Shishamo (band)

Last updated
Shishamo
Shishamo-rainbowstage-summersonic-aug16-2015.jpg
Performing at the Tokyo Summer Sonic Festival in 2015
Background information
Origin Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Genres Rock, pop rock
Years active2010present
LabelsGood Creators Records
MembersAsako Miyazaki
Misaki Yoshikawa
Aya Matsuoka
Past membersAya Matsumoto
Website shishamo.biz

Shishamo (stylised as SHISHAMO) is a Japanese band. Formed in 2010 while at high school in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, the band began releasing music in 2012.

Contents

Biography

Shishamo formed in early 2010, after the original three members attended the light music club during their first year of high school at Kawasaki City High School for Science and Technology  [ ja ]. [1] Asako Miyazaki and Aya Matsumoto had been childhood friends, but Misaki Yoshikawa met the others for the first time at high school. [1] The band named themselves after shishamo, a type of small fish commonly eaten in Japan, however they originally spelled their name in kanji, 柳葉魚. [2] The band's name was chosen by Miyazaki's older sister, who thought that it was a cute-sounding word with a cool-looking kanji. [3]

Initially, the band did not expect to continue past graduation. At Yoshikawa's encouragement, however, the band turned professional. Despite this, Matsumoto was determined to quit once she turned 20. [4] In 2011 they started writing original music. [1] In May, the band competed at the Teens Rock in Hitachinaka  [ ja ] music contest, where they won the grand prize and the best vocalist award. [1] [2] [5] After this, the band decided to spell their band name "SHISHAMO" in Latin script as the kanji proved too difficult to read. [3] [2] The band released their debut CD in October with "Shukudai ga Owaranai", a single exclusively sold at Tower Records. At the same time, the band members became radio personalities for All Night Nippon R  [ ja ]. [1] In January 2013, they released Sotsugyō Seisaku, a compilation of their songs recorded while at high school, and toured Japan in March. [2]

In Spring 2013, after graduating high school, the band members began devoting their time fully to the band, releasing their debut album Shishamo in November. [2] On December 6, 2013, the band held their first solo concert at the Shibuya WWW in Tokyo. [5] After performing their second national tour "Kanojo ga Dekita Bandman ni Koi Suru Kyūjitsu" in May, the band performed at nine summer festivals across Japan, and released the single "Kimi to NatsuFes". [2]

As Mastumoto planned to leave Shishamo, the band was in need of a replacement bassist. Shishamo came into contact with Aya Matsuoka while in Osaka to perform at the Rush Ball  [ ja ] music festival, where she happened to be working as part of her vocational school training. Miyazaki invited Matsuoka to try out for Shishamo once she discovered that Matsuoka had played bass in her high school's light music club. [4]

On September 11, 2014, the band announced that Matsumoto was leaving Shishamo and was being replaced by Matsuoka. The band then released the single "Ryōsangata Kareshi" on October 1. [6] Matsuoka made her first appearance with Shishamo in the accompanying music video before making her live debut at the band's concert in Chiba on October 4. [7] [8] "Ryōsangata Kareshi", described as having a "catchy pop sound" resembling Chatmonchy and Aiko, reached 19 on the Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales chart. [9] [10]

In February 2017, Shishamo released their fourth studio album, Shishamo 4. [11] The album reached a peak position of seven on both the Billboard Japan Hot Albums and Top Album Sales charts. [12] [13] One of its singles, "Ashita Mo", was used in a television commercial by NTT Docomo that same year. [11] The single would later become Shishamo's first song to reach 100 million streams, doing so in 2025. [14]

October 2017 saw the release of the romantic comedy film Mixed Doubles, which featured two songs by Shishamo, titled "Hora, Waratteru" and "Saboten". [15] Miyazaki wrote both songs specifically for the movie, with its story and one of its main characters in mind. [16] At the end of year, Shishamo made their debut on the annual NHK program, Kōhaku Uta Gassen. [17]

In December 2021, Shishamo released their first concept EP, titled Boots wo Narashite. The record, released digitally, contained three songs, each written by a different member of the group, as well as one instrumental track. [18] To commemorate the release, Shishamo held a special broadcast on their YouTube channel later that month. [19]

