Onmyo-Za
Encyclopedia
Onmyo-za are a Japan
ese heavy metal
band who released their first album in 1999. They play quite orthodox heavy metal music, mixed with elements from Japanese folk and pop music, and play both fast, hard songs and slow ballads. Since their debut in 1999, they have appeared in traditional clothing characteristic of Japan's Heian period
.
Their name refers to Onmyōdō
and the gathering of yin and yang
(Inyo in Japanese, formerly Onmyō), and the theme of opposites and cosmic dual forces are prevalent in their lyrics. This contrast is also represented by the female and male vocals and two guitarists.
with a sense of humor and make references to cat
s.
, such as the oni, yōkai
, and the dragons
. However, some songs have more concrete themes and inspirations. For example, Onmyo-za have composed twelve songs related to "Ninpocho", or "tales of ninja magic". These songs are a tribute to author Futaro Yamada
and his ōchō series. The band's hit song, "Koga Ninpocho", was written for the Studio Gonzo TV animated series Basilisk
, which was based on Yamada's novel, The Kouga Ninja Scrolls
.
There are also some other songs inspired by Osamu Tezuka
and Natsuhiko Kyogoku, and the Kumikyoku Yoshitsune trilogy is based on the legend of Japanese ancient tragic hero
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
. "Soukoku/Doukoku" was written for the Nintendo DS
game The Inugami Clan which was based on Seishi Yokomizo
's novel The Inugami Clan. "Aoki Dokugan" was written for the pachinko
machine "CR Sengoku-ranbu Aoki Dokugan" which is based on the story of Date Masamune
, a famous daimyo
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band who released their first album in 1999. They play quite orthodox heavy metal music, mixed with elements from Japanese folk and pop music, and play both fast, hard songs and slow ballads. Since their debut in 1999, they have appeared in traditional clothing characteristic of Japan's Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
.
Their name refers to Onmyōdō
Onmyodo
is a traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology, a mixture of natural science and occultism. It is based on the Chinese philosophies of Wu Xing and Yin and yang, introduced into Japan at the turn of the 6th century, and accepted as a practical system of divination...
and the gathering of yin and yang
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
(Inyo in Japanese, formerly Onmyō), and the theme of opposites and cosmic dual forces are prevalent in their lyrics. This contrast is also represented by the female and male vocals and two guitarists.
Band members
- Matatabi - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, leader, lyricist, composer - KuronekoKuroneko (singer)is the lead singer of the Japanese heavy metal band, Onmyo-Za.After being part of some local bands, she and Matatabi, who is the leader and the main songwriter, formed Onmyo-za in Osaka in 1999. "Kuroneko" means a black cat and she had used that stagename before Onmyo-Za started. The other members...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, lyricist - Maneki - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Karukan - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
Support members
- Tomotaka Ishikawa - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Abe Masahiro - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Stage names
Each of the band member's stage names feature a double entendreDouble entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
with a sense of humor and make references to cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s.
- Matatabi (瞬火) means "flash fire", but it can also be read as silver vine (loved by cats, similar to catnip).
- Kuroneko (黒猫) literally means "black cat", just symbolizing her personality.
- Maneki (招鬼) practically means "summoning oni", but see also maneki nekoManeki NekoThe is a common Japanese sculpture, often made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. The sculpture depicts a cat beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—many times at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses...
. - Karukan (狩姦) is unclear. Karu (狩) independently means "attacking"/"hunting" and Kan (姦) is "adultery". The kanjiKanjiKanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
姦 and 奸, (the latter now meaning "wickedness") were the same in old times but have been changed. But it is also a brand of cat foodCat foodCat food is food intended for consumption by cats.As with all species, cats have requirements for specific dietary nutrients, rather than ingredients. Certain nutrients, including many vitamins and amino acids, are degraded by the temperatures, pressures and chemical treatments used during...
. - Tora (斗羅) It's pronounced like the word "tiger", but its reading is the same as tabby. It also refers to him being a Hanshin TigersHanshin TigersThe are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
fan.
