Kobukuro
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese band
, which formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001. The name is a portmanteau of the two family names, Kentarō Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda.
near Osaka
. Kobuchi was a salesman who held street concerts every Saturday for relaxation and Kuroda was a physical education teacher and a street musician. In September the same year, Kobuchi offered Kuroda a song and seeing that Kuroda was not a skilled guitar player, Kobuchi became the guitar player of the group. Thus, Kobukuro was formed.
Kobukuro received moderately successful ratings for their first three indie albums—Saturday 8:PM (July 1999), ANSWER (December 2000) and Root of My Mind (March 2001). Kobukuro signed with Warner Music Japan in 2001, and made their debut with the hit single, "Yell" which reached number 4 on the Oricon Charts.
Kobukuro released the studio album Nameless World on December 21, 2005. Nameless World became their first number-one album on the Oricon weekly charts. On September 27, 2006, they released their greatest hits
album All Singles Best, which topped the Oricon weekly charts for four consecutive weeks.
On March 21, 2007, Kobukuro released the single "Tsubomi." When the song "Tsubomi" was released, Marty Friedman pointed out that the song's arrangement was too simple and did away with the influence of the music of the Western culture
. The song "Tsubomi" became their first number-one single on the Oricon weekly charts. "Tsubomi" won the coveted "Grand Prix" awards in December 2007 at the 49th Japan Record Awards
. The song was included in their 2007 studio album 5296, which also topped the Oricon weekly charts.
On their 2009 album Calling
, Kobuchi wrote "Sayonara Hero" as a memorial song for Kiyoshiro Imawano
, who had died earlier that year. On March 3, 2010, they released their cover version of "Layla
" (used in a Pepsi Nex commercial they starred in) as a digital single of iTunes Store
without the release of the CD single.
When the Oricon weekly charts dated May 17, 2010 was released, the sales of All Singles Best passed 3,000,000 copies on the Oricon charts, becoming the first album to do so in 7 years 10 months since the 2002 achievement of Southern All Stars
' Umi no Yeah!!, released on June 25, 1998.
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 band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, which formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001. The name is a portmanteau of the two family names, Kentarō Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda.
Members
The band's visual appearance is unusual; only two people, and Kuroda stands over 193 cm (6'4") tall.History
In May 1998, Kobuchi and Kuroda met each other in SakaiSakai, Osaka
is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.Following the February 2005 annexation of the town of Mihara, from Minamikawachi District, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in...
near Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Kobuchi was a salesman who held street concerts every Saturday for relaxation and Kuroda was a physical education teacher and a street musician. In September the same year, Kobuchi offered Kuroda a song and seeing that Kuroda was not a skilled guitar player, Kobuchi became the guitar player of the group. Thus, Kobukuro was formed.
Kobukuro received moderately successful ratings for their first three indie albums—Saturday 8:PM (July 1999), ANSWER (December 2000) and Root of My Mind (March 2001). Kobukuro signed with Warner Music Japan in 2001, and made their debut with the hit single, "Yell" which reached number 4 on the Oricon Charts.
Kobukuro released the studio album Nameless World on December 21, 2005. Nameless World became their first number-one album on the Oricon weekly charts. On September 27, 2006, they released their greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album All Singles Best, which topped the Oricon weekly charts for four consecutive weeks.
On March 21, 2007, Kobukuro released the single "Tsubomi." When the song "Tsubomi" was released, Marty Friedman pointed out that the song's arrangement was too simple and did away with the influence of the music of the Western culture
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
. The song "Tsubomi" became their first number-one single on the Oricon weekly charts. "Tsubomi" won the coveted "Grand Prix" awards in December 2007 at the 49th Japan Record Awards
49th Japan Record Awards
The 49th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the New National Theatre in Shibuya, Tokyo, on December 30, 2007, starting at 6:30PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Awards winners :*Japan Record Award: Tsubomi...
. The song was included in their 2007 studio album 5296, which also topped the Oricon weekly charts.
On their 2009 album Calling
Calling (Kobukuro album)
Calling is Kobukuro's 8th album under Warner Music Japan, released on August 5, 2009. The song "Sayonara Hero" was written by Kentaro Kobuchi as a tribute to Kiyoshiro Imawano.-Track listing:# Sayonara HERO # Koigokoro...
