Hisashi (musician)

Hisashi Tonomura (外村 尚, Tonomura Hisashi, born February 2, 1972 in Hirosaki, Aomori), better known by his stage name HISASHI, is a Japanese musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band GLAY. He is particularly associated with the brand Tokai, designing a series of personal signature guitars, the Talbo model.

Biography

History

Hisashi was born in Hirosaki, Aomori, the second of two sons, his father a surgeon. His family moved north to Hakodate, Hokkaido by the time he began secondary school. As an adolescent and young teen, Hisashi took an interest in post-punk and metal bands, particularly influenced by Boøwy and X Japan. He states that when he first asked his parents for a guitar, it was given in confidence as it was the first thing he had truly wanted. He began studying guitar independently from that time, and is a self-taught guitarist. He would later go on to produce collaborative tracks with many of his early influences.

At age 17, Hisashi witnessed the sudden fatal collapse of his father, an incident Hisashi cites as his departure from childhood. Before becoming successful, Hisashi worked various part-time jobs including at a gaming center and a convenience store, while meeting to perform in live houses during the night. Hisashi first became familiar with Takuro and Teru as the two were a year above him in school and shared his interest in the local indie scene. Takuro sought Hisashi as a guitarist for GLAY, however, he found GLAY's music unappealing at the time due to their many pop and love songs. He had also gained a small following in another band, Ari (蟻, Ant), which better suited his own taste in heavy punk and experimental music. He claims that their performances were largely improvised, with the vocalist sometimes only screaming and throwing chairs. When Ari disbanded, Hisashi agreed to accompany Takuro and Teru, and after graduation relocated with them to Tokyo.