Tokyo Jihen (東京事変, Tōkyō Jihen), also known as Tokyo Incidents, is a Japanese rock band formed by Ringo Sheena, after leaving her solo career. The band's debut single "Gunjō Biyori" was released in September 2004, and they ended activities in February 2012. The band sold 2.3 million albums, singles, and DVDs. The band reunited and released a new single on January 1, 2020.[1][2]
Tokyo Jihen started as Ringo Sheena's backing band at first for her last concert tour before ending the first half of her solo career. Sheena was contemplating working with a band while working on her last solo album, Kalk SamenKuri no Hana. She began looking for members of her backing band to support her solo tour "Sugoroku Ecstasy" in the Autumn of 2003. The tour band was introduced as Tokyo Jihen during the tour for the first time, featuring guitarist Mikio Hirama, pianist H Zett M, drummer Toshiki Hata, and familiar bassist Seiji Kameda. The musicians she selected became the core of what would become Tokyo Jihen.
After the tour, she announced that she would stop her solo career to join "Tokyo Jihen" as a full-fledged member.
"Phase 1" era and its end (2004–2005)
On May 31, 2004, the members of the Tokyo Jihen declared that they worked as a permanent band. On July 24, they appeared in the presence of fans at the live 0724 Yamabikari for the first time. They played some live sets during that year's Fuji Rock Festival, and made their major debut with the single "Gunjō Biyori" on September 8. Tokyo Jihen released one album and two singles, and held their first concert tour -Tokyo Jihen live tour 2005 "dynamite!"-.
On July 1, 2005, it was announced during the tour that keyboardist H ZETT M and guitarist Mikio Hirama would leave Tokyo Jihen. H ZETT M returned to his duties as pianist for PE'Z, and Hirama went back to being a solo singer. It was decided that they would withdraw from the band before the "dynamite!" tour started.
After the departure of the band's former guitarist and keyboardist, Sheena began a search for new members. She was going to have at least a keyboard player join because two people left the band at the same time. H ZETT M recommended his friend and former bandmate, Keitaro Izawa, as a substitute for him to Sheena, but she began visiting music clubs to look for other keyboardists.[3] In the end she found no one who was better than Izawa, and Sheena decided to invite him to join. He assumed the stage name of Ichiyo Izawa during his time with the band.
The search for a new guitarist proved more difficult. Sheena approached several guitarists as potential members,[4] but was turned down by all of them, possibly because they disliked the idea of being considered her "backing band".[citation needed] At worst, she planned to choose a different guitarist each time without having a regular guitarist. However, when the other members listened to the first Tokyo Jihen album Kyōikudemos, the situation changed. All of them were pleased with the demo session guitarist and asked Sheena his name. This guitarist was Ryosuke Nagaoka, who assumed the stage name of Ukigumo after joining Tokyo Jihen. Sheena and Ukigumo had been friends since her days as a soloist. He turned down the offer to join Tokyo Jihen at first, but finally accepted just before recording began for Adult.
With so many members replaced, Sheena considered changing the name of the band, but decided against it in the end.
In September 2005, keyboardist Ichiyō Izawa and guitarist Ukigumo formally joined Tokyo Jihen. The lineup including the former members subsequently came to be called Dai-Ikki (第一期, Phase 1), with the current one referred to as Dai-Niki (第二期, Phase 2).
Beginning of "Phase 2" (2006–2007)
The band's second album "Adult", released on January 25, 2006, went to number one on the Oricon charts, a first for the band. They held two concerts, entitled "DOMESTIC! Virgin LINE", at Nippon Budokan Hall and Osaka-jo Hall in February as the new members debut. A nationwide tour, "DOMESTIC!" Just can't help it followed later the same year.
In the latter half of 2006, Sheena produced the film score of the movie Sakuran, on which three of the other four band members (excluding Hata, who had broken his leg) collaborated.
Following the 2007 release of two singles, "O.S.C.A." and "Killer-tune", and an album, Variety, the first release not containing any compositions by Sheena, they embarked on the concert tour "Tokyo Jihen live tour 2007 Spa & Treatment" to promote the album.
