Toshimitsu Deyama (Japanese: 出山 利三, Hepburn: Deyama Toshimitsu; born October 10, 1965), known exclusively by his stage name Toshi, is a Japanese singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist and a co-founder of the rock band X Japan, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s and is credited as founders of the visual kei movement. Toshi began an extensive solo career in 1992 before leaving X Japan at the end of 1997. Toshi said he was "brainwashed" by a group called Home of Heart, whose leader would control his musical output for the next 12 years. In 2007, X Japan reunited and began a world tour. Toshi severed ties with Home of Heart in January 2010 and renewed his solo career. In January 2018, he began to use the stage name Ryugen Toshi (龍玄とし, Ryūgen Toshi). In 2018, readers and professional musicians voted Toshi the best vocalist in the history of hard rock and heavy metal in We Rock magazine's "Metal General Election". His distinctive, impassioned tenor vocals have been compared to those of Steve Perry.
Bands
- X Japan - current member
Credited On
- X Japan - Blue Blood Tour Bakuhatsu Sunzen GIG - X Japan, released September 5, 2001 (
KSB5-5734). Vocals.
Biography
Translated from the ja.wikipedia article Toshl (CC BY-SA 4.0), revision 110467133.
Meeting YOSHIKI to Leaving X JAPAN
Born on October 10, 1965, in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, as the third son of a civil servant father and a piano teacher mother.
He met YOSHIKI in kindergarten. In 1977, he formed the band DYNAMITE with YOSHIKI, followed by the band NOISE in 1978, in which he played guitar. In 1982, they formed the band X, and he made his major-label debut as X's vocalist in 1989.
In 1992, X temporarily suspended its activities. From April to August of that year, he served as a personality on the first Wednesday segment of All Night Nippon. In October, he released his solo debut single, “made in HEAVEN,” followed by the album made In HEAVEN in November. Centered on medium-tempo songs, the album dispelled the image of him as “TOSHI of X.”
In 1993, he took part in Act Against AIDS, performing covers of Japanese folk and rock songs. His appearance in Act Against AIDS was prompted by his encounter with an oil painting of Toshl by Takayoshi Iwasaki, a young man who died at the age of 19 on April 4 of that year as a result of the HIV-tainted blood products scandal. He subsequently held a solo concert tour with NIGHT HAWKS. He also starred as Hamlet in the rock opera Hamlet.
In 1994, he released several singles and the album MISSION in collaboration with NIGHT HAWKS. The guitarist and composer who would later become Chachamaru participated in the project. In 1995, he released the album GRACE. He was involved in either the lyrics or composition of every song, and the work had a country-pop style incorporating acoustic guitar. Although he appeared to be enjoying smooth success as the vocalist of X JAPAN, which had become highly popular as rock stars, he later recalled that he had been mentally distressed during this period.
In January 1997, he released the album Aoi Uchu no Tabibito. It was a work that fully incorporated healing, and he said that this album determined his subsequent direction. On February 14 of that year, he married the idol Kaori Moriya, with whom he had co-starred in Hamlet, after approximately four years of dating.
In April 1997, he announced his departure from X JAPAN, citing financial troubles involving his family and the arduous recording of the album DAHLIA. X JAPAN disbanded following its concert at Tokyo Dome, “THE LAST LIVE: Saigo no Yoru,” on December 31 of that year. In November, he had released the single “NATURAL HIGH / Love Song” under the collaborative name Toshi & Taro Hakase. In 1998, he released the album CANARY (Kowareta Sekai de Kanaria wa Utau), a progressive rock-style work that made extensive use of violin and synthesizer.
Activities With MASAYA
In July 1998, TOSHI appeared as a traveler on the NHK BS2 program Sekai Yuyu (世界悠々). Its theme songs were “Kimi wa Inai ka” (君はいないか) and “Mori to Kaze no Tabibito” (森と風の旅人), composed by MASAYA. That year, he transferred to Teichiku and released the single “Kimi wa Inai ka,” written and composed by MASAYA, with MASAYA serving as producer and composer. In 1999, he moved to Lemuria Island Records and released the album Ai no Uta o Utaitai (愛の詩をうたいたい). The album was a classical healing work backed by strings, with its rock elements largely absent and its keys lowered substantially from his previous work.
From March 1999, he held the nationwide talk-and-live tour Utatabi (詩旅). He performed MASAYA’s songs in a singer-songwriter format, accompanying himself on keyboard, guitar and other instruments, as well as in a classical concert format accompanied by a string quartet. Around this time, he stopped wearing rock-style clothing and the sunglasses that had been his trademark, and began appearing in a more casual style. Venues for the Ai no Uta o Utaitai tour were mainly record stores, nursing homes, shopping streets and supermarkets. He said that being able to sing in many different places made him happy, although he was surprised when the bed of a truck served as the stage. Subsequently, some weekly magazines reported that “ToshI had been brainwashed.” Toshl’s side claimed that the reports were fabrications orchestrated by Toshl’s elder brother over his own interests, while his brother denied this.
