Kishidan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
氣志團(Kishidan)

Country Japan
Years active 1996- present
Genres Rock
Labels Toshiba Emi
Members Show
Hikaru
Tommy
Ranma
Matsu
Yukki
Website(s) Kishidan Official Site

Kishidan (氣志團?) is a Japanese rock band, their name meaning "The Knights", or more literally, a "corps of knights". On their compact disc artwork they describe themselves as "Midnight Special The Knights KISHIDAN From Route 127 of Fairies". Kishidan is a six-member rock group with a nostalgic retro flair, wearing Japanese school boy uniforms extended in the style of yankees and biker gangs of bygone Japanese eras. Kishidan represent the memory of biker bad boys of Japan that were so common in the '80s. Musically, they refresh tried and true classic rock conventions with their lyrics of love and conflict with an eternal spirit of youth.

Contents

[edit] Members

  • Ayanokouji Shou (綾小路 翔?) (Show) — Vocals, Dragon Voice and emcee; birthdate 26 April
(Pop singer DJ OZMA is widely rumored to be his alter-ego.)
  • Saotome Hikaru (早乙女 光?) (Hikaru) — Dance and scream; birthdate 24 January
  • Saionji Hitomi (西園寺 瞳?) (Tommy) — Guitar; birthdate 23 October
  • Hoshi Grandmarnier (星 グランマニエ?) (Ranma) — Guitar; birthdate 1 March
  • Shiratori Shouchikubai (白鳥 松竹梅?) (Matsu) — Bass guitar; birthdate 17 March
  • Shiratori Yukinojou (白鳥 雪之丞?) (Yukki) — Drums & drunk; birthdate 24 May

[edit] Music

Kishidan's sound comes from a nostalgic time when rock music was the icon of high school delinquency and motorcycles and high school romance went hand-in-hand, Kishidan's throwback to days of rock and roll long gone are key to their identity, refreshing rock conventions and giving them vibrant new personality and appeal. Kishidan's lyrics are sung entirely in Japanese save for a few English loan-word phrases. Despite their copious nods to classic rock, Kishidan perhaps somewhat ironically makes very sparing use of the English language, perhaps notably so within the whole of Japanese rock. Filled with play-on-words and clever kanji puns, Kishidan's lyrics are often very difficult to translate. A good example is the title of their 2005 album release, "愛 羅 武 勇", the four characters carrying the approximate meaning of "Love, Silk, Militarism, and Courage", and is read "Ai Ra Bu Yuu", the Japanese phonetical conversion of "I Love You".

[edit] 1950s styling

Kishidan's American 50's styling is a shout-out to the late 80's/early 90's in Japan. With an influx of American pop culture, music, and films, the youth in Japan took a tight hold to the classic rock, motorcycles, juke boxes, and high school drama of the American 50's. By the late 80's parts of Japan were cluttered with "kaminarizouku" (literally "thunder tribe", predecessor to the modern "bōsōzoku") bike gangs, sporting highly permed hair (combed into a hairstyle called the "regent"), over-sized school and gang uniforms (i.e. the "gakuran"), cruising the streets on monsterous, loud motorcycles. These youths were referred to as "Yankees".

Kishidan chose this as their style because it was unique. It hailed back to the low-income culture of the band's hometown of Kisarazu (a small industrial harbor town in Chiba with its share of bōsōzoku, yankees, and street culture). Vocalist Ayanocozey Show is said to have chosen to dress in gakuran and regent because he knew he couldn't be the best-looking vocalist in the rock n' roll scene, but he could be the best-looking vocalist in the rock n'roll scene wearing a gakuran and regent. And of course naturally, there was nothing the 6 budding rock stars knew better than home, having all grown up during the age when bōsōzoku were a familiar sight around the schoolyards. Kishidan became a mesh of incredible and serious musical talent and an extreme amount of humor; Kishidan is often, if unjustly, classified as something of a "joke band." They frequently cover songs by '80s bands, their famous CD silouhette logo is borrowed and adapted from the cover of a BOØWY album, many of the band's catchphrases come from old manga and songs.