Members' activities outside Tokyo Jihen (2008–2009)
As 2008 marked the 10th anniversary of Sheena's professional debut, she resumed solo activities as "Ringo Sheena" for the first time since the formation of Tokyo Jihen. She participated in the summer Rising Sun Rock Festival both as a soloist and as a member of Tokyo Jihen. The activity of Tokyo Jihen was thus restricted during this period.
In 2009, Sheena continued her solo activity from the previous year with the release of a new solo album, her first since 2003's Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana, in June. During the same period, Ukigumo and Izawa resumed activities with their respective bands. Kameda returned to his work as a producer, overseeing several top ten releases, and Hata participated in the recording and subsequent tour for Fujifabric's new album. Sheena, Ukigumo, and Izawa were all involved in the production of Rie Tomosaka's album Toridori the same year. Ukigumo and Izawa joined Tomosaka's promotional tour as part of her backing band.
On May 25, 2009, it was announced that Izawa had joined "The Hiatus", a new band formed by former Ellegarden member Takeshi Hosomi. They defined The Hiatus as "a project of music, arts, and depicters" on the band's official site. Izawa was listed as a tour member on the site, and took part in their "Trash We'd Love Tour 2009". Izawa also held some concerts with Hosomi as "Hosomi Ichiyō" (細美一葉) from October to December.
On December 2, 2009, Tokyo Jihen released the single "Nōdōteki Sanpunkan", their first in two years, and resumed their activity as a band full-time. They appeared as part of the lineup of the December 30, 2009 Countdown Japan 09/10.
Final years and dissolution (2010–2012)
The fourth album Sports, released on February 24, 2010 won the 1st place in Oricon chart after an interval of four years. The nationwide tour "Tokyo Incident live tour 2010 UltraC" started in March.
The fifth album Dai Hakken was released on June 29, 2011, and the nationwide tour "Tokyo Incident live tour 2011 Discovery" started in September 30.
On January 11, 2012, Ringo Sheena announced their break up on their official site. Their last original release, a mini-album entitled Color Bars, was released on January 18, 2012. A live best of album, Tokyo Collection, and a concert DVD and Blu-ray release of their "Discovery Tour" went on sale on February 15. Tokyo Jihen's embarked on a final tour, entitled "Domestique Bon Voyage", which included Yokohama Arena (February 14–15), Osaka-jo Hall (February 21–22), and Tokyo's Nippon Budokan (February 28–29).
The band officially dissolved on February 29, 2012, after their sold-out final Budokan concert.[5] On June 15, an announcement on Sheena's official site, Kronekodow, revealed that Tokyo Jihen would release one final album, Shin'ya Waku(The Edge of Late Night), and DVD/Blu-ray video, Chin Play Kou Play (Strange Plays and Great Plays) in August of that year. The album, a collection of B-sides, included the previously unreleased-on-CD "Handsome Sugite" and one new song, "Tadanaranu Kankei". The video contained highlights from the band's best live performances along with festival appearances and rare material.
After dissolution
On December 31, 2016, when Sheena Ringo participated in the 67th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, Tokyo Jihen played as her backing band. However, the band's name was not written in the credits. Ukigumo and H Zett M have been regular collaborators with Sheena, playing on recorded work and in backing bands on her live tours.
Reunion
On January 1, 2020, Tokyo Jihen released a surprise digital single, "Erabarezaru Kokumin", and announced a tour of Japan titled "Live Tour 2020 News Flash", beginning February 29.[1][2] In February, the band announced their 5-song EP News would be released on April 8, 2020.[6] Their sixth studio album Ongaku (音楽, Music) was released on June 9, 2021.
Sheena is an acclaimed singer-songwriter who has enjoyed enormous popularity since her debut at the age of 18.
She is the founder and the leader of the group, and initially wrote almost all their songs, but later shared songwriting duties with the other band members.
Kameda is a music producer and music arranger for many Japanese musicians.
Kameda is also a famous session bassist. He participates in many musicians' recording, or plays a bass as a member of various solo singers' backing band. He is a bassist of Bank Band since 2005.