Shishamo provided the opening theme for the anime adaptation of Flower and Asura, which premiered in January 2025. [20] Regarding the song, titled "Jibun Kakumei", Miyazaki explained that she wrote the track with the story in mind and hoped that it would help listeners to have the courage to change themselves like the main character. [21]

Members

Former members

Discography

Shishamo discography
Studio albums8
Singles14

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak positionsSales (JPN) [22] [A]
JPN
Oricon

[23]
Sotsugyō Seisaku (卒業制作; "Graduation Project")
  • Released: January 23, 2013 (JPN)
  • Label: Good Creators Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
942,000
Shishamo
  • Released: November 13, 2013 (JPN)
  • Label: Good Creators
  • Formats: CD, digital download
345,000
Shishamo 2
  • Released: March 4, 2015 (JPN)
  • Label: Good Creators
  • Formats: CD, digital download
1710,000
Shishamo 3
  • Released: March 2, 2016 (JPN)
  • Label: Good Creators
  • Formats: CD, digital download
710,000
Shishamo 4
  • Released: February 22, 2017 (JPN)
  • Label: Good Creators
  • Formats: CD, digital download
835,000
Shishamo 5
  • Released: June 20, 2018 (JPN)
  • Label: Good Creators
  • Formats: CD, digital download
315,000
Shishamo 6165,300 [24]
Shishamo 7154,000
Shishamo 8
  • Released: April 10, 2024 (JPN)
  • Label: Universal Music Japan
  • Formats: CD, digital download
261,807 [25]

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
TitleYearPeak chart positionsSales (JPN) [22] Album
JPN
Oricon

[23]
JPN
Billboard

[26] [B]
"Shukudai ga Owaranai" (宿題が終わらない; "The Homework Doesn't End")2012LimitedSotsugyō Seisaku
"Kimi to NatsuFes" (君と夏フェス; "Summer Music Festival with You")201421165,000Shishamo 2
"Ryōsangata Kareshi" (量産型彼氏; "Mass Produced Boyfriend")26394,000
"Nettaiya" (熱帯夜; "Tropical Night")38424,000Shishamo 3
"Kimi to Gerende" (君とゲレンデ; "You and the Ski Slope")201530484,000
"Natsu no Koibito" (夏の恋人; "Summer Lover")201623465,000Shishamo 4
"Bye Bye" (バイバイ; BYE BYE)201722715,000Shishamo 5
"Hora, Waratteru" (ほら、笑ってる; "Come on, Smile")27845,000
"Mizuiro no Hibi" (水色の日々; "Light blue days")201826154,500
"Oh!"201931242,100 [32] Non-album single
"Kimi no Tonari ni Itaikara" (君の隣にいたいから; "I want to be next to you")261,887 [33] Shishamo 6
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Promotional singles

TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
Japan
Billboard
[26] [B]
"Boku ni Kanojo ga Dekita n da" (僕に彼女ができたんだ; "I Got a Girlfriend")201347Shishamo
"Boku, Jitsu wa" (僕、実は; "Actually, I")2015Shishamo 2
"Nakaniwa no Shōjo-tachi" (中庭の少女たち; "Girls in the Courtyard")2016 [C] Shishamo 3
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

