You’ve probably heard JYOCHO’s Daijirō Nakagawa’s music if you’ve watched any of the Junji Ito anthology anime or any season of Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside. He recently had a conversation with Anime News Network about his band, their development, and the process of writing anime theme music.
Many bands are formed by a record label or begin as a group of friends. JYOCHO, on the other hand, gradually came together organically. Nakagawa said, “I started JYOCHO as a way to release my own music, starting in 2016.” “After the second release, I added a few more members to the group, such as Yuuki Hayashi, the flute, and current bassist Senetee. We collaborated to create our second release. At that point, I also began to consider doing live performances. We gradually began to expand our membership in order to enable JYOCHO to play live. We currently consist of five people.
Nakagawa asserts that every band member contributes something unique to the group. “I am the composer and write all of the songs.” In order to let the others know what they should be practicing on their own, I also assign duties to them. I serve as the group’s musical director.
“Sunee, our bassist, is a true ideas person. He is a great source of ideas for arrangements, MC parts, live shows, and other projects. Because our drummer, Kojiro Yamazaki, is an excellent speaker, he brings attention to every one of our viewpoints and serves as a unifying force. […] We are kept cheerful by vocalist Netako Nekota, who is a positive mood enhancer. In addition, Nakagawa said, “Hayashi, on the other hand, is really good at driving cars—like for long distances.” “She has performed in an orchestra in the past, so her expertise and experience are very beneficial to all of us.”
JYOCHO differs greatly from the bands Nakagawa has previously been a part of in a number of ways. Nakagawa clarified, “JYOCHO has the most intricate musical arrangement.” We are all traveling in the same direction as the band, which is highly aligned. We can set far higher targets because we are in agreement.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the band hasn’t had difficulties; location has been the main one. We lived rather far away from one another for a time. That made coordination extremely difficult for all of us,” Nakagawa informed me.
But this obstacle gave rise to a band that valued independence and self-control. We don’t get together and practice all the time. Instead, we each practice on our own. Everybody is in their own universe, playing their own roles. After that, we get together and practice in the studio for eight hours,” Nakagawa said. “We practice the entire concert multiple times in advance of upcoming tours, spending endless hours together and going over it. However, we are training alone until then.
Although the band’s songs’ intricate arrangements frequently lead listeners to categorize them as “math rock,” this isn’t on purpose. “In my opinion,” Nakagawa clarified, “JYOCHO is freedom.” Musical freedom. Perhaps a little rock, a little progressive, but mostly simply being able to create beautiful music. My roots are considerably more in the progressive rock or finger-picking guitar genres popularized by bands like King Crimson. But I also enjoy math rock. I wouldn’t characterize what we do as such, yet I can’t define it either.
JYOCHO has currently released two albums and numerous more singles. Four of these songs are the themes for anime shows: one for each season of Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside (“All the Same” and “Guide and Devote”), and one for each Junji Ito anime anthology (“A Parallel Universe” and “As the God’s Say”). We started out by discussing Nakagawa’s overall background in anime theme music writing.
“If the original material, like the manga, is accessible, I always read it before I start writing a song for an anime. I don’t usually talk directly with the director, but we occasionally get input or suggestions from the anime side through the label. Nakagawa remarked, explaining it in more detail. “When I write for anime, I keep things very simple. I prefer to work swiftly and with a great deal of flexibility while assembling things.
“The anime [production] side knows what to expect aurally from us when they ask JYOCHO to sing an anime song. Nakagawa joked, “I think they’ve been told it will be a little complicated musically and possibly strange.” However, there isn’t much resistance, so we are free to write whatever music we choose.
Upon initial observation, the intricate yet laid-back sound of JYOCHO’s soundtrack doesn’t seem to be appropriate for a horror anime written by Junji Ito. But Nakagawa thinks they fit together perfectly. Although Junji Ito creates terror, it’s strange, humorous, and surreal. It’s not only gloomy horror, as Nakagawa clarified. It would have been possible to write a simple, spooky or dark tune, but a lot of Japanese horror films and other works also contain a humorous element. In addition, I made the decision to write the song with a lighter tone in mind. I contrast it with Ito’s horror element to make it seem more enigmatic, powerful, and bizarre. That was a deliberate decision.
Junji Ito even tweeted the band to express his appreciation for their music, which he had included in his first anime anthology. The master of Japanese horror was therefore called upon by Nakagawa when it came time to release their second song inspired by Junji Ito. “I requested that Ito draw JYOCHO. I imagined it would be incredible. I messaged him on Twitter, telling him how much I would love for him to draw us. And he did. What Nakagawa saw as the outcome was significantly more wholesome. “I assumed Ito, drawing in his usual way, would depict us with half of our faces missing or something eerie like that. However, the illustration was simply stunning when it arrived. It moved and astonished me to see it. No adjustments were requested. It was flawless.
Regarding the other two anime songs by JYOCHO, the first one, Banished from the Hero’s Party, was influenced by current events in the real world. It was during the peak of COVID-19 days, in the midst of the epidemic. I was considering writing a song to uplift and perhaps inspire people. Nakagawa went on, “More than the anime itself, I considered what I could give to people listening.” For me, it was about that time.
Nevertheless, this isn’t the case for the newly released song from the second season, “Guide and Devote.” Nakagawa told me, “I started watching the series for the second song.” “So, much more [than the first song], this one reflects the anime’s story and worldview.”
I pondered whether Nakagawa had any plans to write music for any upcoming anime shows. He responded right away, saying, “Baki the Grappler.” I’ve long been an admirer of this series. As one might expect, I would want to write a technical song in the vein of JYOCHO for this series, but I also think ambient noise might work incredibly well here.
In addition, I couldn’t resist asking if the anime version of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki later this year will feature a new JYOCHO song. Nakagawa chuckled, “It’s a secret.” “As a work, Uzumaki has my regard. It seems fantastic to me.
Nakagawa concluded by explaining why he and the band adore their overseas fans. The majority of live events in Japan are somewhat subdued. The audience is paying close attention. Though it is usually calm, it can get rowdy at times. Audiences abroad are far more animated, passionate, and vociferous. We’ve been discussing how eager we are to play abroad once more. It was quite some time ago. We’re excited and hope our fans will remain tuned.