He listed many items from his time in X JAPAN, including band costumes, on Yahoo! Auctions.
In 2001, he began Shi Tabi: Utatabi (詩旅〜うたたび). Between concerts, he visited schools; welfare facilities for local elderly people, people with disabilities and children; hospices; juvenile training schools; and prisons, giving volunteer mini-concerts. Under the name “Toshi Healing,” he also held concerts at halls and restaurants in Japan and abroad, including South Korea and Shanghai, China, as well as at various local events and dinner shows. He gave several performances a day, almost without days off throughout the year, performing more than 10,000 times in a variety of locations. As he traveled throughout Japan, he also spoke deeply about his past and conveyed the importance of “healing the heart” through music and MCs.
In January 2007, he ended Utatabi, which he had continued for eight years. At the same time, sales of products associated with it were also discontinued.
X JAPAN Reunion to the End of Solo Activities
On February 10, 2007, he announced on his official website that discussions toward reuniting X JAPAN were underway. Although YOSHIKI had expressed concern about Toshl's return to the major music scene in a magazine interview, asking, “Will the current Toshl perform rock music?”, Toshl commented that he would “accept rock as one form of healing as well.” On March 21, he announced on his official website that he had visited YOSHIKI, who lived in Los Angeles, United States, and that they had performed together for the first time in approximately ten years. On October 22, X JAPAN reunited. Appearing almost unchanged from the time of the band's breakup, with the hairstyle he had during the latter part of the band's major-label period and sunglasses, he filmed the music video for the new song “I.V.”
In January 2008, Toshl's official website underwent a major redesign, and the name “X JAPAN,” which had not appeared at all during his solo activities, was included. On February 25, under the name TOSHI HEALING, he released the four-disc, 18-track best album of healing music, TOSHI HEALING Ai no Uta o Utaitai, including newly recorded versions of “Ai no Uta o Utaitai” and “Oozora o Tobu Tori no You ni.” From March 28 to 30, X JAPAN held its three-night comeback concert series at Tokyo Dome, Attack Restart 2008 I.V. ~Towards Destruction~. On April 1, he released the single “EARTH IN THE DARK ~Aozora ni Mukatte~,” produced by MASAYA, through Healing World. An instrumental version of the song was used as background music during X JAPAN's comeback concerts.
On April 2, he released the photo book EARTH IN THE DARK through WAC Publishing. On May 12, he attended an event in Tokyo for the photo book's release. On May 4, he appeared as a member of X JAPAN at hide memorial summit. On June 11, he announced the formation of the rock band TOSHI with T-EARTH, based on the concept of “eco-hard rock,” at Ameba Studio. At the same time, JUN, formerly of Phantasmagoria, and Juya of Charlotte joined the band as guitarists. On June 29, LEVIN, formerly of La'cryma Christi, was announced as the band's drummer. On July 1, it was announced that Shinya of LUNA SEA was scheduled to appear at the Osaka, Fukuoka, and Tokyo dates of the tour.
On September 27 and 28, 2008, he appeared at Kitakyushu Music Festa in Murasakigawa 2008, performing a total of four shows over the two days. In October 2009, he suspended activities after developing intercostal neuralgia.
After Parting Ways With MASAYA
On January 18, 2010, he held a press conference in Tokyo and announced that he had left Home of Heart Co., Ltd. and Healing World Co., Ltd., successor organizations to Lemuria Island Records. He also revealed that he was in divorce mediation with his wife, Kaori Moriya. Meanwhile, on February 2, Home of Heart opened the PC website “TOSHI STORE SITE” and the mobile website “TOSHI MOBILE STORE,” effective February 1. From the same day, it began selling commemorative sets of CDs, DVDs, and other goods from his solo activities, including TOSHI HISTORY, Utatabi, TOSHI DUET, and Toshi with T-EARTH, under the title “Thank You Sale Thanksgiving Festival.”
On February 8, he launched a new official website, “Bushi JAPAN,” and announced the release of Bushi JAPAN, his first album since resuming activities. He also announced that he would change the spelling of his name to “Toshl.” On February 24, he held the concert “Toshl LAST CONCERT ‘Bushi JAPAN’” at Akasaka BLITZ. The concert was produced by YOSHIKI and also featured members of X JAPAN. He performed newly written songs as well as songs by the individual members. During the encore, he performed X JAPAN’s “Forever Love” and “ENDLESS RAIN.” Following this live performance, also referred to as a farewell concert, he brought his previous solo activities to an end and resumed activities as the vocalist of X JAPAN.
On July 10, 2010, he held the “1st Toshl-CLUB Meeting” in the Grand Ballroom on the second floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo. In addition to performing new songs, X JAPAN members HEATH and YOSHIKI appeared as surprise guests.
