, also known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

as Taiji, was a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former bassist of the rock band X. X rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, credited as founders of the Japanese

visual kei is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock. Some ...

movement. After leaving X in January 1992, Taiji went on to work with many other bands, including

Loudness In acoustics, loudness is the subjective perception of sound pressure. More formally, it is defined as, "That attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud". The relation of ph ...

and D.T.R.

Early life

Taiji Sawada was born in

Ichikawa, Chiba 240px, Ichikawa City Hall is a city in western Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 491,716 in 251,142 households and a population density of 8559 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The city has a conc ...

, on July 12, 1966. He was the second son of three children. His younger sister Masayo is a singer known as Sister MAYO. When Taiji was two years of age, he shoved his hand into a machine in a factory where his parents worked, resulting in a first joint cut on the middle finger, but luckily, it was not too serious. In 1974, at age eight, Taiji learned how to play acoustic guitar while in elementary school. In 1979, Taiji's parents were divorced.

Career

1982–1992: Early bands and X

After dropping out of high school in 1982, Taiji formed his first band called Trash, where he was the leader and guitarist. In late 1984, he switched to bass and going by the name Ray joined the metal group Dementia, staying until 1985. He then played briefly with Prowler, as well as a few shows with X. Until 1986 when he joined the very short-lived Dead Wire, whose line-up also included future Saver Tiger and

D'erlanger D'erlanger (stylized as D'ERLANGER) is a Japanese rock band from Kyoto Prefecture, formed in 1983 by guitarist Cipher and bassist Seela. While they originally played speed and power metal, after recruiting drummer Tetsu and vocalist Kyo they ...

members, Kyo and Tetsu. Soon after he officially rejoined X at the end of 1986. He wrote several known X compositions, including "Phantom of Guilt", "Desperate Angel" and "Voiceless Screaming". He specially played acoustic guitar on "Voiceless Screaming" during Jealousy tour from 1991 to 1992. In 2001, some of the unpublished songs were finally released in ''Rose & Blood -Indies of X-''. Taiji left X in 1992, the official reason given by the band was due to musical differences. However, in his autobiography, Taiji claimed that he was asked to leave because he confronted

Yoshiki Yoshiki is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yoshiki can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *義樹, "justice, tree" *義基, "justice, foundation" *義機, "justice, opportu ...

due to the substantial income gap between Yoshiki and each of the other members. When asked about Taiji's departure in 2016, Yoshiki said that while he respected Taiji's musical skills, he "crossed the line of our band's rules" and "To this day I still don't know if the decision was right or wrong, but we didn't have a choice." Taiji's last concert with the band was on January 7, 1992, the last day of three consecutive nights at the

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...

. It was released on DVD as '' On the Verge of Destruction 1992.1.7 Tokyo Dome Live''.

1992–2006: Loudness, D.T.R, Cloud Nine

In April 1992, he was invited to join Japanese metal band

. He left them in November 1993, after recording only one studio album and one live album. In July 1994, he formed his own band and named it D.T.R, which stood for "Dirty Trashroad" and featured Mitsuo Takeuchi (ex:Joe-Erk) on vocals, Taiji Fujimoto (ex: The Dead Pop Stars, ex:

Judy and Mary Judy and Mary (often stylized as JUDY AND MARY) was a Japanese rock band formed in 1991 in Japan by bassist Yoshihito Onda and vocalist Yuki, with drummer Kohta Igarashi and guitarist Taiji Fujimoto completing the lineup in 1992. Guitarist Taku ...

) on guitar and Toshihiko Okabe on drums. In 1995, he also joined the short-lived supergroup Kings, with Shuichi Aoiki (Night Hawks) on vocals, Luke Takamura ( Seikima-II) on guitar, and Satoshi "Joe" Miyawaki ( 44 Magnum, Spread Beaver) as support drummer. Guitarist Tomoyuki Kuroda later joined D.T.R in 1995, but a year later, Yoshihiko left, and then the band was put on hold when Taiji was going through personal problems. During this time, Taiji was divorced from his wife, of whom he married in 1989, and became homeless. In 1999, he created Cloud Nine, but left in 2001 and they decided to continue on without him. He then formed with his sister Masayo on vocals, they released one self-titled album on November 9, 2004. In 2005 Taiji was in a motorcycle accident, where he badly injured the ligaments in his foot. D.T.R resumed activity in 2006 with keyboardist Kenji Shimizu and their former support drummer Kazuhisa "Roger" Takahashi, now official members.

