An artist and singer from Kyoto Prefecture with a distinctive personality
When you hear “an artist from Kyoto,” does anyone come to mind right away? Even with artists you love, it can be a surprise to find out—oh, they’re from Kyoto! From stately, veteran performers to idols and locally rooted musicians… Finding an artist from your hometown gives you a little thrill, doesn’t it? Kumi Koda is famously from Kyoto, but there are also many distinctive bands and singer-songwriters.
I hope this article helps you discover even more music and artists to love.
- Bands, artists, and singers from the Kansai region
- [Kyoto Songs] Masterpieces that sing about Kyoto — songs themed on the ancient capital. The enduring heart of our hometown passed down in song.
- Lesser-Known but Amazing Singers | A Ranking Focused on Pure Talent
- Bittersweet! Love songs by female artists recommended for the Yutori generation
- [I IS UPPERCASE] Introducing Popular Songs by Yuriii Canon, a Vocaloid Producer from Kyoto
- Kyoto’s folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: the enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- Recommended bands, singers, and artists from Osaka Prefecture
- [J-Pop] Masterpiece by a female duo. A popular two-woman unit [2026]
- Bands, artists, and singers from Okayama Prefecture
- Koda Kumi’s Cheer Songs and Popular Tracks Ranking [2026]
- Kansai-dialect Songs | A Kansai-born writer thoroughly explains their charm!
- [Nagoya] Bands, artists, and singers from Aichi Prefecture
- Top Male Singer-Songwriter Hits of the 1980s: Ranking [2026]
Artists and singers from Kyoto Prefecture with unique personalities (1–10)
Explosive Pannier-santricot
The shocking girls’ band tricot.
Their live performances are incredibly intense.
Their wild, almost worrisome movements are insane.
Tricot used to be a band based in Shiga and Kyoto, but they’ve now become popular nationwide.
word sellerāban gyarudo
Debuting in 2011, URBANGARDE features male–female twin vocals.
Even their band name hints at their distinctive worldview.
They describe their music as “trauma technopop,” and their lyrics incorporate many negative words.
Matching their 80s-inspired sound, their live shows blend elements like poetry readings and VJ visuals into unique performances that have been attracting attention.
Go awayMōmō Rurugyaban
Mowmow LuLu Gyaban is a band formed in Kyoto in 2005.
Founding members Tsuyoshi Yajima and Tomohide Maruyama met in Doshisha University’s light music club and started the band.
After several lineup changes, the group now performs as a trio: Tsuyoshi Yajima on drums and vocals, Tomohide Maruyama on bass, and Yukka on keyboards.
Unique Kyoto-born artists and singers (11–20)
The World of Mercykyou
DIR EN GREY is an indispensable presence when talking about visual kei bands! Their vocalist Kyo—known for his unique and overwhelming singing ability—is from Kyoto Prefecture.
His appeal lies in mastering a variety of vocal techniques, such as falsetto and screams, leveraging a range that’s almost unthinkable for a male singer.
He writes all the lyrics, and the worldviews he creates with a sensibility as distinctive as his voice are another key reason for his popularity.
Horse of YouthMatsuda Konoka
Konoka Matsuda, a member of the idol group Hinatazaka46, is from Kyoto Prefecture.
She is also active as an actress, having experienced her first stage performance within the group.
Among members and fans, she is affectionately called “Konoka-chan.” Konoka has an older sister named Arisa Matsuda, who was once selected as Miss Campus Ritsumeikan, and the two are known as a beautiful sister duo from Kyoto.
Become the windtsuji ayano
A singer-songwriter from Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, known for their bespectacled look and singing while playing the ukulele.
They shot to fame with the theme song “Kaze ni Naru” for Studio Ghibli’s film The Cat Returns, and have had various songs featured in commercials, as well as providing music to other artists.
ButterflyKōda Kumi
She broke through in 2004 with Cutie Honey, in which she also appeared, and became a hot topic as “sexy and cool.” She is from Fushimi Ward in Kyoto City and actually debuted in 2000, but seems to have spent the years until 2004 working her way up.
She paused her activities in 2012 due to childbirth, but has continued her career without stopping since then.