Ningen Isu (Japanese: 人間椅子, Hepburn: Ningen'isu, lit. "The Human Chair") is a Japanese heavy metal band from Hirosaki, formed in 1987 by Shinji Wajima (guitars and vocal) and Ken-ichi Suzuki (bass and vocal).[2][3] They took their name from the 1924 short story of the same name by Edogawa Rampo.[4]
Both natives of Hirosaki, Wajima and Suzuki first became acquainted with one another while attending a concert in a local music salon. They eventually became close friends when in 1981, they both entered Hirosaki High School. Their friendship would further develop through frequent exchanges of music-records. It was around this time that Suzuki first exposed Wajima to the music of Kiss. Wajima himself was listening to the music of The Beatles, King Crimson, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin at the time, while Suzuki favored Kiss, Saxon and Judas Priest. Suzuki was impressed by Wajima's talent for songwriting and wrote a song called "Demon", while Wajima wrote a song called "Tetsugōshi Mokushi-roku" (Apocalypse of Iron Grill), which was not received well by the music salon but which Suzuki liked nonetheless. Two years later, Wajima and Suzuki joined Shine Shine Dan ('dead dead group'), a band formed by members of the salon, with whom they played hard rock songs at music festivals.
In 1985, after entering different universities (Wajima would study Buddhism at Komazawa University while Suzuki studied Russian literature at Sophia University), they formed a hard rock band, whose name was changed to Ningen'isu in 1987, the year when drummer Noriyoshi Kamidate joined the band. They first gained public attention in 1989 through a performance of their song Injū (Beast In The Shadows) on the Japanese Television program "Ikasu Band Tengoku" (which roughly translates to "cool band heaven"), a newly enitiated TV-band-contest that first aired on TBS Television during the same year.[5] Their uniquely heavy sound, technical skill, and lyrics full of literary references took the judges by surprise.
1990 – 2004
In 1990, they released their first album "Ningen Isu", followed two years later by "Ōgon no Yoake", after which Kamidate left the band. They kept heavy sound and lyrics full of literature.
Drummer Masuhiro Goto would support the recording of their fourth album "Rashōmon" in 1993. In 1995 and 1996, Iwao Tsuchiya served as the band's drummer but was replaced by Goto as a permanent member until his leaving in 2003.
In 2004, the current drummer Nobu Nakajima joined. Wajima, Suzuki, and Nakajima once lived in a neighborhood in the district Koenji, Tokyo, which is famous for its subculture, music and free atmosphere.
2004 – 2020
Ningen Isu has seen a significant increase in popularity in recent years. They spent years being little known outside Japan; the sales of their CDs didn't go well, but they gradually gained popularity.
The band played at the Ozzfest 2013, hosted by Ozzy Osbourne, which they as Black Sabbath fans felt honored by. And after that, they have got more and more fans.
In 2019, their record "Shin Seinen" reached rank 14 in the Oricon music charts, their highest chart position of so far.[6]
Published on May 14, 2019, their song "Heartless Scat" on YouTube reached 1.5 million views on July 3, 2019.[1] "Heartless Scat" has since achieved 5.2 million views, as of April 30, 2020.
The band performed as their first world tour in Berlin, Bochum, and London in February 2020. [7]
Shinji Wajima / Wazzy (和嶋慎治; born 25 December 1965) – guitars, vocals, theremin, main lyrics, composer (1987–present)
His costume has motifs of literary master of Meiji era. He loves the Beatles, blues and Japanese old-style pop song. So the sound he makes is melodious. He often uses the original effectors which he makes by himself. One of them called "Shocker"(the enemy of Kamen Rider Series) make fuzzy unique and mysterious sound. He sometimes uses theremin, which adds cosmic mood. He loves Rakugo (one of the Japanese verbal entertainments) and made a song "Shinagawa Shinju". He also loves camping.
Ken-ichi Suzuki / Suzuken (鈴木研一; born 11 March 1966) – bass, vocals, lyrics, composer (1987–present)
He paints his face white and dresses like a Buddhist monk. Wears "Fundoshi" for the first time in the band, old Japanese underwear under the Kimono. In the band's early days, Suzuki often wore clothes like Nezumi-otoko, a rat man (a character of Ge-Ge-Ge no Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki), which made them impressive. He sometimes opens events called "Nazareth" in which he plays DJ (only hard rock). He loves Neputa festival held in Hirosaki.
Nobu Nakajima / Nobu (ナカジマノブ; born 20 September 1966) – drums, vocals, lyrics, composer (2004–present)
He wears Koikuchi shirt and sunglasses and looks like a Japanese gangster. He sometimes uses "Dora" (kind of Japanese gong). His powerful character and play make him called "Aniki", which means big brother. He is a big fan of Hideshi Hino and composed a song "Jigoku Kozo"(which means "a boy of hell", which is a comic written by Hino). He collects a lot of things, for example sneakers, dam cards, comics and so on.