2006–2009: Taiji with Heaven's, the Killing Red Addiction

Also in April 2006, he formed another band, Taiji with Heaven's, with Taiji on bass and Dai on vocals; later guitarist Ryutaro joined. In 2009, they officially started activities; in May 2010, Takanari joined on drums and they released their first mini-album on January 13, 2010. In 2007, Taiji returned to Cloud Nine. In 2009, he announced that he would once again be playing bass in a supergroup, The Killing Red Addiction with guitarist Tatsu ( Gastunk), drummer Kenzi ( Anti Feminism, The Dead Pop Stars, ex:

Kamaitachi is a Japanese yōkai often told about in the Kōshin'etsu region and can also refer to the strange events that this creature causes. They appear riding on dust devils and they cut people using the nails on both their hands that are like sick ...

) and vocalist Dynamite Tommy (ex:

Color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are assoc ...

). They had their debut performance on June 22 at the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boule ...

, in Los Angeles, United States. Their second performance was in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Japan at the Shinjuku Loft on December 29, and they released a cover of Gastunk's "Devil" on iTunes on January 13, 2010. In December 2008, Taiji's staff announced on his blog that since September, his

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

and chronic strokes had worsened, that he was suffering from necrosis after a hip joint replacement of the femoral component on his left hip, and that on December 2, he was hospitalized again after falling and hurting his chest and throat.

2010–2011: TSP, Reunited with X

In 2010, he formed TSP (Taiji & Shu Project), with Taiji on bass, guitarist Shu (Cloud Nine, Crazy Quarter Mile), vocalist Dai (Taiji with Heaven's) and drummer Hina (Crazy Quarter Mile). Taiji with Heaven's also performed a show in Korea that year and later announced plans for further activities in the country the following year. However, these were cancelled due to the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six mi ...

. On August 12, 2010, Taiji rejoined X (now known as X Japan), with founders

and Toshi at a press conference, to announce that he would be performing as a guest with X Japan at their August 14 and 15 shows at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. On October 9, it was announced that Dai was leaving TSP, and would be replaced by Hiroshi "Tazz" Maruki, which resulted in their debut album being delayed. On January 23, 2011, it was announced that Ryutaro was withdrawing from Taiji with Heaven's due to bad health and personal reasons. On February 17, Tokiya joined as guitarist, and it was announced that Taiji with Heavens would now be written without the apostrophe.

2011: Arrest and death

On July 11, 2011, Taiji argued with his female manager, named KT, on

Delta Airlines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along wi ...

Flight 298 during the final approach from Japan to Saipan. After the argument became physical, he was restrained by other passengers and a flight attendant, and he was moved to another seat, but his aggression persisted as he continued to punch windows and kick other seats. He was arrested upon landing in Saipan. He faced federal charges in the United States

District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands The District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands (in case citations, D. N. Mar. I.) is a federal territorial court whose jurisdiction comprises the United States-affiliated Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). It was establi ...

. On July 14, Taiji was found unconscious in his detention cell, appearing to have attempted suicide by

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...

himself with a bed sheet. He was rushed to an

intensive care unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensi ...

at Saipan's Commonwealth Health Center, where he was observed to be

brain dead Brain death is the permanent, irreversible, and complete loss of brain function which may include cessation of involuntary activity necessary to sustain life. It differs from persistent vegetative state, in which the person is alive and some aut ...

. His comatose body was placed on life support. Taiji died on July 17 after his mother and fiancée made the decision to turn off his life support system. His fiancée, Tomomi Akatsuka, claimed that there were no marks of strangulation on his neck. In her 2015 book, ''Taiji'', she wrote that she asked that his body be returned to Japan, but it was instead

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

without an autopsy. She started a petition called: "Taiji voiceless truth" pleading for the investigation into his death be reopened.

Discography

* "

Jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

" (June 15, 2000) : Came with Taiji's autobiography titled ''Uchuu o Kakeru Tomo e: Densetsu no Bando X no Sei to Shi''. * " Rain Song" (December 12, 2000) : Came with a photobook titled ''Photograph''. ; With Dementia * ''Dementia Live!'' (June 1985) ; With X ; With Loudness * "Black Widow" (May 25, 1992),

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in ...

