Kurayamisaka (styled in all lower case; pronounced as Kurayamizaka) is a rock band from Tokyo, Japan, formed in 2022 and consisting of guitarist and songwriter Shotaro Shimizu, vocalist Sachi Naito, bassist Rinpei Asami, drummer Yosuke Hotta, and guitarist Ryuji Fukuda.
History
Kurayamisaka was formed in the Ōi neighborhood of Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan, in 2022. The formation was the initiative of guitarist and songwriter Shotaro Shimizu, who had moved to Tokyo from his rural home town in Agui, Aichi, for university in 2019. He first invited former university classmate and vocalist Sachi Naito, with whom he had played in a J-pop-inspired band that disbanded upon their graduation. Shimizu also recruited bassist Rinpei Asami, who in turned introduced his childhood friend and drummer Yosuke Hotta; impressed with a video of his skills, Shimizu invited Hotta to the band over Line. Guitarist Ryuji Fukuda had previously played with Shimizu and Naito in university; struggling to form a band of his own, he asked Shimizu to join Kurayamisaka when he heard about the band on X/Twitter, to which he was accepted, forming the five-member line-up. They named themselves after , otherwise known as , a sloped street in Tokyo which Shimizu regularly passed on his way to work. He liked the name and chose it for the band.
After the singles "Farewell" in March and "Seasons" in August, Kurayamisaka released their debut EP, Kimi wo Omotte Iru (), a concept album about two women about to depart, on October 2, 2022. Its underground success afforded the band opportunites to play sold out shows at live houses and to appear at the Rookie-A-Go-Go stage of the Fuji Rock Festival in 2024. Subsequently, they were included as the only Japanese act on NME list of "100 Essential Emerging Artists for 2025".
The band released their debut album, Kurayamisaka yori Ai wo Komete (), on September 10, 2025. The album immediately received positive reviews from critics. It won the Grand Prix at the CD Shop Awards in the Blue category, awarded to the best album of the year by a newcoming artist, and Mikiki Yuji Tayama declared it "undeniably a masterpiece worthy of being ranked among the best of the year". Ryōka Naruse for Rockin'On Japan regarded the album as a nostalgia-inducing abstract story about an unspecified character, who questions their future with another person.
Musical style
The Japan Times Patrick St. Michel described the sound of Kurayamisaka yori Ai wo Komete as "loud, distortion-laden guitar rock". Despite its positive reception from critics, he also wrote that the album was considered "derivative and emotionally hollow" by some listeners, who questioned its classification as shoegaze. In their "100 Essential Emerging Artists" list, NME described the band: "Keeping the flag running high for the country's long-celebrated [shoegaze] scene, Tokyo up-and-comers Kurayamisaka marry the melodic sensibilities of early 2000s J-rock with walls of majestic sludge ('Cinema Paradiso') and blood-pumping grooves ('Curtain Call'). They make music that's euphoric, cinematic and romantic all at the same time." Yūsuke Tsuruta for The Yomiuri Shimbun identified the key component of the band's style as the combination of loud guitars with Naito's "transient, heartaching" vocals — "blending mismatched elements for a strange balance" — and wrote that the band were seemingly headed towards a new era of Japanese alternative music.
Outside of Kurayamisaka, Shimizu also plays in the alternative band Sedai and Asami is the bassist in Yubiori. Shimizu said: "Maybe it was common to do just one band in the past, but now it's common to have more than one outlet to express yourself. One band can be too limiting."
Members Adapted from The Japan Times and The Yomiuri Shimbun guitar, vocals, songwriting vocals, guitar bass drums guitar
Discography
Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positions Select Top Albums Sales on the dropdown menu under 週間チャート Select Download Albums on the dropdown menu under 週間チャート Kurayamisaka yori Ai wo KometeReleased: September 10, 2025 Label: Tomoran 22 58
EPs + List of EPs Title EP details Kimi wo Omotte IruReleased: October 2, 2022
Live albums + List of live albums Title Album details Kurayamisaka tte, Doko? #4 (Hajimete no Tandoku Kōen-hen)Released: September 10, 2025 Bundle with the first edition to Kurayamisaka yori Ai wo Komete Kurayamisaka tte, Doko? #6 (Kurayamisaka yori Ai wo Komete Tour) (Kawasaki Club Citta')Released: February 25, 2026
Singles + List of singles Title Year Album "Farewell" 2022 Kimi wo Omotte Iru "Seasons" "Ever Green" / "Modify Youth" 2023 Kurayamisaka yori Ai wo Komete "Highway" 2024 "Jitensha" "Sekisei Inko" 2025 "Sagittarius" 2026 rowspan="3" "Hikari" "Summer Film"
References
External links