  1. Sales provided by Oricon database and are rounded to the nearest thousand copies.
  2. 1 2 Sources for chart positions are as follows: "Boku ni Kanojo ga Dekita n da", [27] "Kimi to NatsuFes", [28] "Ryōsan-gata Kareshi", [29] "Nettaiya", [30] "Kimi to Gelände" [31]
  3. Charted at number 49 on the Radio Songs sub-chart. [34]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ryosuke Suzuki (October 14, 2012). 川崎のトンカツ屋から、全国へ?女子高生バンドデビュー (in Japanese). Beeast. Archived from the original on September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Biography" (in Japanese). Shishamo. Archived from the original on September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "SHISHAMOがバンド名の由来を語る! | 東京海上日動 Challenge Stories~人生は、挑戦であふれている~". TOKYO FM (in Japanese). 2019-06-15. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  4. 1 2 Kiyomoto, Chihiro (2015-03-19). "SHISHAMO「SHISHAMO 2」発売記念インタビュー - 音楽ナタリー 特集・インタビュー". Natalie (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  5. 1 2 Tomonori Mori (December 8, 2013). "話題の3ピースロックバンド"SHISHAMO"、本格始動!" (in Japanese). EMTG. Archived from the original on September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  6. "SHISHAMO、松本彩脱退&新体制で新曲発表" (in Japanese). Natalie. September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  7. "SHISHAMO新曲「量産型彼氏」MV公開、新メンバーをお披露目". CDJournal (in Japanese). 2014-09-30. Retrieved 2025-07-22. 10月1日(水)に発売されるSHISHAMOのニュー・シングル「量産型彼氏」より、ミュージック・ビデオがYouTubeで公開。こちらでは新メンバー、松岡 彩(b)が初お披露目。
  8. Nakayama, Yōhei (2024-02-27). "SHISHAMO、10周年を経て実感した「なによりも力になっている」存在とは? | radiko news(ラジコニュース)". news.radiko.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  9. "SHISHAMO / 量産型彼氏". CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  10. "Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales | Charts". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  11. 1 2 "SHISHAMO、ドコモCMソングで話題の"明日も"MV公開。撮影は等々力陸上競技場". rockinon.com (in Japanese). 2017-02-13. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  12. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums | Charts". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  13. "Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales | Charts". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  14. "SHISHAMO「明日も」、自身初の累積再生1億回突破【オリコンランキング】". ORICON NEWS . 2025-08-13. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  15. "SHISHAMO、新垣結衣&瑛太W主演映画"ミックス。"の主題歌と挿入歌を担当することが決定". Skream! 邦楽ロック・洋楽ロック ポータルサイト. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  16. "新垣結衣×瑛太「ミックス。」主題歌&挿入歌はSHISHAMO!映画楽曲を初書き下ろし : 映画ニュース". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  17. Smith, Alyssa I. (2017-11-16). "Twice and Daichi Miura among 10 debuts at this year's 'Kohaku'". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2025-09-02. Other artists making "Kohaku" debuts include singers Midori Oka, Daichi Miura and Tortoise Matsumoto (in his first solo appearance), and rock acts Shishamo, Elephant Kashimashi, Wanima and Takehara Pistol.
  18. "New Digital EP from SHISHAMO". JaME. 2021-11-17. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  19. "SHISHAMO、EP『ブーツを鳴らして - EP』リリース記念し初のYouTube企画特番"SHISHAMO NO YOUTUBE!!!"期間限定配信。前編は今夜21時プレミア公開". Skream!. 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  20. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (2024-11-08). "Shishamo, Satō. Perform Themes for 'Hana wa Saku, Shura no Gotoku' TV Anime". Anime News Network . Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  21. "TVアニメ『花は咲く、修羅の如く』OPをSHISHAMO、EDをさとう。が担当!12月7日には先行上映会開催決定". KING RECORDS TODAY (in Japanese). 2024-11-08. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  22. 1 2 "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon . Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  23. 1 2 "SHISHAMOのリリース一覧" [List of Shishamo's releases]. Oricon . Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  24. 週間 CDアルバムランキング 2020年02月10日付 [Weekly CD Album Ranking on February 10, 2020] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  25. オリコン週間 アルバムランキング 2024年04月08日~2024年04月14日 [Oricon Weekly Album Ranking April 8, 2024 – April 14, 2024] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  26. 1 2 "Hot 100|JAPAN Charts|Billboard JAPAN" (in Japanese). Billboard.
  27. "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). November 13, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  28. "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). July 9, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  29. "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  30. "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  31. "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). December 9, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  32. "週間 CDシングルランキング 2019年05月06日付" [Weekly CD Single Ranking for May 6, 2019]. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  33. "週間 CDシングルランキング 2019年10月28日付" [Weekly CD Single Ranking for October 28, 2019] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  34. "Radio Songs". Billboard (in Japanese). March 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.