Kameda knew Ringo Sheena before her debut, and he has supported her since then. Ringo Sheena calls him "Shisho", meaning master or teacher. He rose to fame along with her and became a famous producer, but he concentrates on playing a bass guitar in Tokyo Jihen.
Hata frequently plays as a support member of his former band Scoop, as well as forming the band Kotoho (コトホ) with Hideaki Yamazaki, another ex-Scoop member and current bassist for School Food Punishment.
Instruments: Electric guitar, Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Rapping
Real name: Ryosuke Nagaoka (長岡 亮介, Nagaoka Ryosuke)
Ukigumo is an old friend of Sheena's. He has also played music with Junpei Shiina before, as well as Hata and Tabu Zombie of Soil & "Pimp" Sessions; he also played on Sheena's fourth solo album, Sanmon Gossip. He gave Sheena advice when the former members of Tokyo Jihen left the band.
Hirama had released two mini-albums on indie labels as a solo musician, and was also in the band "peppermints kiss cafe" as a guitarist at the time he joined Tokyo Jihen.
Sheena had met him before at an audition, and subsequently searched for him in hopes of adding him to the band.
After the release of Tokyo Jihen's first album, he decided to return to his career as a solo musician.
Inoue has produced all of Sheena Ringo's works since her second album. Sheena calls him "the sixth member".
Naming of members
The real names of Hirama and Hata are "平間 幹央" and "畑 利樹" respectively, but, Ringo Sheena gave them stage names, using Kanji which is not usually used for their names, but as they are the phonetic equivalent, the pronunciation is not changed. Since Ryosuke Nagaoka always drifted unsteadily and nobody knew where he would go, Sheena named Nagaoka "Ukigumo" which means the drifting cloud. Sheena planned to give Keitaro Izawa a stage name, but he refused and chose one for himself, Ichiyō Izawa.
Songwriting
The band members have different writing styles. Sheena Ringo and Ichiyo Izawa write their songs using musical notation. Seiji Kameda uses different methods, recording himself humming, using musical instruments, or using a computer. Ukigumo, on the other hand, cannot write musical notation, Izawa or (less frequently) Sheena transcribe his tunes in the studio. Since Ukigumo writes music without considering a song, it is hard for Sheena to put the words to his music, so he often writes the lyrics to his own songs. Finally, Toshiki Hata stubbornly refused to write music, even declining to write lyrics when Sheena asked him to. He finally did contribute one song to the band's last EP before their split, Color Bars, and the first EP since their reunion, News.
↑ She found Kiyoshi Hasegawa at a certain club at the time. His songs were in her mother's record collection, and she also liked them. The two of them would play together taking advantage of this opportunity.
↑ Sheena said during the "Just can't help it" tour that she invited Tomotaka Imamichi of Barbee Boys, but he declined the offer.
↑ After a reported 660,000 applicants for tickets to the tour, approximately 60 times the seating capacity of the Nippon Budokan, it was decided that the final concert would be simulcast live in 156 movie theaters across Japan, as well as in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.
Yumiko Shiina, known by her stage name Ringo Sheena, is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen.
Variety, a.k.a. Goraku is the third studio album by Japanese band Tokyo Jihen, released on September 26, 2007 in Japan through EMI Music Japan and Virgin Music. The album was produced by the band and Japanese recording engineer Uni Inoue. The album contains thirteen tracks and has spawned two singles. The lead single, "O.S.C.A.", was released on July 11, 2007. "Killer-tune" followed as the second single on August 22, 2007.
Adult is the second studio album by Japanese alternative rock band Tokyo Jihen, released on January 25, 2006 in Japan through Toshiba EMI/ Virgin Music. The album was produced by the band and Japanese recording engineer Uni Inoue. The album reached number one on the Oricon Weekly Album Chart on February 6, 2006.
Kyōiku is the debut studio album by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, led by musician Ringo Sheena. It was released on November 25, 2004, more than a year after Sheena's third solo studio album Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana (2003). Kyōiku is the only album to feature the band's original line-up, featuring guitarist Mikio Hirama and pianist Masayuki Hiizumi, known as H Zetto M.
