Biography
Tokyo Jihen came together in 2003 when singer Shiina Ringo, already three solo albums into her career, sought a deliberate shift away from the flashy persona and extravagant pop that had defined her earlier work. She assembled the group from four musicians already active in her touring band and steered them toward a leaner style that drew on rock and smooth jazz, introducing traits rarely heard in mainstream J-pop yet still attracting solid sales, even if those sales fell short of her solo peak. The band scored two singles that both peaked at number two within the same year, then closed 2004 with the release of its debut album, Kyoiku—entirely composed by Shiina—which also landed at number two on the Oricon chart. Momentum dipped in 2005 after guitarist Hirama Mikio left to pursue a solo path and HzM (Hiizumi Masayuki) rejoined his former band Pe'z; the lineup was restored with the addition of Ukigumo and Izawa Ichiyou. Shortly afterward the refreshed ensemble notched another Top Ten single, “Shuraba,” featured in the television drama Oh Oku Hana No Ran, and followed it in 2006 with the chart-topping album Adult. Tokyo Jihen then mounted a nationwide Japanese tour before activity eased while Shiina concentrated on her solo film score for Sakuran. Later that year the group issued its third album, Variety, marking the first occasion on which songwriting responsibilities moved entirely from Shiina to her bandmates.
Singles