Peak Position: #30 * ''

'' (June 10, 1992) #2 * "Slaughter House" (August 25, 1992) #40 * '' Once and for All'' (April 25, 1993) #48 ; With D.T.R * ''Dirty Trashroad'' (July 1, 1994) #13 * ''Dirty Trashroad ~ Acoustic'' (July 1, 1994) #18 * "Chain<>/I Believe..." (May 25, 1995) * ''Daring Tribal Roar'' (May 25, 1995) #35 * ''Drive To Revolution'' (August 1, 1996, live and remix compilation album) * "Wisdom/Lucifer" (November 10, 2007) ; With Kings * "Misty Eyes" (October 25, 1995) * ''Kings'' (November 1, 1995) #36 ; With Cloud Nine * "Bastard" (November 2000) * "1st Demonstration" (February 2001) * ''Hard 'N' Heavy Religion 2'' (February 14, 2008, with the song "Hells Rage") : Various artists compilation album in Vol. 3 of ''We Rock'' magazine. * ''Hard 'N' Heavy 2010'' (February 13, 2010, with the song "Bastard") : Various artists compilation album in Vol. 15 of ''We Rock'' magazine. ; With Otokaze * ''Otokaze'' (November 9, 2004) ; With The Killing Red Addiction * "Devil" (January 13, 2010) ; With Taiji with Heaven's * ''Taiji with Heaven's'' (February 13, 2010) * ''Hard 'N' Heavy 2010'' (February 13, 2010, with the song "Keep the Faith") : Various artists compilation album in Vol. 15 of ''We Rock'' magazine. * ''Hard 'N' Heavy Religion 2012'' (February 14, 2012, with the song "Killer") : Various artists compilation album in Vol. 27 of ''We Rock'' magazine. * ''The Virgin'' (February 28, 2015) ; With TSP * ''Hard 'N' Heavy Religion 2011'' (May 14, 2011, with the song "Rest in Peace") : Various artists compilation album in Vol. 21 of ''We Rock'' magazine. * ''Hard 'N' Heavy Religion 2012'' (February 14, 2012, with the song "Freeze") : Various artists compilation album in Vol. 27 of ''We Rock'' magazine. * ''Mad Cluster'' (June 6, 2012) * ''The Last Resistance of the Firebird'' (September 26, 2012)

Other work

* ''The Inner Gates'' (Baki, December 16, 1989, bass on "Taste of Flower", "A Kiss in the Storm" and "Flying") * '' Cozy Powell Forever'' (Various artists, September 19, 1998, bass on "Kill the King") * Vol. 21 of ''Rockin 'f'' magazine (June 14, 2006) : Various artists compilation DVD, features an interview with Taiji, rehearsal and other footage. * Vol. 24 of ''Rockin 'f'' magazine (December 14, 2006) : Various artists compilation DVD, features an interview, studio rehearsal and live footage of D.T.R. * ''Attitude the Original Soundtrack -Fuck the System-'' (July 2008, music director for the movie) * ''Higuchi Munetaka Tsuitō Live 2009: Munetaka Higuchi Forever Our Hero'' (July 14, 2010, concert DVD) * Vol. 17 of ''We Rock'' magazine (December 14, 2010) : Various artists compilation DVD, features an interview with Taiji and Dai from Taiji with Heaven's, and live performances of "Black Vampire" and "Freeze" by TSP from April 24, 2010. * ''Legend of Phoenix'' (December 14, 2011) : Tribute DVD to Taiji in Vol. 26 of ''We Rock'' magazine, composed of various footage of his bands from 2000 to 2011, mostly those included within issues of ''Rockin 'f'' and ''We Rock''. * ''Everlasting Higuchi Munetaka 2010: Higuchi Munetaka Tsuitō Live Vol. 2'' (February 8, 2012, concert DVD)

References

External links

*
Official blog

The Killing Red Addiction Official MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taiji 1966 births 2011 deaths X Japan members Loudness (band) members Visual kei musicians Japanese rock bass guitarists Japanese heavy metal bass guitarists People from Ichikawa, Chiba Suicides by hanging in the Northern Mariana Islands Musicians from Chiba Prefecture 20th-century Japanese male musicians 20th-century bass guitarists 21st-century Japanese male musicians 21st-century bass guitarists Japanese songwriters 2011 suicides People who committed suicide in prison custody Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention Japanese people who died in prison custody Japanese people imprisoned abroad