On January 24 and 25, 2011, he held his first solo dinner show, “Toshl Feat. YOSHIKI with Sekai no Mikuni Special Concert & Dinner: Kimi of the Crystal Piano,” at The Prince Park Tower Tokyo. From April 9, he held the “Great East Japan Earthquake Toshl Charity Concert,” a concert tour supporting recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Beginning at the Hashima City Cultural Center in Gifu Prefecture, he gave eight performances in four cities: Kanazawa, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Hashima.
On August 18 and 19, 2011, he held dinner shows at The Prince Park Tower Tokyo in Shiba Park, Tokyo, with YOSHIKI as a guest. He performed 13 songs on stage, including his solo song “Hoshizora no Neptune” and X JAPAN’s “Forever Love.” The August 18 show was titled “A Crystal Night for You Amid Falling Light,” while the August 19 show was titled “A Gorgeous Midsummer Night with Toshl and YOSHIKI.”
On September 30, 2011, he visited Matsuiwa Elementary School, Motoyoshi Hibiki High School, Oya Junior High School, and the local company Kesennuma Shokai in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, holding mini-concerts at each location. He donated a grand piano, guitars, unicycles, and other items.
On October 10, 2011, he held the “2nd Fan Meeting: Gathering Under the Starry Sky” at The Prince Park Tower Tokyo. He performed three songs: “Haru no Negai,” “Hoshizora no Neptune,” and, as an encore, X JAPAN’s “Forever Love.”
On January 23, 2014, he visited Kamikawa, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido. As a special class in music education for all students of Kamikawa Junior High School and Kamikawa High School, he held the “Human Development Lecture: Toshl Massage Live in Kamikawa ‘A Miraculous Encounter’” at Kamikawa Town Coming Hall. He spoke about his life experiences, and later said that he had been deeply moved by essays sent to him by students. He performed songs including “Forever Love.” On July 7, he held the concert “Toshl CONCERT - PRAY FOR THE STARS” at Yamaha Hall. On July 27, to commemorate the release of his book Sennou, which he had written over approximately one year, he held a signed-book handover and handshake event at the Shinjuku Subnade branch of Fukuya Shoten. The event was also held on August 10 at the Grand Front Osaka branch of Kinokuniya Bookstore and on October 29 at the Shinkawa-dori branch of Coach & Four in Sapporo. On August 9, he appeared on the Nico Nico Live Broadcast program “Sennou: Survival from 12 Years of Hell & CRYSTAL ROCK NIGHT Nico Nico Live SP.”
On August 22, 2014, he appeared on Nakai Masahiro no Kinyoubi no Suma-tachi e. Through video footage and discussion, he candidly spoke about the circumstances surrounding the band’s breakup and the suffering and experiences he endured for approximately 12 years. At the end of the program, he performed “Forever Love” as a solo vocal-and-piano performance. On August 25, he held a solo concert with a backing band at Zepp DiverCity titled “CRYSTAL ROCK NIGHT SUMMER LIVE IN DAIBA: Mirai o EYE Shiteru Ze.”
On March 25, 2015, he released the single “Gunjou no Yuugure.” He appeared at Kansai Collection 2015 Spring/Summer, held at Kyocera Dome on April 12. On April 29, he held the dinner show “Toshl DINE & CONCERT 2015 Presented by ROHTO” at Hotel New Otani. On May 24, to commemorate the launch of the “Toshl CRYSTAL ROCK Channel,” he appeared live at Nico Bukuro Studio at Nico Nico Honsha in Ikebukuro.
In March 2016, he became sound producer for Fuji Games, a game business company established by Fuji Television.
In September 2018, he participated in X JAPAN’s performance at Makuhari Messe. Following this performance, he did not participate in X JAPAN’s activities and did not meet YOSHIKI in public.
In November 2018, he released his first cover album, IM A SINGER, through Universal Music. It sold 22,946 copies in its first week and reached number four on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart. It was his first top-ten album since GRACE, 23 years earlier.
In December 2019, he released his second cover album, IM A SINGER VOL.2, on December 4. It sold 14,380 copies in its first week and reached number eight on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart dated December 16, 2019. Following his previous album, it entered the top ten of the album chart.
In April 2020, he released the new song “BE ALL RIGHT” as a digital-only release. The song was used as the theme song for the Nippon Television drama Guilty: Kono Koi wa Tsumi Desu ka? It was his first release of an original song through a major label in 22 years, and his first drama tie-in in his solo career.
In April 2026, he covered Crystal King’s “Ai o Torimodose!!,” which was used as the ending theme for the television anime Fist of the North Star -FIST OF THE NORTH STAR-.
Sources
- Wikidata entity Q360634.
- en.wikipedia, Toshi (musician) (revision 1366294429), CC BY-SA 4.0.
- ja.wikipedia, Toshl (revision 110467133), CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photograph: Deadpool 2 Japan Premiere Red Carpet Toshl (41555176645).jpg on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, by Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan.
