in the Japanese HM scene). In addition to handling the guitar-playing, hide also served as songwriter. Selections of Saver Tiger’s recordings (credited as Yokosuka Saver Tiger, to avoid confusion with Saber Tiger) have recently seen official release. Hide has become known and loved all over the world.
Although popular in their native town of Yokosuka, Saver Tiger underwent several band member changes. Frustrated and convinced he would not succeed in the music business, hide began looking into a career as a hair stylist. He then received a call from Yoshiki, inviting him to join X. hide joined, spawning a decade as a songwriter and guitarist for the (soon to be) notable X (later renamed X Japan to eliminate confusion with the Los Angeles punk band of the same name), with bandmates Yoshiki, Toshi, Pata, and Heath (Taiji played bass until 1992). X Japan released multiple albums, including Blue Blood, Jealousy, and Dahlia, and numerous popular singles such as “Kurenai,” “Tears,” “Forever Love” and “Art of Life.”
Shortly after the release of “Art of Life,” the members of X Japan went on hiatus as a group and began solo projects. hide recorded his first album Hide Your Face in 1994. On the album he recorded all the guitars (including bass guitars) and vocals. He hired a band to play with him on his “Hide Our Psychommunity Tour.” Two years later, hide recorded his second album Psyence, which is widely considered his best album for its remarkable versatility. Thus began the “Psyence A Go Go Tour” involving the same back-up band.
A collaboration with American band members developed into Zilch, for which hide wrote songs, played guitar, and provided vocals. Zilch released one album—3.2.1.—and an album of remixes—BastardEYES—containing mixes by artists including Praga Khan, Charlie Clouser, Pitchshifter, and Chris Vrenna. Although the plans never truly materialized, hide had hoped to bring Zilch to the North American mainstream. Nevertheless, one of their songs did see official release in the occident, as part of the soundtrack for Heavy Metal 2000.
Around the same time, hide decided that the back up band he’d had with him since Hide Your Face should simply become his band. He called them Spread Beaver, making their full name “hide with Spread Beaver,” for which hide composed, sang, and played “surf guitar.” They began recording Ja, Zoo, their first album. Midway through recording however, hide was found dead. The remainder of the album was recorded with pre-existing recordings and the help of hide’s brother, Hiroshi Matsumoto. After this began a heartfelt tour with the band playing live while videos of hide’s previous performances were projected onto a big screen. The tour sold out every night.
A wide array of hide tribute records have been released in the years after his passing. Shortly after his death, a hide tribute album called Spirits was released, which included Luna Sea’s version of “Scanner,” BUCK-TICK’s version of “Doubt,” and Oblivion Dust’s cover of “Genkai Haretsu.” In March of 2000, an 18-track best-of was released, called ~Psychommunity~. A plethora of other singles, compilations, and mix albums have continued to maintain hide’s presence in record stores across Japan and elsewhere in the world. 2004 saw the release of a “new” hide solo album, King of Psyborg Rock Star, a blend of remixes, live recordings, and hide-only versions of X Japan songs.
He was known by the nickname “Gibson” in primary school, because he was seldom not seen carrying around his first guitar (a Gibson), and would use it to play Kiss songs (later cited by hide as a major influence on his music).
hide was a certified beautician. He attended cosmetology and fashion school, Hollywood Beauty Salon in present-day Roppongi Hills, and was aspiring to become a hairstylist when Yoshiki asked him to join X Japan. hide became recognized in X Japan for his alternative fashion, reflecting on his knowledge and eye for visual aesthetics.
In 1988, hide (along with the rest of X Japan) appeared in the American film Tokyo Pop, starring Carrie Hamilton (Carol Burnett’s daughter). The group members resembled the band mates of Hiro, represented by the rock musician Diamond Yukai.
