Japanese rock (Japanese:日本のロック,Hepburn:Nihon no Rokku), sometimes abbreviated toJ-rock (ジェイ・ロック,Jei Rokku), isrock music from Japan. Influenced byAmerican andBritish rock of the 1960s, the first rock bands in Japan performed what is calledgroup sounds, with lyrics almost exclusively in English.Folk rock bandHappy End in the early 1970s are credited as the first to sing rock music in the Japanese language.Punk rock bandsBoøwy andThe Blue Hearts andhard rock/heavy metal groupsX Japan andB'z led Japanese rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s by achieving major mainstream success.[1]
Rock bands such as B'z andMr. Children are amongthe best selling music acts in Japan. Rock festivals like theFuji Rock Festival were introduced in the late 90s with attendances reaching a peak of 200,000 people per festival making it the largest outdoor music event in the country.[2][3]
Rockabilly had a brief surge in popularity in Japan during the late 1950s. Suppressed by authorities, elements of it nevertheless managed to reach the mainstream through singers such asKyu Sakamoto.[4]
In the 1960s, many Japaneserock bands were influenced by Western rock musicians such asthe Beatles,Bob Dylan, andthe Rolling Stones,[5] along with otherAppalachian folk music,psychedelic rock,mod and similar genres: a phenomenon that was calledGroup Sounds (G.S.).John Lennon of the Beatles later became one of the most popular Western musicians in Japan.[6] By the late 1960s, Group Sounds bands such as The Tempters, the Tigers, the Golden Cups, the Ox, the Village Singers, the Carnabeats,the Mops,[7] the Jaguars, the Wild Ones and the Spiders had big hits.[8] After the boom of Group Sounds, there were several folk singer-songwriters. They were influenced by Bob Dylan andAmerican folk music.The Tigers were the most popular Group Sounds band in the era. Later, some of the members of the Tigers,the Tempters, andthe Spiders formed the first Japanesesupergroup,Pyg.
70s "New Rock" group such as the Power House, the Blues Creation, Murasaki, Condition Green, and Bow Wow released rock albums. After seeing a show by then-upcoming artistJimi Hendrix during a visit to Europe,Yuya Uchida returned home and formedYuya Uchida & the Flowers in November 1967 in order to introduce a similar sound to Japan.[9]
Uchida replaced every member of The Flowers except its drummer and renamed them theFlower Travellin' Band for October 1970'sAnywhere, which includes covers ofheavy metal bandBlack Sabbath andprogressive rock actKing Crimson.[10] They moved to Canada and published their first album of original material,[11]Satori which was released in April 1971 and is now considered a progenitor of heavy metal music and,[12] together withKirikyogen,doom metal.[13] Japanese heavy metal bands started emerging in the late 1970s, pioneered byBow Wow (1975),44 Magnum (1977) andEarthshaker (1978). In 1977, Bow Wow supportedAerosmith andKiss on their Japanese tours.[14] They performed at both theMontreux Jazz Festival inSwitzerland and theReading Festival inEngland in 1982. After some member changes resulted in a more commercial sound, they changed their name to Vow Wow and relocated to England.[14] Their 1989 albumHelter Skelter reached number 75 on theUK Albums Chart.[15]
In the 1980s, a plethora of Japanese heavy metal bands formed.Loudness was formed in 1981 by former Lazy membersAkira Takasaki andMunetaka Higuchi. In 1983, they toured the United States and Europe and soon started focusing more on an international career. In a 1985 deal withAtco Records, Loudness became the first Japanese metal act signed to a major label in the United States.[16] Their albumsThunder in the East (1985),Lightning Strikes (1986) andHurricane Eyes (1987) reached numbers 74, 64 and 190 on theBillboard chart.[17][18] Loudness replaced singerMinoru Niihara with American vocalistMichael Vescera in 1988,[19] in an unsuccessful attempt to further their international popularity. Loudness were famous among heavy metal fans in the United States. In the '80s, few bands had a female members, like all-female bandShow-Ya fronted byKeiko Terada, andTerra Rosa with Kazue Akao on vocals. In September 1989, Show-Ya's albumOuterlimits was released, it reached number 3 in the Oricon album chart.[20]
Happy End is credited as the first rock band to sing in the Japanese language.[21] Their self-titleddebut album was released in August 1970 on the experimental record label URC (Underground Record Club).[22] This album marked an important turning point in Japanese music history, as it sparked what would be known as the "Japanese-language Rock Controversy [ja]" (日本語ロック論争,Nihongo Rokku Ronsō). There were highly publicized debates held between prominent figures in the rock industry, most notably the members of Happy End and Yuya Uchida, regarding whether Japanese rock music sung entirely in Japanese was sustainable. The success of Happy End's debut album and their second,Kazemachi Roman released in November 1971, proved the sustainability of Japanese-language rock music in Japan.[23]
Carol (led byEikichi Yazawa),RC Succession and Funny Company were especially famous and helped define the sound. Sometimes also beginning in the late sixties, but mostly active in the seventies, are musicians mixing rock music with American-style folk and pop rock elements. Folk rock musicians such as Tulip, Banban,Garo,Yosui Inoue were popular in the music scene.
