Japanese Rock Music Guide: A Brief History of J-Rock

Japanese rock, or J-rock, is an eclectic genre of rock and roll music from Japan. Rock and roll has been a part of Japanese music and culture since the 1950s, though it gained both prominence and popularity in the 1960s with the rise of the “Group Sounds” bands, which were influenced by popular Western rock bands like the Beatles.

Western music largely set the path for J-rock music during its first half-century. Groups and musical genres trending in the United States and Europe invariably generated a Japanese rock band equivalent: the Flower Travellin’ Band took its cues from early heavy metal acts like Black Sabbath. The New Wave and punk scene influenced the sounds of The Stalin.

J-rock began to follow its own path in the 1980s, with the rise of visual kei (or visual style), a highly theatrical mélange of glam, pop-rock, and punk that placed equal emphasis on aesthetics and sound. Homegrown indie rock and alternative rock bands rose in force during the 1990s and 2000s, including female-led bands like Babymetal and Band-Maid. Many of these bands have enjoyed exposure and popularity in the West that many of their predecessors could not attain.

The history of Japanese rock music has roots in Western popular music but has evolved into a unique sound that challenges the boundaries of rock and roll. Here is a brief overview of J-rock’s history:

• Beginnings: Rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country, folk, and soul all found a fanbase in young Japanese music listeners, and many responded by launching their own rock bands after the Beatles performed in Tokyo in 1966. Acts like The Spiders, The Mops, and The Golden Cups merged American rock with kayōkyoku, an early form of Japanese pop, or J-pop, to create a subgenre called “Group Sounds,” which roughly paralleled ‘60s bands like the Rolling Stones or Kinks.
• Group Sounds: The Group Sounds bands made way for a host of other bands that adopted Western musical tastes. Some moved into hard rock territory, like Yuya Uchida & The Flowers, which became the proto-metal group Flower Travellin’ Band; others adopted the folk-rock and singer-songwriter sound of the early 1970s. Happy End became the first Japanese rock band to record in English. The progressive rock scene also influenced Japanese musicians to experiment with synthesizers, like Haruomi Hosono, who later co-founded the electronic music supergroup Yellow Magic Orchestra.
• Splintering into subgenres: The 1980s saw the debut of hardcore punk and New Wave in Japan, and the beginning of bands who forged their own musical identities outside of Western influence. Visual kei bands, like X Japan, The Gazette, and Malice Mizer, found considerable success by folding Western glam rock aesthetics into a heady brew of theatrical presentation and punk, electronic, and metal. Their independent attitude was echoed by an explosion of alternative rock bands like B’z, which sold over 86 million albums in Japan, and L’Arc-en-Ciel, which became the first Japanese rock band to play at Madison Square Garden in New York. These bands formed in response to what they perceived as the disposable nature of J-pop, anime soundtracks, and karaoke.
• Band boom: Bands like the pop-rock group Shonen Knife, the No Wave “Japanoise” sound of Boredoms, and a wave of female-led bands like Osaka’s Scandal were part of the Japanese music industry’s “band boom” of the ‘90s and 2000s.
• Crossover success: The flood of new bands continued unabated into the twenty-first century and included a wave of “girl metal” bands like Babymetal. At the same time, J-rock began to expand its influence and popularity. One OK Rock played huge international theaters. Visual kei guitarist Miyavi enjoyed the most successful international tour of any Japanese artist, with 250 shows in 30 countries.

Several characteristics define the look and sound of Japanese rock, including:

1. 1. Lyrics: Songwriting in Japanese rock can sometimes feature simple lyrics devoted to emotional subjects—love, heartbreak, joy—which is a holdover from the pop influence of the kayōkyoku style. The lyrical content is often less important to the overall emotion imparted by the song.
2. 2. Sound: While Japanese rock draws on Western influences, particularly concerning song construction and instrumentation, it retains its own distinct flavor. Guitar and keyboard lines are often more complex than Western rock and, sometimes, take on jazz elements; synthesizers can lend an orchestral sweep to songs. Some J-rock incorporates traditional Japanese instruments and song constructions.
3. 3. Visuals: The look of J-rock bands is a key component of their musical identity. Visual kei bands, which embrace fantasy-like costumes and makeup, are the most striking example, but others adopt memorable visual elements. Metal band Dir En Grey fuses Gothic and horror elements into their look, while Band-Maid lampoons fetishization by dressing like domestic workers and playing ear-splitting metal.

There are many popular Japanese rock musicians from the past half-century, including:

1. 1. Alexandros: Formerly known as Champagne, the Japanese rock quartet Alexandros enjoyed tremendous success on both the singles and albums chart; ALXD, their debut album under the new name, peaked at No. 3, while its follow-up, EXIST, reached No. 1. They’ve since broken into the English-language market with high-profile recording sessions and performances in the States.
2. 2. Gackt: Gakuto Oshiro, who performs as Gackt, was the frontman for the visual kei band Malice Mizer before embarking on a remarkable solo career in 1989. He currently holds the record for most Top 10 consecutive singles by a Japanese solo artist. He has expanded successfully into soundtrack work, acting in film and on stage, and even classical compositions.
3. 3. One OK Rock: One OK Rock’s brand of emo-influenced punk has risen from humble beginnings to one of the most successful J-rock sounds on the planet. The band has amassed three gold and five platinum albums and forged inroads to American audiences through the US label Fueled By Ramen, which has released English-language versions of their albums since 2017.
4. 4. L’Arc-en-Ciel: Another former visual kei band, L'Arc-en-Ciel—which translates to “Arc in the Sky” or “rainbow”—has sold over 40 million albums in Japan, but is perhaps best known to English-language listeners for their anime soundtracks, including the Fullmetal Alchemist TV series. Singer Hyde and former drummer Sakura have gone on to solo careers.
5. 5. X Japan: The visual kei scene is largely credited to X Japan. The elaborately costumed pop-metal band melded intense metal with glam style and a delicate touch with orchestration and piano. The approach has earned them four No. 1 albums in their discography, including the million-selling Jealousy from 1991, which made them global stars. Founder/drummer Yoshiki’s solo career includes collaborations with members of Queen and George Martin, while guitarist Sugizo also plays with the veteran J-rock band Luna Sea.

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