Former members
Noriyoshi Kamidate – drums (1987–1992)
Masuhiro Goto – drums, vocals (1996–2003) as a support member (1993–1995)
4. Shinkei-shou I LOVE YOU (神経症 I LOVE YOU; Neurosis I LOVE YOU)
5. Rock and Roll (led zeppelin)
6. Heavy Metal no Gyakushuu (ヘヴィ・メタルの逆襲; Counter of Heavy Metal)
7. 21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson)
Promotion Video
Ringo no Namida (りんごの泪; Apple's Tears)
Yashaga-ike (夜叉ヶ池; Pond of Yaksha)
―Ending―
DVD
2006
Mishiranu Sekai (見知らぬ世界; The World Unknown)
Promotion Video
Mishiranu Sekai (見知らぬ世界; The World Unknown)
Yuurei Ressha (幽霊列車; Ghost Train)
LIVE
1. Koufuku no Neji (幸福のねじ; Happy Screw)
2. Ringo no Namida (りんごの泪; Apple's Tears)
3. Kaijin Nijuu Mensou (怪人二十面相; The Fiend With Twenty Faces)
4. Amairo no Scarf (亜麻色のスカーフ; Flax Color Scarf)
5. Yaneura no Neputa Matsuri (屋根裏のねぷた祭り; Neputa Festival in Attic)
6. Mura no Hazure de Big Bang (村の外れでビッグバン; Big Bang in Village Side)
7. Dodarebachi (どだればち)
8. Bacchus Kurui (莫迦酔狂ひ; Bacchus Drunk Crazy)
9. Jigoku (地獄; Inferno)
10. Jigoku Fuukei (地獄風景; Hell View)
Bonus Track
Tokai no Douwa (都会の童話; Fairytale of Urban)
Touyou no Majo (東洋の魔女; Oriental Witch)[PV]
Senrei (洗礼; Baptism)[PV]
DVD
2015
Kurushimi mo Yorokobi mo Yume nareba koso "Utsushiyo ha Yume - Band Seikatsu 25 Shuunen -" in Shibuya Koukaidou Kouen (苦しみも喜びも夢なればこそ「現世は夢~バンド生活二十五年~」渋谷公会堂公演; Pain and Joy is a Dream "This World is a Dream - Band Life 25th Anniversary -" in Shibuya Public Hall)
LIVE
1. Uchuu kara no Iro (宇宙からの色; The Colour out of Space)
2. Jigoku eno Shoutai-Jou (地獄への招待状; Invitation to Hell)
3. Shinchou Kyurakyukyu-bushi (新調きゅらきゅきゅ節; New Kyurakyukyu Song)
4. Neputa no Mondoriko (ねぷたのもんどりこ; Neputa Returns)
5. Shinkei-shou I LOVE YOU (神経症 I LOVE YOU; Neurosis I LOVE YOU)
6. Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita (桜の森の満開の下; In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom)
7. Konjaku Hijiri (今昔聖; Monk in Past and Present)
8. Senrei (洗礼; Baptisma)
9. Akutoku no Sakae (悪徳の栄え; Prosperity of Vice)
10. Meido Kissa (冥土喫茶; Hades Cafe)
11. Shin-en (深淵; The Abyss)
12. Kumo no Ito (蜘蛛の糸; The Spider's Thread)
13. Jigoku no Ryouri-nin (地獄の料理人; Hellish Cook)
14. Meishin (迷信; Superstition)
15. Hari no Yama (針の山; Hell's Mountain Of Needles)
16. Injuu (陰獣; Beast In The Shadows)
17. Mishiranu Sekai (見知らぬ世界; The World Unknown)
18. Namahage (なまはげ)
Bonus Track(MV)
Namahage (なまはげ)
Uchuu kara no Iro (宇宙からの色; The Colour out of Space)
DVD/Blu-ray
2018
Odoro Mandara -Music Video Shu- (おどろ曼荼羅~ミュージックビデオ集~; Horrid Mandala -Music VIdeo Collection-)
^Angus Cargill Hang the DJ: An Alternative Book of Music Lists 2008 Page 75 "Ningen Isu The first Japanese band I ever saw and still the very best; Black Sabbath reborn in the Tohoku region of Japan. Fourteen albums to date and you need them all."
^Mark Driscoll Absolute Erotic, Absolute Grotesque: The Living, Dead, and Undead - 2010 p139 "In the short story "The Human Chair" (Ningen Isu) published in 1924, Rampo intuited this neuropolitical invasion of the body and the de- anthropomorphizing effects that ensue. In the story a worker in a small factory becomes so engrossed in."
^"JAPANESE BANDSTAND". Washington Post. WP Company LLC. Washington Post. 1990-09-19. Retrieved 2020-06-04.