Tokyo Jihen
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | Ringo Sheena |
| Headquarters | Japan |
Area served | Japan |
Key people | Ringo Sheena (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Seiji Kameda (bass), Toshiki Hata (drums), Ukigumo (guitar), Ichiyō Izawa (keyboards) |
| Products | Music albums, singles, DVDs |
Number of employees | 5 (current members) |
| Website | www |
, frequently referred to as Tokyo Incidents, is a Japanese rock ensemble formed by Ringo Sheena following her departure from a solo music career. Their initial single, "Gunjō Biyori", debuted in September 2004. Prior to suspending activities in February 2012, the band achieved sales totaling 2.3 million units across albums, singles, and DVDs. They later regrouped and issued a new single on January 1, 2020.
Formation and Early Days (2003)
Tokyo Jihen originated as the backing band for Ringo Sheena during her final solo tour before taking a hiatus from her solo work. While creating the album Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana, Sheena assembled members from her supporting musicians for the 2003 "Sugoroku Ecstasy" tour. This group—comprising guitarist Mikio Hirama, pianist H Zett M, drummer Toshiki Hata, and bassist Seiji Kameda—became the foundational lineup of Tokyo Jihen. Following the tour’s conclusion, Sheena declared her intention to cease solo activities to dedicate herself entirely to Tokyo Jihen.
The "Phase 1" Period and Transition (2004–2005)
Tokyo Jihen formally established themselves as a fixed band on May 31, 2004. They made their live debut at 0724 Yamabikari on July 24 and appeared at the Fuji Rock Festival. Their major label debut single "Gunjō Biyori" was released on September 8. During this timeframe, they issued one album alongside two singles and embarked on their inaugural concert tour titled "Tokyo Jihen live tour 2005 'dynamite!'".
On July 1, 2005, keyboardist H ZETT M and guitarist Mikio Hirama departed to resume their former pursuits—H ZETT M rejoined PE'Z while Hirama focused on his solo career—leaving just prior to the start of the "dynamite!" tour.
In response to these exits, Sheena prioritized recruiting a new keyboardist. With H ZETT M’s recommendation, Keitaro Izawa joined under the stage name Ichiyo Izawa. Securing a permanent guitarist proved difficult as many candidates declined over concerns about being perceived solely as support musicians. Ultimately, session guitarist Ryosuke Nagaoka, known professionally as Ukigumo and a longtime acquaintance of Sheena’s, accepted the position shortly before recording the album Adult.
Despite these major lineup alterations, Sheena chose to maintain the Tokyo Jihen name.
By September 2005, both Ichiyo Izawa and Ukigumo were officially incorporated into Tokyo Jihen. The initial ensemble is commonly called , whereas the revised formation is identified as .
Commencement of "Phase 2" (2006–2007)
The group’s sophomore album Adult, released on January 25, 2006, achieved their first number one ranking on the Oricon charts. To introduce the new members, they performed two concerts titled "DOMESTIC! Virgin LINE" at Nippon Budokan Hall and Osaka-jo Hall in February. Later that year, they conducted a nationwide tour named "DOMESTIC! Just can't help it".
Towards the end of 2006, Sheena composed the film score for Sakuran, collaborating with three other band members; drummer Hata was unable to participate due to injury.
Following two single releases in 2007—"O.S.C.A." and "Killer-tune"—and their album Variety, which notably did not feature any compositions by Sheena, Tokyo Jihen embarked on the promotional "Tokyo Jihen live tour 2007 Spa & Treatment".
Activities of Members Beyond Tokyo Jihen (2008–2009)
The music video for "Killer-tune" earned the Best Technical Works Video award at the Space Shower Music Video Awards hosted by Space Shower TV on March 15, 2008.
In celebration of Sheena's 10th year as a professional artist in 2008, she resumed solo projects under her original stage name "Ringo Sheena," marking her first solo endeavor since forming Tokyo Jihen. During this time, she performed both solo and alongside Tokyo Jihen at the summer Rising Sun Rock Festival, resulting in a temporary reduction of the band's collective activities.
The year 2009 saw Sheena release her first solo album since 2003’s Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana. Meanwhile, Ukigumo and Izawa reactivated their respective bands; Kameda worked on multiple top-ten charting productions; and Hata participated in Fujifabric’s album and tour. Additionally, Sheena, Ukigumo, and Izawa collaborated on Rie Tomosaka’s album Toridori, with Ukigumo and Izawa supporting her promotional tour as backing musicians.
On May 25, 2009, Izawa became a member of "The Hiatus", a new project led by Takeshi Hosomi, formerly of Ellegarden. He took part in their "Trash We'd Love Tour 2009" and performed with Hosomi under the name from October through December.
Tokyo Jihen returned to full band activities on December 2, 2009, releasing "Nōdōteki Sanpunkan", their first single in two years, and performing at the Countdown Japan 09/10 festival that same month.