[edit] Stage personas

Their various uniforms, modeled after the short and long-coat bōsōzoku-preferred versions of old Japanese gakuran (school uniforms), their matching bōsōzoku uniforms (the kind modeled on those worn by kamikaze pilots)...everything is done with a touch of humor and a nostalgic fondness for the gangs and values of days not-long gone by.

However, their stage personas are not the only thing of note in Kishidan. Regardless of their often comic approach to music and performing, they are a group of seriously talented young men. Show's lyrics, although predominantly about motorcycles, being with your gang, conflicting with school, and adolescent love, are very strong. Show's songs can be sweet love songs, songs of a desperate need for escape (rooted in the impoverished and hopeless background that produced many a young deliquent in Japan), songs of courage and faith and love for your friends. This paired with his and guitarist Ranma's incredible ability for musical composition, along with the passion and strength of 6 grown men who refuse to grow up make Kishidan a band worthy of note and of respect.

Kishidan's hit song "One Night Carnival" was featured in Nintendo's Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, a game about ouendan (male Japanese cheerleaders). The song "One Night Carnival" (a cover version) is even used for a level that was inspired by one of Kishidan's live performances. Coincidentally, the characters wear long gakuran coats and dance like Kishidan. The dancing style is based on actual ouendan cheering routines, and long gakuran coats are often worn by ouendan cheer teams. It's possible that Kishidan's lively and powerful dance routines were inspired by the tradition of ouendan cheering, a subject that is unique to Japanese culture.

[edit] Live Show

Kishidan embraces the theatrics of rock music in their live performance, and make extensive use of props (such as giant anime robots as well as storylines: members of the band will sometimes perish mid-concert in battle with rival school gangs. Kishidan is also known to parody current popular Japanese songs, such as Matsudaira Ken's Matsuken Samba II, and Nakashima Mika's "Glamorous Sky" from the film adaptation of Nana.

To match their retro 50s esque sound most of the band members sport pompadours. While Ranma and Tommy wear their pompadours short, Shou and Hikaru have the most elaborate of the four. To aide in their on-stage humor, Shou uses a bald cap over his real hair and then a pompadour wig over than in live shows. An example of this was Kishidan's "One Night Carnival" performance during the 56th NHK Uta Gassen. Just as Shou began the lyrics "Koishite iru no sa . . .", the boy he had been holding grabbed his faux pompadour to reveal a bald cap.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

  • 房総与太郎路薫狼琉 (Bousou Yotarou Rock'n'Roll) (2000-10-06)
  • One Night Carnival (2001-06-22)
  • 1/6 LONELY NIGHT (2002-04-11)
  • BOYS' COLOR (2003-03-26)
  • TOO FAST TO LIVE TOO YOUNG TO DIE (2004-03-17)
  • 死無愚流　呼麗苦衝音+3 (Singles Collection +3)(2004-11-25)
  • 愛 羅 武 勇 (Ai Ra Bu Yuu / "I Love You")(2005-10-26)
  • Six Senses (2007-03-28)

[edit] Singles

  • One Night Carnival (2002-05-29)
  • 恋人／Love Balladは歌えない (Koibito/Love Ballad wa Utaenai) (2002-09-04)
  • スウィンギン・ニッポン (Swingin' Nippon) (2003-06-11)
  • SECRET LOVE STORY (2003-10-29)
  • キラ キラ！ (Kira Kira!) (2004-02-18)
  • 結婚闘魂行進曲「マブダチ」 (Kekkon Toukon Koushinkyoku "Mabudachi") (2004-06-16)
  • 族 (Zoku) (2004-09-01)
  • 夢見る頃を過ぎても (Yumemiru koro wo Sugitemo) (2005-03-02)
  • 俺達には土曜日しかない (Oretachi ni wa Doyoubi Shikanai) (2005-06-15)
  • You & Me Song (2005-09-07)
  • The アイシテル (The AISHITERU) (2006-08-09)

