{"product_id":"ningen-isu-artist","title":"Ningen Isu |  Artist","description":"\u003cp\u003eNingen Isu is a Japanese progressive metal band formed 1987 in Horosaki, Aomori, by Shinji Wajima (guitar, vocals) , Kenichi Suzuki (bass, vocals), and Noriyoshi Kamidate (drums, 1987-92). Masuhiro Goto (drums, vocals) joined in 1993 and was himself replaced in 1995 by Iwao Tsuchiya (drums, vocals). Nobu Nakajima (drums, vocals) joined in 2004, and continues to be the third member of the trio. From its inception the band, who's name translates in English as \"Human Chair\", was strongly influenced by their heroes Black Sabbath, and other European artists such as UFO, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Budgie, and King Crimson. Wajima and Suzuki first met while attending a concert at the local music venue, and became close friends when they both attended Hirosaki High School. The pair joined local band Shine Shine Dan (\"Dead Dead Group\"), with whom they played at music festivals. In 1985, after enrolling at different universities — Wajima studied Buddhism at Komazawa University, while Suzuki studied Russian literature at Sophia University — they formed a hard rock band and settled on the name Ningen Isu, taking the name from the 1924 short story of the same name by Edogawa Rampo. They first gained public attention in 1989 through a performance of their song \"Injū\" (\"Beast in the Shadows\") on Ikasu Band Tengoku (Cool Band Heaven), a new television music competition on Tokyo Broadcasting System Television. Their uniquely heavy sound, technical skill, and lyrics full of literary references took the judges by surprise. Perhaps reflecting their academic backgrounds, the band's lyrics often reference Japanese classical literature, including authors Edogawa Rampo, Dazai Osamu, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, and Mishima Yukio, in addition to authors in other languages such as Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Georges Bataille. Their lyrics address topics such as Hell, Buddhism, the universe, samurai culture, and gambling. As a recording outfit, the band has released 24 studio albums of consistently high quality, plus several live albums and Singles. Standout albums include \u003cem\u003eŌgon no yoake\u003c\/em\u003e (1992), \u003cem\u003eKaijin nijū mensō\u003c\/em\u003e (2000), \u003cem\u003eMandoro\u003c\/em\u003e (2013), \u003cem\u003eKaidan soshite Shi to Eros\u003c\/em\u003e (2016), and \u003cem\u003eThe Human Chair Live! Live!!\u003c\/em\u003e (2010). As a performing act, the members have been noted for their stage personas, with Wajima dressing as a Meiji-era literary master, Suzuki dressing as a Buddhist monk, and Nakajima dressing as a Yakuza-style gangster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist Website: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ningen-isu.com\/\"\u003eningen-isu.com\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Albums: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/search?q=title:'Ningen%20Isu'%20title:Album\"\u003eNingen Isu\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelated Artists: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/search?q=title:'Black%20Sabbath'\"\u003eBlack Sabbath\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CbI79e5iZKs\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" height=\"100%\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PAHig2tFeLw\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" height=\"100%\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jKkfr5REhGc\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" height=\"100%\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":null,"offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42639068856402,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1712\/4551\/files\/NingenIsu-Band.jpg?v=1787444055","url":"https:\/\/www.artrockstore.com\/products\/ningen-isu-artist","provider":"Artrockstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}