Final Phase and Disbandment (2010–2012)
Their fourth studio album, Sports, was released on February 24, 2010, achieving the number one spot on the Oricon chart after a four-year interval. The nationwide tour titled "Tokyo Incident live tour 2010 UltraC" commenced in March.
The fifth album Dai Hakken followed on June 29, 2011, with the band launching the "Tokyo Incident live tour 2011 Discovery" across Japan starting September 30.
On January 11, 2012, Ringo Sheena announced the band's official breakup. Their last original release was the mini-album Color Bars, which came out on January 18. Subsequently, a live best-of compilation titled Tokyo Collection along with a concert DVD/Blu-ray featuring performances from their "Discovery Tour" were issued on February 15. The farewell tour "Domestique Bon Voyage" included sold-out concerts at Yokohama Arena (February 14–15), Osaka-jo Hall (February 21–22), and Nippon Budokan (February 28–29).
The group officially disbanded following their final performance at Budokan on February 29, 2012. Due to extraordinary demand—660,000 ticket requests—the concluding concert was broadcast live simultaneously in 156 theaters throughout Japan as well as in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
On June 15, Sheena’s official website announced an upcoming final album titled Shin'ya Waku ("The Edge of Late Night") alongside a DVD/Blu-ray release Chin Play Kou Play ("Strange Plays and Great Plays") scheduled for August. This album featured B-sides including the previously unreleased track "Handsome Sugite" and a new composition called "Tadanaranu Kankei". The video compilation showcased highlights from live shows, festival appearances, and rare footage.
Post-Disbandment
During the 67th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen held on December 31, 2016, Tokyo Jihen acted as Ringo Sheena’s backing band; however, their name was omitted from the credits. Ukigumo and H Zett M have continued to collaborate actively with Sheena for both studio recordings and live tours.
Reunion
On January 1, 2020, Tokyo Jihen unexpectedly released the digital single "Erabarezaru Kokumin" and announced a Japan tour named "Live Tour 2020 News Flash," which was scheduled to commence on February 29. The following month, they unveiled plans for a five-track EP titled News, with a release date set for April 8, 2020. Additionally, the band issued a single serving as the theme for the 2020 movie Sakura, characterizing it as expressing "the transitional phase between childhood and adulthood." Their sixth studio album, Ongaku (, meaning Music), was subsequently released on June 9, 2021.
Current members
- – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano, melodica, kazoo (2003–2012; 2019–present)
- – bass guitar, upright bass (2003–2012; 2019–present)
- – drums, percussion (2003–2012; 2019–present)
- – guitar, backing vocals, rap (2005–2012; 2019–present)
- – keyboards, guitar, piano, backing vocals (2005–2012; 2019–present)
Former members
- – keyboards, piano, backing vocals (2003–2005)
- – guitar, backing vocals (2003–2005)
Timeline
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Producers
Since the release of her second album, all of Sheena Ringo's projects have been produced by Uni Inoue (井上 雨迩), a skilled audio engineer. Sheena affectionately describes him as "the sixth member" of the group.
Member Stage Names
Sheena Ringo crafted unique stage names for Hirama (平間 幹央) and Hata (畑 利樹) by selecting rare Kanji characters that share the same pronunciation. Due to his unpredictable personality, Ryosuke Nagaoka received the moniker "Ukigumo," meaning drifting cloud. Meanwhile, Keitaro Izawa opted not to accept a stage name from Sheena and instead adopted "Ichiyō Izawa" on his own accord.
Composition and Songwriting
Each band member approaches songwriting differently: Sheena Ringo and Ichiyō Izawa compose using traditional musical notation; Seiji Kameda prefers humming melodies, playing instruments, or utilizing digital tools; Ukigumo lacks the ability to write notation, so his compositions are transcribed by others. Because matching lyrics to his music poses a challenge, Ukigumo frequently writes his own words. Initially, Toshiki Hata was reluctant to contribute musically or lyrically but eventually provided songs on the band's final EP before their hiatus, Color Bars, and on their reunion EP, News.
Live Performances and Tours
Tours
- Live Tour 2005 "Dynamite!"(2005)
- Domestic! Virgin Line (2006)
- Domestic! Just Can't Help It (2006)
- Spa & Treatment (2007)
- Ultra C (2010)
- Discovery (2011)
- Domestique Bon Voyage (2012)
- News Flash (2020)
Significant Concerts and Festival Appearances
- Sugoroku Ecstasy (2003)
- Fuji Rock Festival (2004)
- Sunset Live (2004)
- Dai Ikkai Ringohan Taikai Adaruto Onrī (2005)
- Society of the Citizens Vol. 1 (2006)
- Countdown Japan 06/07 (2006)
- Rising Sun Rock Festival (2008)
- Society of the Citizens Vol. 2 (2008)
- Countdown Japan 09/10 (2009)
- EMI Rocks (2010, 2012)
- TV Asahi Dream Festival (2011)