[edit] DVD

  • 氣志團現象－外伝－DVD「恋人」 (2002-09-26)

(Kishidan Genshou ~ Gaiden ~ DVD "Koibito")

  • 氣志團現象完全版－2000－2002－ (2003-03-05)

(Kishidan Genshou Kanzenban - 2000-2002 -)

  • 氣志團万博2003木更津グローバル・コミュニケーション！！～Born in the toki no K-city～ (2003-11-27)

(Kishidan Banpaku 2003 Kisarazu Global Communication!! ~Born in the toki no K-city~)

  • 氣志團現象大全－SAMURAI SPIRIT SUICIDE－ (2004-07-26)

(Kishidan Genshou Daizen -Samurai Spirit Suicide-)

  • 氣志團現象最終章"THE LAST SONG"in 東京ドーム (2005-02-23)

(Kishidan Genshou Saishuushou "The Last Song" in Tokyo Dome)

  • 氣志團現象番外編 NEVER ENDING SUMMER (2005-12-07)

(Kishidan Genshou Bangaihen Never Ending Summer)

  • 氣志團万博2006 極東 Never Land (2006-12-20)

(Kishidan Banpaku 2006 Kyokutou Never Land)

[edit] Other

  • 氣志團現象（１）～さよならの果実たち～ (VHS 2001-12-06)

(Kishidan Genshou (1) ~Sayonara no Kajitsutachi~)

  • 氣志團現象（２）～肌色だけのエンジェル～ (VHS 2002-01-23)

(Kishidan Genshou (2) ~Hadairo Dake no Angel~)

  • 氣志團現象（３）～朝日の中のレクイエム～ (VHS 2002-02-27)

(Kishidan Genshou (3) ~Asahi no Naka no Requiem~)

  • 族 (Zoku) (2004-09-01)
  • 夢見る頃を過ぎても (Yumemiru koro wo Sugitemo) (2005-03-02)
  • 俺達には土曜日しかない (Oretachi ni wa Doyoubi Shikanai) (2005-06-15)
  • You & Me Song (2005-09-07)
  • The アイシテル (The AISHITERU) (2006-08-09)

[edit] DVD

  • 氣志團現象－外伝－DVD「恋人」 (2002-09-26)

(Kishidan Genshou ~ Gaiden ~ DVD "Koibito")

  • 氣志團現象完全版－2000－2002－ (2003-03-05)

(Kishidan Genshou Kanzenban - 2000-2002 -)

  • 氣志團万博2003木更津グローバル・コミュニケーション！！～Born in the toki no K-city～ (2003-11-27)

(Kishidan Banpaku 2003 Kisarazu Global Communication!! ~Born in the toki no K-city~)

  • 氣志團現象大全－SAMURAI SPIRIT SUICIDE－ (2004-07-26)

(Kishidan Genshou Daizen -Samurai Spirit Suicide-)

  • 氣志團現象最終章"THE LAST SONG"in 東京ドーム (2005-02-23)

(Kishidan Genshou Saishuushou "The Last Song" in Tokyo Dome)

  • 氣志團現象番外編 NEVER ENDING SUMMER (2005-12-07)

(Kishidan Genshou Bangaihen Never Ending Summer)

  • 氣志團万博2006 極東 Never Land (2006-12-20)

(Kishidan Banpaku 2006 Kyokutou Never Land)

[edit] Otros

  • 氣志團現象（１）～さよならの果実たち～ (VHS 2001-12-06)

(Kishidan Genshou (1) ~Sayonara no Kajitsutachi~)

  • 氣志團現象（２）～肌色だけのエンジェル～ (VHS 2002-01-23)

(Kishidan Genshou (2) ~Hadairo Dake no Angel~)

  • 氣志團現象（３）～朝日の中のレクイエム～ (VHS 2002-02-27)

(Kishidan Genshou (3) ~Asahi no Naka no Requiem~)

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../k/i/s/Kishidan.html"
In other languages