, Kobuchi wrote "Sayonara Hero" as a memorial song for Kiyoshiro Imawano
Kiyoshiro Imawano
, born , was a Japanese rock musician, lyricist, composer, musical producer, and actor from Tokyo, Japan. He was dubbed "Japan's King of Rock". He formed and led an influential rock band RC Succession....
, who had died earlier that year. On March 3, 2010, they released their cover version of "Layla
Layla
"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally released by their blues-rock band, Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs...
" (used in a Pepsi Nex commercial they starred in) as a digital single of iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
without the release of the CD single.
When the Oricon weekly charts dated May 17, 2010 was released, the sales of All Singles Best passed 3,000,000 copies on the Oricon charts, becoming the first album to do so in 7 years 10 months since the 2002 achievement of Southern All Stars
Southern All Stars
, also known by the abbreviations or SAS, is a Japanese pop/rock band that formed in the mid 1970s.The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata , Yuko Hara , Kazuyuki Sekiguchi , Hiroshi Matsuda and Hideyuki "Kegani" Nozawa...
' Umi no Yeah!!, released on June 25, 1998.
Singles
| Original Japanese Title | Romanized Name | Translation of Title | Release Date | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yell ~エール~ / Bell | ||||
| Yell / Bell | 22 March 2001 | 245,390 | ||
| 轍 | Wadachi | Rut | 20 June 2001 | 53,430 |
| You / Miss You | ||||
| 21 November 2001 | 22,360 | |||
| 風 | Kaze | Wind | 14 February 2002 | 120,000 |
| 願いの詩 / 太陽 | Negai no Uta / Taiyō | Song of Wish / The Sun | 10 July 2002 | 37,620 |
| 雪の降らない街 | Yuki no Furanai Machi | The Town Without Snow | 13 November 2002 | 27,988 |
| 宝島 | Takarajima | Treasure Island | 9 April 2003 | 24,482 |
| Blue Blue | ||||
| 27 August 2003 | 16,134 | |||
| Door | ||||
| 12 May 2004 | 20,083 | |||
| 永遠にともに / Million Films / ここから | Towa ni Tomo ni / Million Films / Koko kara | Forever with You / Million Films / From Here | 14 October 2004 | 146,265 |
| ここにしか咲かない花 | Koko ni Shika Sakanai Hana | A flower that only blooms here | 11 May 2005 | 407,200 |
| 桜 | Sakura | Cherry Blossoms | 2 November 2005 | 434,389 |
| 君という名の翼 | Kimi to Iu Na no Tsubasa | Wings That Are Named You | 26 July 2006 | 106,957 |
| 蕾 | Tsubomi | Flower Bud | 21 March 2007 | 506,093 |
| 蒼く 優しく | Aoku Yasashiku | Bluer, Gentler | 7 November 2007 | 213,961 |
| 時の足音 | Toki no Ashioto | Footsteps of Time | 29 October 2008 | 255,485 |
| 虹 | Niji | Rainbow | 15 April 2009 | 102,577 |
| Stay | ||||
| 15 July 2009 | 86,290 | |||
| 流星 | Ryūsei | Meteor | 17 November 2010 | 113,503 |
| Blue Bird | ||||
| 16 February 2011 | 78,224 | |||
| あの太陽が、この世界を照らし続けるように。 | Ano Taiyō ga, Kono Sekai o Terashi Tuzukeru Yōni. | I Wish That Sun Continued Lighting up This World | 27 April 2011 | 48,093 |
Albums
| Released | Title | Peak | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 21, 1999 | Saturday 8PM | #294 | |
| March 4, 2000 | Root of My Mind | #197 | |
| December 19, 2000 | Answer | ||
| August 29, 2001 | Roadmade | #6 | 105,000 |
| August 28, 2002 | Grapefruits | #4 | 100,000 |
| November 6, 2003 | Straight | #10 | 46,000 |
| November 3, 2004 | Music Man Ship | #3 | 250,000 |
| December 21, 2005 | Nameless World | #1 | 868,237 |
| September 27, 2006 | All Singles Best | #1 | 3,016,199 |
| December 19, 2007 | 5296 | #1 | 1,428,072 |
| August 5, 2009 | Calling Calling (Kobukuro album) Calling is Kobukuro's 8th album under Warner Music Japan, released on August 5, 2009. The song "Sayonara Hero" was written by Kentaro Kobuchi as a tribute to Kiyoshiro Imawano.-Track listing:# Sayonara HERO # Koigokoro... |
#1 | 476,517 |
| August 25, 2010 | All Covers Best | #1 | 386,706 |