Heisei Fūzoku, also known as Japanese Manners, is a studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ringo Sheena and conductor and violinist Neko Saitō, released on February 21, 2007. The vinyl record version and the DVD "Daiginjou" were released on April 25, 2007. This album serves as the sound track for the movie Sakuran (さくらん).
"Electric Mole" is a concert video recorded on Ringo Shiina's nationwide "Sugoroku Ecstasy" tour in the summer of 2003. The DVD was released on December 17, 2003, by distributor Toshiba EMI/Virgin Music.
"Nōdōteki Sanpunkan", also known by its English name "3min.", is a single by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, led by musician Ringo Sheena. The song was the band's first release in two years, and was used in a commercial campaign for Ezaki Glico's Watering KissMint brand of gum, featuring Sheena as its spokesperson, and was known for its use of the moonwalk dance in the commercial and music video. The song was released on December 2, 2009, three months before the band's fourth album Sports.
Sports is the fourth studio album by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, released on February 24, 2010 in Japan through EMI Music Japan and Virgin Music. The album was produced by the band and Japanese recording engineer Uni Inoue.
Ryosuke Nagaoka, is a Japanese musician, and singer and guitar player for the band Petrolz. Under the stage name Ukigmo, he was the second guitarist for Ringo Sheena's band Tokyo Jihen from 2005 until 2012. In 2013, Nagoka joined the band Gokumontō Ikka, a project involving Queen Bee leader Avu-chan.
Keitaro Izawa, better known by his stage name Ichiyo Izawa is a Japanese pianist, vocalist and songwriter, best known for his work in the Ringo Sheena-helmed band Tokyo Jihen. He is also the lead vocalist and pianist of the band Appa.
"Shuraba", also known by its English title "The Rat's-Nest" is the third single by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, led by musician Ringo Sheena, released on November 2, 2005. It was the band's first release with their new members Ukigumo and Ichiyo Izawa, who replaced Mikio Hirama and Masayuki Hiizumi. The song was used as the theme song for the historical drama Ōoku: Hana no Ran.
"OSCA" is a song by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, led by musician Ringo Sheena. It was released as the band's fourth single on July 11, 2007, as one of the two singles before the band's third album Variety (2007). It was the first and only single released by the band that did not feature writing by vocalist Sheena, instead created by the band's second guitarist, Ukigumo.
"Killer-tune" is a song by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, led by musician Ringo Sheena. It was released as the band's fifth single on August 22, 2007, as one of the two singles before the band's third album Variety (2007). The song was written by the band's pianist Ichiyo Izawa, with lyrics by Sheena.
"Atarashii Bunmei Kaika", also known by its English language title "Brand New Civilization", is a song by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, led by musician Ringo Sheena. It was a promotional song for the band's fifth album Dai Hakken, released on June 29, 2011, and was used in commercials for Tokyo Metro.
"Season Sayonara", stylised in English as "Season SAYONARA", is a song by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, led by musician Ringo Sheena. It was one of the promotional songs for the band's fourth album Sports, released on February 24, 2010.
Masayuki Hiizumi, also known by the name H Zett M is a Japanese keyboardist and producer. He became a member of jazz instrumental band Pe'z in 1999, and was a member of Ringo Sheena's band Tokyo Jihen between 2004 and 2005. In 2007, Hiizumi debuted as a solo musician with the name H Zett M.
Live Tour 2005 "Dynamite!" is the first concert tour by Japanese band Tokyo Jihen. The tour supported the band's debut studio album, Kyōiku (2004). It was the only tour to feature the band's original members Mikio Hirama and H Zetto M. The concert was released in the form of two video albums, a documentary, Dynamite In, on July 13, 2005, and a concert video, Dynamite Out, released on August 17, 2005.
Domestic! Virgin Line is a brief concert tour by Japanese band Tokyo Jihen. The tour was the first of two to support their second album, Adult (2006). Unlike most of the band's tours, a video album was never produced, however a Fuji Television program called Tokyo Jihen Live in Nippon Budokan was produced to showcase the performance.
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