From the tropical land of Tosa, a musician and band member from Kochi Prefecture.
When you think of bands and musicians from Kochi Prefecture, do any artists or bands immediately come to mind?
Mayo Okamoto and Ryoko Hirosue have had a lot of media exposure, so their names likely come up easily, but beyond them, it’s hard to think of many, right?
However, if you look into it, you’ll find that Kochi has produced quite a number of musicians—prompting reactions like “I remember seeing this band on TV back in the day!”, “That person from that band!”, and “That famous video game composer!”
Kochi Prefecture stretches long from east to west, and the regions—Shimanto City in the west, Kochi City and Nangoku City in the center, and Muroto City in the east—each have subtly different cultures and dialects.
In this article, we’ll introduce musicians who hail from Kochi Prefecture.
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From tropical Tosa: musicians and band members from Kochi Prefecture (1–10)
blue uniformKunizane Yuri
Yuri Kunimi, who was active as an idol singer, is from Kochi City in Kochi Prefecture.
She made her singing debut with her first single, “Aoi Seifuku” (Blue Uniform).
After retiring from the entertainment industry and working as a therapist, she resumed her singing career in 2015.
To those who still fightIkuta Takashi (PENGUIN RESEARCH)
PENGUIN RESEARCH is a five-member rock band formed around vocalist Takashi Ikuta and bassist Akita Souda (Shota Horie).
Known for their high energy and strong, message-driven performances, their songs have been featured in anime such as Magi: Adventure of Sinbad, ReLIFE, and Zoids Wild.
Ikuta, originally from Kochi, had been active in a local band as a guitarist and vocalist.
Although he once found employment as a childcare worker, he couldn’t give up on music; in 2014 he set his sights on becoming a full-time band musician and formed PENGUIN RESEARCH in 2015.
He is also interested in voice acting and works as a voice actor as well.
The Curry Rice WomanSonin
Sonim, who is active as a singer and actress, is from Kochi Prefecture.
She is a third-generation Zainichi Korean and holds South Korean nationality.
Her debut single, Curry Rice no Onna, reached No.
8 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.
A Korean-language version was released in 2006.
From tropical Tosa: musicians and band members from Kochi Prefecture (11–20)
Something good will surely happen.Shimazaki Wakako
Wakako Shimazaki, who works as a TV personality and actress, is from Nankoku City in Kochi Prefecture.
She is also active as a singer, and her song “Nanika Ii Koto Kitto Aru” was chosen as the theme song for the film Doraemon: Nobita and the Tin Labyrinth.
This marked her first tie-in with a feature film.
MegalithHonda Masato
A saxophonist born in Nakamura City, Kochi Prefecture.
Influenced by parents who were music teachers, he developed an interest in music from an early age and began playing the saxophone in third grade.
He went on to Kunitachi College of Music and joined the jazz orchestra.
His achievements were remarkable even while in school, including winning first place on his first appearance at the Big Band Jazz Contest and receiving the Best Soloist Award.
With the fusion group T-SQUARE, which he joined in 1991, he brought a fresh breeze not only as a performer but also in composition and arrangement.
Since 1998, he has worked as a solo artist, energetically pursuing activities as a top-tier performer with advanced technique, as well as an arranger and producer.
Zuko☆BakoMorinao Fumi (Furachinarizumu)
Furachinarhythm is a pop-rock band aiming to go from “the most successful band among the unsuccessful” to “the least successful band among the successful.” The band grew out of “Johnny Scotch,” which vocalist Morinaofumi formed in Kochi Prefecture at age 18.
They made their major-label debut in 2015 and have been active across Japan, and they’re also thriving in Kochi: hosting a regular radio show on FM Kochi, performing solo concerts in Kochi, appearing at the Yosakoi Festival, and even serving as promotional characters for the Kochi Prefectural Assembly election awareness campaign.
Goodbye, Princesympathy
A four-member girls’ band consisting of vocalist/guitarist Yuu Shibata, guitarist Kayana Taguchi, bassist Natsuki Imai, and drummer Tomoka Kadomasu.
The band was born out of the Folk Song Club at Kochi Prefectural Kochi Ozu High School and won their debut live contest.
While performing at local live houses, they began writing original songs, and just before graduating high school, they produced a mini album titled “Curtain Call no Machi” (The City of Curtain Calls).
Although they briefly went on hiatus when the members went their separate ways for further studies, they made their major debut in 2015, and since 2018 all members have been based in Tokyo.
They’re known for their upbeat sound and a straightforward, soaring vocal style!