Several Japanese musicians began experimenting withelectronic rock in the early 1970s. The most notable was the internationally renownedIsao Tomita, whose 1972 albumElectric Samurai: Switched on Rock featured electronicsynthesizer renditions of contemporary rock andpop songs.[24] Other early examples of electronic rock records includeInoue Yousui'sfolk rock andpop rock albumIce World (1973) andOsamu Kitajima'sprogressivepsychedelic rock albumBenzaiten (1974), both of which involved contributions from Haruomi Hosono,[25][26] who later started the techno pop music group "Yellow Magic Band" (later known as Yellow Magic Orchestra) in 1977.[27]
Early examples of Japanese punk rock includeSS,the Star Club,the Stalin, Inu, Gaseneta,Bomb Factory, Lizard (who were produced bythe Stranglers) andFriction (whose guitarist Reck had previously played withTeenage Jesus and the Jerks before returning to Tokyo) andthe Blue Hearts. The early punk scene was immortalized on film bySogo Ishii, who directed the 1982 filmBurst City featuring a cast of punk bands/musicians and also filmed videos for The Stalin. The independent scene also included a diverse number of alternative/post-punk/new wave artists such asAburadako,P-Model,Uchoten, Auto-Mod,Buck-Tick, Guernica and Yapoos (both of which featuredJun Togawa), G-Schmitt, Totsuzen Danball, andJagatara, along with noise/industrial bands such asHijokaidan andHanatarashi.
In the 1980s, acts such asBoøwy inspired what is called the "Band Boom" (バンドブーム,Bando Būmu), popularizing the formation of rock groups.[28] In 1980, Huruoma andRy Cooder, an American musician, collaborated on a rock album withShoukichi Kina, driving force behind the aforementioned Okinawan band Champloose. They were followed bySandii & the Sunsetz, who further mixed Japanese and Okinawan influences.Alternative rock bands likeShonen Knife,Bloodthirsty Butchers,Boredoms, andThe Pillows formed.Nirvana's Kurt Cobain admitted to be a fan of Shonen Knife during the girls' tour in the LA in 1991. Cobain later invited the band to join them in a U.S. tour.[29][30]
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Also during the 1980s, Japanese metal and rock bands gave birth to the movement known asvisual kei. Taking visual influence from Westernglam rock andglam metal, it was pioneered by bands likeX Japan,Dead End,Buck-Tick,D'erlanger, andColor. Although starting in the early 1980s, it was not until the tail-end of the decade that visual kei acts saw major success. Buck-Tick's 1988 albumSeventh Heaven reached number 3 on theOricon chart, and its follow-upsTaboo (1989) andAku no Hana (1990) both topped it.[31]
In April 1989, X Japan's second albumBlue Blood reached number 6 and sold 712,000 copies.[32] Their third and best-selling albumJealousy was released in July 1991, topped the charts and sold over 1 million copies.[32] They released two more number one studio albums,Art of Life (1993) andDahlia (1996), before disbanding in 1997. X Japan signed an American record deal withAtlantic Records in 1992, but an international release never happened.[33] In the 1990s,Luna Sea,Glay, andL'Arc-en-Ciel sold millions of records, whileMalice Mizer,La'cryma Christi, andSiam Shade also found success.
In the 1990s, Japanese rock musicians such asB'z,Mr. Children,Glay,L'Arc-en-Ciel,Southern All Stars,Malice Mizer,Dir En Grey,Shazna,Janne Da Arc,Tube,Spitz,Wands,T-Bolan,Judy and Mary,Deen,Lindberg,Sharam Q,the Yellow Monkey,the Brilliant Green andDragon Ash[34] achieved commercial success. B'z is the best selling artist in Japan with over 86 million confirmed records sold[35] and they are speculated to have sold 100 million worldwide.[36] The duo are also the first Asian band to be inducted in theHollywood's RockWalk.[37]
In the 1990s,anime was becoming the best-selling genres of music in Japan. The rise of disposable pop has been linked with the popularity ofkaraoke, leading to criticism that it isconsumerist:Kazufumi Miyazawa ofthe Boom said "I hate that buy, listen, and throw away and sing at a karaoke bar mentality." Ska-punk bands of the late 1990s extending in the years 2000 include Shakalabbits and175R.