Theme and inspiration
Their songs mainly deal with Japanese folkloreJapanese folklore
The folklore of Japan is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country. It often involves humorous or bizarre characters and situations and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings, such as bodhisattva, kami , yōkai , yūrei ,...
, such as the oni, yōkai
Yōkai
are a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "otherworldly" and "weird". Yōkai range eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them...
, and the dragons
Japanese dragon
Japanese dragons are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and India. The style of the dragon was heavily influenced by the Chinese dragon...
. However, some songs have more concrete themes and inspirations. For example, Onmyo-za have composed twelve songs related to "Ninpocho", or "tales of ninja magic". These songs are a tribute to author Futaro Yamada
Futaro Yamada
was the pen name of , a Japanese author.He was born in Yabu, Hyogo.In 1947, he wrote a mystery novel and was awarded a prize by a novel magazine .He was discovered by Edogawa Rampo and became a novelist....
and his ōchō series. The band's hit song, "Koga Ninpocho", was written for the Studio Gonzo TV animated series Basilisk
Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls
is a Japanese manga and anime series. The manga was authored by Masaki Segawa and published in Japan in 2003 and 2004, based on the novel The Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Futaro Yamada published in 1958. The anime, produced in 2005 by Gonzo Studios, closely follows the manga aside from a handful of...
, which was based on Yamada's novel, The Kouga Ninja Scrolls
The Kouga Ninja Scrolls
is a historical fantasy novel written in 1958-1959 by the Japanese author Futaro Yamada. The novel was adapted into several comics, a live-acion film and an animated series. It been translated into English by Geoff Sant, and was published by Del Rey in December 2006....
.
There are also some other songs inspired by Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
and Natsuhiko Kyogoku, and the Kumikyoku Yoshitsune trilogy is based on the legend of Japanese ancient tragic hero
Tragic hero
A tragic hero is the main character in a tragedy. Tragic heroes appear in the dramatic works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Seneca, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Webster, Marston, Corneille, Racine, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Strindberg, and many other writers.-Aristotle's tragic hero:Aristotle...
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsune's older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura...
. "Soukoku/Doukoku" was written for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game The Inugami Clan which was based on Seishi Yokomizo
Seishi Yokomizo
was a novelist in Shōwa period Japan.-Early life:Yokomizo was born in the city of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. He read detective stories as a boy and in 1921, while employed by the Daiichi Bank, published his first story in the popular magazine Shin Seinen...
's novel The Inugami Clan. "Aoki Dokugan" was written for the pachinko
Pachinko
is a type of game originating in Japan, and used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a niche in gambling in Japan comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gambling. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but...
machine "CR Sengoku-ranbu Aoki Dokugan" which is based on the story of Date Masamune
Date Masamune
was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai...
, a famous daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
.
Albums