In 1993 hide starred in the 43 minute art film Seth et Holth(Produced by Fool's Mate magazine) with fellow j-rocker Tusk. The film was a blend between the biblical story of Adam and Eve, Egyptian Mythology, goth Visual Kei, and social commentary on the hectic nature of modern life.
hide’s Hide Your Face album features a distinctive mask designed by H. R. Giger across the cover (the mask is also on display at the hide museum).
hide was also involved in various medical aid foundations, and was a marrow and blood donor. When a terminally ill girl wrote the Make a Wish Foundation that her last wish was to meet hide, he visited the young girl in the hospital. Not long after the visit, the girl began showing signs of improvement, and began recovering from her illness.
In the summer of 2000, the hide museum opened in Yokosuka. The museum displays a variety of hide’s personal items, as well as famous pieces such as his guitars, and clothing worn in concerts and music videos. The entire building is designed in the shape of one of hide’s guitars, and closed on September 25th, 2005.
The title of one of hide’s songs, about an abusive, unhealthy relationship, “Genkai Haretsu,” is actually a phrase that he himself coined. It literally means “limiting explosion.”
His song “Pink Spider” won the Japanese International Viewer’s Choice Award at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1998.
Death
hide died on May 2, 1998. A roommate put hide down in bed after a night of drinking, but when she went to check on him an hour later, he was not in his room. hide was found hanged with a ripped towel in his apartment bathroom, the towel tied to the doorknob. He was barely alive when the ambulance arrived, and later died in the hospital. hide was 33 years old.
There is much debate as to the true nature of hide’s death. Some say it was an accidental death, explaining that he was drunk; hide left no suicide note. Others cite the suicide of INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence, who was reputed to have died from hanging in an attempt to gratify himself through autoerotic asphyxiation. hide was known for performing stunts in attempts to scare others, and some suspect his death to be a stunt gone wrong. Taiji, who played in X Japan with hide for several years, offered a possible explanation for hide’s death in his book X no Sei to Shi: Uchuu wo Kaeru Tomo e. He explained that after performing shows, the band members would often tie towels around their shoulders and necks to relieve muscle stress. Taiji implies that hide had most likely tied a towel on in such a manner (and one can subsequently assume that he had fallen against the door and was ultimately unable to free himself). Although many fans support Taiji’s suggestion, others have preferred to see hide’s death as a purposeful incident, not wanting to see hide’s death as an accident. These fans have speculated that his song “Pink Spider” was a musical suicide note (the song was hide’s final single and music video released before his passing. It features a woman jumping off a building to her death).
hide’s funeral was held at the Buddhist temple, Tsukiji Hongan-ji, in Tsukiji, Tokyo on May 7th, 1998. Over 70,000 people attended. Streets were closed off, and police had to deploy boats, helicopters, 100 officers, and 170 security guards to the temple to control the emotional crowd. By the end of day, 26 people had been hospitalized for various injuries. There is still a small memorial and guest book at the temple—you can find it on the far left on entering the main hall.
hide’s death and funeral was announced by CNN and other TV channels around the world, despite only being a household name within Japan.
The remaining members of X Japan performed “Forever Love” at the funeral, and the band leader Yoshiki gave a speech. He was crying and shaking so hard that he was struggling to hold onto the paper he had written the speech on. Below is an excerpt:
“I'm very shocked to hear about his death. I still can't believe what has happened. Right now, he's sleeping with a beautiful face. I tried to wake him up many times, but he's still sleeping.
Between the five of us, hide was the one who kept his calm and thought out things. Even though I was the leader, he was the calm one who gave me good advice when I was being short tempered and emotional. Of course with all that pressure, he too almost lost his identity. But during those hard times, he'd always give me a call. We would talk about X, music, friends, life, fans, almost anything. He was like a big brother to me and sometimes like a young brother too. We'd drink together and sometimes fight. But the next day, he'd come to me and say, "Yoshiki, have I done something last night? I'm sorry, I don't remember a thing." But this time, he didn't say anything back to me... sleeping.
To all fans and friends, you must all be confused. I also cannot express this sadness in words, but we must understand and accept this painful reality. Everyone please watch over his eternal sleep warmly”
hide was known to be upbeat, a joker and party-loving, adding to the confusions as to why such a person would choose to escape his problems through suicide. He had gone on record however, that he frequently scared himself when drunk, and frequently regreted what he would do while drunk.