The firstFuji Rock Festival opened in 1997. The following year,Supercar released its influential debut albumThree Out Change.[38] Characterized as having "almost foundational importance to 21st century Japanese indie rock",[39] Supercar remained active through 2005 with their later albums containing more electronic rock.[38]
Around the same time, bands such asQuruli andNumber Girl had begun heavily influencing Japanese alternative rock. Music critic Ian Martin wrote that, along with Supercar, these groups had demonstrated that "Japanese rock bands could take on the British and American alternative bands of the 90s at their own game ... and in doing so, they had laid new ground for Japanese rock to develop in its own way from this point on."[40]
Rising Sun Rock Festival opened in 1999.Summer Sonic Festival andRock in Japan Festival opened in 2000. New bands such asBump of Chicken,Radwimps,Asian Kung-Fu Generation,ONE OK ROCK,Orange Range,Uverworld,Remioromen,Sambomaster, andAqua Timez[41] have achieved success. Established bands as B'z, Mr. Children, Glay, and L'Arc-en-Ciel also continue to top charts, though B'z and Mr. Children are the only bands to maintain a high standards of their sales along the years.
Japanese rock has a vibrant underground rock scene,[42] best known internationally fornoise rock bands such asBoredoms andMelt Banana, as well asstoner rock bands such asBoris and alternative acts such asShonen Knife,Pizzicato Five, andthe Pillows (who gained international attention in 1999 for theFLCL soundtrack). Other notable international touring indie rock acts areMono andNisennenmondai.
In the 2000s, the number of all-female rock bandsall-female band started to grow. Two of the first of such groups to achieve success wereZone andChatmonchy.[43] Zone, which was planned to be anidol group, became a rock band thanks to one of their producers, who had decided to let them play with instruments, and was well received.[44][45]
Scandal, a quartet form Osaka, was created in 2006 and sold 52,956 copies of their debut album in 2009.[46] Later, their albums also became top ten bestsellers. This success led them to become famous worldwide and later took them on several tours abroad.[47] In 2018, Scandal established their own label "her".[48] In August 2023, Scandal was recognized by the Guinness World Record for being the longest-running all-female rock band with the same founding members.
During the late 2000s there was an increasing number of bands that had built up a strong fan base prior to their main break-through in the music industry. Indie bandflumpool sold over one million copies of their first digital single "Hana ni nare".Sakanaction performed their first live concert atNippon Budokan while enjoying major success with their singles "Aruku Around" and "Rookie". Sakanaction was pinned as a different type of band since they experimented with electronic music andsynthrock. Other bands that have gone mainstream includedGesu no Kiwami Otome,Sekai no Owari, andAlexandros. Because of the sudden major increase on indie bands and rock bands in general which competed with contemporary J-Pop artists, the movement has been referred to as a band boom by the media and has been praised as a change to the Japanese music in general. Since these bands don't rely in a very heavy sound but take a softer, catchier approach, they proved to be more appealing to pop fans that are not familiar with rock.[50][51][52]
Veteran rock bands like L'Arc-en-Ciel and X Japan sold out concerts atMadison Square Garden in 2012 and 2014, respectively, among other large arenas through the United States. As of 2015, slap-guitaristMiyavi, who had performed the most successful international tour by a Japanese artist in 2008,[53] has performed at 250 concerts in more than thirty countries around the world.[54] In 2016, One OK Rock became the first Japanese band to perform at theTaipei Arena in Taiwan, and it has sold out concerts at venues such asAsiaWorld-Arena in Hong Kong andMall of Asia Arena in the Philippines, making it one of the band's biggest performances outside of Japan, with an average attendance of twelve thousand people at each concert.[55][56][57]
The decade saw a "Girls Metal Band Boom" (ガールズ・メタル・バンド・ブーム), with a large number of all-female heavy metal bands forming and gaining mainstream attention. Although not the first to form,Aldious have been cited as the initiators of the movement when their debut albumDeep Exceed (2010) topped theOricon Indies Albums Chart and reached number 15 on the main chart.[58][59][60] Another notable girls metal band isCyntia, who are believed to be the first of the movement to sign to a major record label when they joinedVictor Entertainment in 2013.[61]
The year 2014 brought the international success of self-described "kawaii metal" idol actBabymetal, through theviralYouTube hit "Gimme Chocolate!!". They were the opening act to five ofLady Gaga's concerts on herArtRave: The Artpop Ball 2014 tour.[62] In 2016, Babymetal began a world tour at London'sWembley Arena, becoming the first Japanese act to headline the venue, and their albumMetal Resistance reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart, marking the highest ever entry by a Japanese act.[63][64] They also made their US television debut by performing "Gimme Chocolate!!" onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[65]
Band-Maid earned worldwide attention circa 2015 for their "submissive" maid appearance contrasting with their aggressive music.[66][67] They began international activities the following year, including signing toJPU Records.[67]
In 2018,Lovebites won theMetal Hammer Golden Gods Awards for Best New Band and became the first Japanese all-female heavy metal band to perform at Germany'sWacken Open Air.[68][69]
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