| Title | Album type | Release date | Peak Japanese Chart Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kikoku-Tenshou (鬼哭転生; Wailing Reincarnation) | Studio album | December 5, 1999 | Did not chart |
| Hyakki-Ryouran (百鬼繚乱; Welter of Hundred Demons) | Studio album | December 24, 2000 | Did not chart |
| Kojin-Rasetsu (煌神羅刹; Coruscating god Raksasa) | Studio album | January 10, 2002 | 49 |
| Fuuin-Kairan (封印廻濫; Circulating Seal) | Studio album | July 24, 2002 | 63 |
| Houyoku-Rindou (鳳翼麟瞳; Phoenix Wing, Unicorn's Eye) | Studio album | January 22, 2003 | 23 |
| Mugen-Houyou (夢幻泡影; Illusion of Vapor and Shadow) | Studio album | March 3, 2004 | 27 |
| Garyo-Tensei (臥龍點睛; Finishing Touch) | Studio album | June 22, 2005 | 20 |
| Maou-Taiten (魔王戴天; Evil Lord Takes Heaven) | Studio album | July 25, 2007 | 13 |
| Chimimouryou (魑魅魍魎; Evil River and Mountain Spirits) | Studio album | September 10, 2008 | 9 |
| Kongoukyuubi (金剛九尾; Sturdy Dazzling Ninetails) | Studio album | September 9, 2009 | 13 |
| Kishi-Bojin (鬼子母神) | Studio album | Winter 2011 (announced) |
Compilations
| Title | Album type | Release date | Peak Japanese Chart Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sekinetsu-Enbu (赤熱演舞; Red Hot Dance) | Live album | June 25, 2003 | 68 |
| In'you-Shugyoku (陰陽珠玉; Jewel of Yin and Yang) | "Best of" compilation album | February 8, 2006 | 14 |
| Onmyou-Live (陰陽雷舞; Onmyou Thunder Live) | Live album | June 7, 2006 | 35 |
Singles
| Title | Release date | Peak Japanese Chart Position |
|---|---|---|
| Ouka no Kotowari (桜花ノ理; Logic of Cherry Blossoms) | August 19, 2000 | Did not chart |
| Tsuki ni Murakumo Hana ni Kaze (月に叢雲花に風; Moon in the Clouds, Flower in the Wind) | December 16, 2001 | Did not chart |
| Youka Ninpocho (妖花忍法帖; Ninja Magic Story of Voluptuous Flower) | December 25, 2002] | 57 |
| Houyoku-Tenshou (鳳翼天翔; Soaring Phoenix Wing) | June 4, 2003 | 66 |
| Mezame (醒; Awakening) | October 1, 2003 | 30 |
| Nemuri (睡; Sleep) | January 7, 2004 | 40 |
| Kumikyoku "Yoshitsune" - Akki Hogan (組曲『義経』～悪忌判官; "Yoshitsune" Musical Suite - The Abhorrer of Evil ) | September 23, 2004 | 30 |
| Kumikyoku "Yoshitsune" - Muma Enjou (組曲『義経』～夢魔炎上; Blazing Nightmare ) | October 27, 2004 | 32 |
| Kumikyoku "Yoshitsune" - Raise Kaikou (組曲『義経』～来世邂逅; Reunite in Afterworld ) | November 26, 2004 | 33 |
Kouga Ninpocho (甲賀忍法帖: Ninja Magic Story of the Kouga)
|
April 27, 2005 | 31 |
| Kokui no Tennyo (黒衣の天女; Black-Robed Celestial Maiden ) | June 27, 2007 | 14 |
| Kureha (紅葉; Kureha)
|
August 6, 2008 | 15 |
| Soukoku/Doukoku (相剋/慟哭; Rivalry/Lament)
Nintendo DS The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... game soft theme songs |
January 21, 2009 | 13 |
| Aoki Dokugan (蒼き独眼; The Blue One-eyed )
Date Masamune was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai... |
August 26, 2009 | 17 |
| Konpeki no Soujin (紺碧の双刃; Azure twin blades )
|
February 9, 2011 | 23 |
DVDs
| Title | Video type | Release date | Peak Japanese Chart Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyakki-Korinden (百鬼降臨伝; The Legend of Descent of Hundred Demons) | Live video | January 10, 2002 (VHS) February 14, 2004 (DVD) |
Did not chart |
| Hakkou-Ranbu (白光乱舞; White Shining Boisterous Dance) | Live video | June 25, 2003 | 40 |
| Wagashikabane wo Koeteyuke (我屍越行; Go Beyond the Corpse of Mine) | Live video | March 2, 2005 | 28 |
| Yuugen-Reibu (幽玄霊舞; The Live for Profoundness and Sprits) | Live video | August 22, 2005 | Did not chart |
| Shugyoku-Enbu (珠玉宴舞; The Jewel of Feast and Dance) | Live video | June 21, 2006 | 40 |
| Tenkafubu (天下布舞; Conquer the World with Pagent) | Live video | January 23, 2008 | 44 |
| Ryuou Rinbu (龍凰輪舞; Rondo of Dragon and Phoenix) | Live video | April 21, 2010 | 24 |
| Shikigami Raibu (式神雷舞; Shikigami Thunder Live) | Live video | July 1, 2010 | Did not chart |