Томоясу Хотей: Путь японского гитариста и композитора

Japanese musician (born 1962)

Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋 寅泰), also known simply as Hotei ('/h//oʊ//t//eɪ/ HOHtay), is a Japanese musician, singer songwriter, composer, record producer and actor. With a career spanning more than 40 years, Hotei claims record sales of over 40 million copies and has collaborated with acclaimed artists from around the world. Hotei first rose to prominence in the 1980s as the guitarist for Boøwy, one of Japan's most popular rock bands, before starting a solo career. In 2003, he was ranked number 70 on HMV Japan's list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts. He ranked second in a 2011 poll on who the Japanese people thought was the best guitarist to represent Japan. An iconic artist in his native Japan, he moved to London in 2005 and continues to perform and release music globally. Hotei's song "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" has been featured in numerous films, commercials, video games, and events, including Quentin Tarantino's feature film Kill Bill.

Hotei was born to a Korean father and a Russian born Japanese mother. He first began playing the guitar in junior high school. Inspired by a poster of T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan, he stole money from his mother's purse and bought a Stratocaster at fourteen years old. His first band, Blue Film, finished runners up in a school contest to Death Penalty, a band led by Kyosuke Himuro. Hotei was expelled shortly before graduation, because, when warned about his long hair he replied "Jesus had long hair!" In 1986 they released their first million selling album, Beat Emotion. In 1988, the year they broke up, they became the first male artists to have three number one albums within a single year on the Oricon chart. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Boøwy at number 22 on their list of the "100 Most Important Japanese Pop Acts".

After the break up of Boøwy, Hotei released his debut solo album Guitarhythm in 1988 via EMI Records, and established himself as a solo artist. Throughout the 1990s Hotei's profile continued to grow in Japan, with regular album releases supported by major tours and with Hotei writing songs and producing for other artists, including collaborations with both Japanese and international artists. Hotei also made two albums with Koji Kikkawa as Complex, Hotei's 1998 album Supersonic Generation, recorded in part with Apollo 440 and Ofra Haza, was released in 14 European countries. In addition to many bestselling solo albums, Hotei composed and performed the score for Hiroyuki Nakano's Samurai Fiction, as well as starring in the film. He composed three tracks for the cult classic American film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas together with Ray Cooper. Hotei's best known song "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" was used in Quentin Tarantino's feature film Kill Bill, the PlayStation 2 version of Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA, and Michael Bay's feature film Transformers. Hotei recorded a cover of John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" for Merry Axemas: A Guitar Christmas, an instrumental guitar Christmas album featuring tracks from guitarists including Richie Sambora, Jeff Beck, Joe Perry, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai and Steve Morse. On July 30 and 31, 2011, Hotei and Kikkawa reunited as Complex for two nights at the Tokyo Dome. All proceeds were donated to aid the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. On February 1, 2012, Hotei performed a concert at the Saitama Super Arena to celebrate his 50th birthday. Former Boøwy drummer Makoto Takahashi appeared as a special guest and together they played Boøwy's "Justy" and "No. New York". Hotei made his directorial debut in April 2012, with the stage play Psychedelic Pain, for which he also wrote the music. On May 8, it was announced that Hotei would move to London in June, in hopes of starting an international career.

Hotei's released the single "How The Cookie Crumbles" featuring Iggy Pop on vocals in June, the first single to be released from his forthcoming second English language solo album Strangers, which was released by Spinefarm Records/Universal Music on October 16, 2015. It was his first album to be released globally outside Japan. It includes several songs released on New Beginnings. In addition to Pop, it also features Richard Kruspe from Rammstein, Matthew Tuck from Bullet for My Valentine, Noko and Shea Seger.

Hotei has been married twice. He married singer Kumiko Yamashita in January 1986; they divorced in November 1997. On June 14, 2007, Hotei allegedly assaulted his friend and punk rock singer Kō Machida. The incident happened when the two men got into an argument about a band they planned on forming together.

His cover of "Immigrant Song" is the entrance theme for New Japan Pro Wrestling wrestler Togi Makabe, who uses it as a tribute to legendary wrestler Bruiser Brody who used the original version of "Immigrant Song" as his entrance theme. "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" was featured in the American movies Kill Bill, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Transformers, Hotel for Dogs, and Team America: World Police, and in the games Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova and Pop'n Music Carnival 13. It also made an appearance in a first season episode of My Name Is Earl, and has been used in a variety of automobile ad campaigns worldwide. It is also the intro theme used during the Colin Cowherd radio show syndicated in the United States via ESPN Radio. The song was also used in the trailer for the PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo HD. "Russian Roulette" was featured in an opening video of the PS2 game Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny. "Bambina," "Russian Roulette," and "Nocturne no. 9" were featured in Konami's Guitar Freaks mixes 4/3 and 8/7, and Drummania V, respectively. "Thrill" was featured in the video game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and "Bambina" was featured in its sequel. "Identity" was used in the Japanese TV commercial for the Nintendo Gamecube video game Star Fox Assault. "Bambina," "Thrill" and "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" were included as Rocksmith 2014 downloadable content. "Thrill" is used by Japanese wrestler Danshoku Dino as his entrance theme song.