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 the tropical land of Tosa: musicians and band members from Kochi Prefecture (ages 21–30)
FEVER★WINGRe:ReKOCHI
The members of Re:ReKOCHI, a local idol group from Kochi Prefecture, are all from Kochi.
They perform at many events and live shows both inside and outside the prefecture, promoting the charm of Kochi.
Their 4th single, “FEVER★WING,” was released nationwide in collaboration with “Kochike,” a Kochi Prefecture promotion campaign run by Kochi Prefecture and the Kochi Prefecture Local Products Promotion Corporation.
Ardent ANSWEROno Daisuke
Daisuke Ono, who is active as a voice actor and singer, is from Sakawa Town in Takaoka District, Kochi Prefecture.
In 2010, he was appointed a Kochi Prefecture Tourism Ambassador.
With his fourth single, “Netsuretsu ANSWER,” he made his first entry into the top 10 of the Oricon weekly chart.
From Nangoku Tosa, musicians and band members from Kochi Prefecture (ages 31–40)
But / demo (demonstration) / DEMOankoku tairiku jagatara
Akemi Edo, who served as the vocalist and leader of the funk rock band JAGATARA, is from Nakamura City in Kochi Prefecture (now Shimanto City).
The band’s name was frequently changed, using forms such as Jagatara and Ankoku Tairiku Jagatara.
“Demo Demo DEMO” is included on their first album, Nanban Torai.
I’m a manzai comedian from Naniwa.Yokoyama Yasushi
Yasushi Yokoyama, who was active as a manzai comedian and TV personality, was from Sukumo City in Kochi Prefecture.
He gained popularity for his manzai duo with Kiyoshi Nishikawa.
In 1973, he made his debut as a singer with the song “Ore wa Naniwa no Manzaishi” (I’m a Manzai Comedian from Naniwa).
The song was also re-released as a memorial edition after Yokoyama’s death.
Rain Screenhachikin gaaruzu
The members of Hachikin Girls, a local idol group from Kochi Prefecture, are originally from Kochi.
They were appointed Kochi Prefecture Tourism Ambassadors in 2010.
Although they were based in Kochi, they moved their base of activities to Tokyo in 2014.
“Ame no Screen” was released as their 8th single.
The Loser’s SongKawatani Takuzō
Takuzō Kawatani, who worked as an actor, was born in Aki City, Kochi Prefecture.
He is one of the distinguished actors representing the Showa era and appeared in many works.
He was also active as a singer, and his song “Makeinu no Uta” (Song of the Underdog) was used as the theme song for the TV Asahi drama “Hissatsu Karakurinin.”
ever-changingIkuta Takashi (PENGUIN RESEARCH)
Takashi Ikuta, the vocalist of the five-member rock band PENGUIN RESEARCH, is from Kochi Prefecture.
He started playing the guitar in his third year of junior high school and soon began performing in bands.
At 24, he moved to Tokyo and, together with bassist Shota Horie, formed PENGUIN RESEARCH.
They made their major debut the following year.
Ikuta is also known as a game streamer, offering a different side of himself from his band activities.
