Fushitsusha

Fushitsusha (roughly translated as Tribe of Outcasts) is a long-term project of vocalist and guitarist 灰野敬二 [Keiji Haino], who is the only constant member of the group, and is usually accompanied by a bassist and drummer. The band employs a kind of jazz ideology along with Haino’s own ideas to perform a highly abstract, high volume form of rock which blurs the line between composed and improvised music.

Formed in 1978 out of a guitar and synthesizer duo between Haino and 白石民夫 [Tamio Shiraishi], the group soon transformed into a trio with 浜野純 [Jun Hamano] and Shuhei Takashima accompanying Haino on bass and drums respectively. The group regularly performed at Kichijoji Minor, which was a kind of hub for like-minded experimental musicians of the time. Haino withdrew from the music scene for a majority of the 1980s due to his health, and thus the band came to a halt.

It was not until 1987 that Fushitsusha became active again, with 小沢靖 [Yasushi Ozawa] replacing Watanabe on bass. During this period the band went through a series of drummers including Seijiro Murayama and Kiichirou Akui, who appear on the group’s first album, 1st, before settling on 小杉淳 [Jun Kosugi] who later formed 静香 [Shizuka] with guitarist 三浦真樹 [Maki Miura]. Miura had also joined Fushitsusha, rendering them a quartet. Miura regularly performed with the group until 1993.

In the 1990s the international avant-garde scene caught wind of Haino’s work and in 1992, Haino took Ozawa and Kosugi abroad as Fushitsusha for the first time to Amsterdam as part of Haino’s European tour. In the same year the group visited the United States where they recorded their first studio album, Allegorical Misunderstanding, released on John Zorn’s Japan-based label, Avant. The group remained a trio for the remainder of the 1990s, with 高橋幾郎 [Ikuro Takahashi] replacing Kosugi on drums in 1997. They also regularly released albums, and even caught the attention of Tokuma Japan Communications, a major Japanese label, under which they released four studio albums.

The 2000s saw Fushitsusha become a duo once again with Haino alternating between drums and guitar, accompanied by Ozawa on bass. Ozawa’s health begain to decline during this period, causing the band’s activities to stagnate, and Haino began to infrequently perform solo shows under the Fushitusha moniker. The group only released one album in this form, titled Origin’s Hesitation. Ozawa’s passing in 2008 marked the beginning of Fushitsusha’s second hiatus.

Fushitsusha was revived as a trio in late 2010 with Takahashi reprising his role on drums before being replaced by Ryosuke Kiyasu in 2012. The bassist changed several times throughout the decade beginning with 工藤冬里 [Tori Kudo], followed by 那須野満 [Mitsuru Nasuno], 亀川千代 [Chiyo Kamekawa], and Morishige Yasumune, until 2017, when Nasuno was reinstated. Fushitsusha’s legacy continued throughout the 2010s with the group actively performing worldwide and the release of several albums containing new material.

Official

Tourdates

No shows booked at the moment.