Anzen Chitai

Anzen Chitai
Origin	Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan
Genres	Rock
Years active	1973–1988, 1990–1992, 2002–2003, 2009–present
Labels	Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Kitty Records, Universal Music Group
Associated acts	Yōsui Inoue
Website	www.anzenchitai.jp
Members
Koji Tamaki Yutaka Takezawa Wataru Yahagi Haruyoshi Rokudo Yuji Tanaka
Past members
Toshiya Takezawa Takahiro Miyashita Kazuyoshi Tamaki Ichiji Ohira

Anzen Chitai (安全地帯, literally "Safety Zone") is a Japanese rock band, formed in 1973 by five musicians in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan. It debuted in 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. They became one of Japan's most successful rock bands in the 1980s.

Members

• Koji Tamaki (玉置 浩二, Tamaki Kōji) - Vocals, Guitars & Percussion (1973–present)
• Yutaka Takezawa (武沢 豊, Takezawa Yutaka) - Guitars (1973–present)
• Wataru Yahagi (矢萩 渉, Yahagi Wataru) - Guitars (1977–present)
• Haruyoshi Rokudo (六土 開正, Rokudō Haruyoshi) Bass, Piano & Keyboards (1977–present)
• Yuji Tanaka (田中 裕二, Tanaka Yūji) - Drums (1977–1978, 1982–present)

Past members

• Toshiya Takezawa (武沢 俊也, Takezawa Toshiya) - Guitars, Keyboards (1973–1981)
• Takahiro Miyashita (宮下 隆宏, Miyashita Takahiro) - Bass (1973–1978)
• Kazuyoshi Tamaki (玉置 一芳, Tamaki Kazuyoshi) - Drums (1973–1977)
• Ichiji Ohira (大平 市治, Ōhira Ichiji) - Drums (1977–1982)

History

1970s: Beginnings

Formed in 1973 as the high-school garage band Invader in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, its original members included vocalist Koji Tamaki, guitarist Yutaka Takezawa and guitarist/keyboardist Toshiya Takezawa, who is also Yutaka's brother. Later, in late 1973, Koji's brother and drummer, Kazuyoshi Tamaki and bassist Takahiro Miyashita joined. In 1977, the band changed its name to Anzen Chitai ("Safety Zone"), and Kazuyoshi Tamaki left the group to be replaced by Ichiji Ohira. By December 1977, Anzen Chitai merged with another band, the Haruyoshi Rokudo Band (六土開正バンド, Rokudō Haruyoshi Bando), and added three more members: bassist Haruyoshi Rokudo, guitarist Wataru Yahagi, and drummer Yuji Tanaka. By this point, they had expanded to an eight-member group. Within the next three years, Toshiya Takezawa and Takahiro Miyashita would leave. Yuji Tanaka would also leave at this point.

1980s: Commercial success

In 1981, they began work as a backup band for singer-songwriter Yōsui Inoue, and released their debut single, "Moegi Iro no Snap" (萌黄色のスナップ, Moegi Iro no Sunappu) under the Kitty Records in February 1982. However, the final personnel change would occur as Ichiji Ohira would leave, and Yuji Tanaka would return in his place, establishing the current lineup.

Under the guidance of their producer and co-arranger Masaru Hoshi (星 勝, Hoshi Masaru), lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic rock group The Mops, the band continued to refine their craft in the studio. Their status as a backup band would soon change: in 1984, "Wine Red no Kokoro" (ワインレッドの心, Wain Reddo No Kokoro, lit. Wine Red Heart) reached No. 1 on the Oricon charts, to be followed by among others, "Kanashimi ni Sayonara" (悲しみにさよなら) and "Suki Sa" (好きさ) (featured on the popular Rumiko Takahashi anime series Maison Ikkoku). "Wine Red no Kokoro" was composed by Koji Tamaki with lyrics by Yōsui Inoue. Koji Tamaki was credited as the sole composer in virtually all of Anzen Chitai's music, with Gorō Matsui being the lyricist frequently. Their popularity in the 1980s culminated in a five-day soldout concert tour at the Nippon Budokan in 1987, which had a total attendance of 60,000.

1990s and 2000s: Frequent hiatuses

Despite a couple of hiatuses for the sake of solo careers (July 1988-March 1990, 1993–2001), Anzen Chitai continued to record and tour. A new studio album was released in October 2003, titled Anzen Chitai X (their tenth studio album). After their Japanese concert tour in support of the "Anzen Chitai X" album, the band announced at the end of 2003 that they are taking yet another indefinite hiatus.

As of 2006, Koji Tamaki remains active as a solo performer and television actor, with Wataru Yahagi performing in both his solo albums and concerts. Yutaka Takezawa is also active in the music business as a composer, producer, arranger and session guitarist.

On April 28, 2008, fan club members were notified that Tamaki has announced his retirement from music, as well as the closing of the official Koji Tamaki & Anzenchitai fan club, Star. Illness that requires long-term treatment was cited for his decision.

During the second half of 2009, the band held secret meetings and decided to regroup. Similar to their amateur days, band members lodged together to practise and compose music.

2010–present: Returning from hiatus

On January 8, 2010, the band announced the resumption of their career along with making apprearance on the television program Tokudane!. Switching back to Universal Music Japan (which has absorbed their former label Kitty Records and is the distributor of their pre-Sony Music Japan catalog) as their record label, a music video for their new single "Aoi Bara" was released.

Their double A-side single "Aoi Bara/Wine Red no Kokoro (2010 version)" was released on March 3, 2010. Tamaki wrote the lyrics and music of "Aoi Bara." The single debuted at #9 on Oricon weekly charts, becoming their first Top 10 single in 21 years 6 months since their single "Hohoemi ni Kanpai" in 1988.

Discography

Albums

Title	Japanese	Date
Anzen Chitai I Remember to Remember	安全地帯 I Remember to Remember	25/01/1983
Anzen Chitai II	安全地帯 II	01/05/1984
Anzen Chitai III ~Dakishimetai	安全地帯 III 〜抱きしめたい	01/12/1984
Anzen Chitai IV	安全地帯 IV	24/11/1985
Anzen Chitai V	安全地帯 V	14/12/1986
Anzen Chitai VI ~Tsuki no Nureta Futari	安全地帯 VI 〜月に濡れたふたり	10/04/1988
Anzen Chitai VII ~Yume no Miyako	安全地帯 VII 〜夢の都	25/07/1990
Anzen Chitai VIII ~Taiyou	安全地帯 VIII 〜太陽	11/12/1991
Anzen Chitai IX	安全地帯 IX	07/08/2002
Anzen Chitai X ~Ame Nochi Hare~	安全地帯 X 〜雨のち晴れ〜	22/10/2003
Anzen Chitai XI ☆STARTS☆ "Mata ne...."	安全地帯 XI ☆STARTS☆「またね…。」	26/05/2010
Anzen Chitai XII	安全地帯 XII	14/09/2011

External links

• Anzen Chitai's Official Website (in Japanese)