is a Japanese rap rock group founded in 1996 by Kenji "KJ" Furuya and Makoto Sakurai. They were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. Dragon Ash is a member of Mob Squad, which is an affiliation with the bands Source and Endive. Dragon Ash uses the French fleur-de-lis as their band logo/symbol.

History

Dragon Ash started out as a punk rock group. Lead singer and guitarist Kenji Furuya, son of actor Ikko Furuya, met drummer Makoto Sakurai when they were junior high students in a Tokyo suburb, and the two started playing together. Though temporarily sidetracked into following in his father's footsteps, Furuya gave up the few acting gigs that he was getting on TV dramas to concentrate on music in high school. In 1996, they took on bass player Ikuzo Baba, ten years their senior. The group debuted in 1997 with two EPs at the beginning of the year, The Day Dragged On and Public Garden, influenced by Nirvana. By the end of the year and time of their release, Mustang!, the group had progressed to a blend of various pop and rock influences.

Through 1998 their popularity increased, and by the time of Buzz Songs, their sound had solidified to rap rock, helped with the mixing skills of DJ Bots, who occasionally appeared on some songs. Two singles – "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go" and "Grateful Days," the latter featuring hardcore rapper Zeebra and soulstress ACO – sold so well that they topped the Japanese single and album Oricon charts; also simultaneously, usually reserved for pop music.

Their fourth single, "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go", reached number 7 on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart, and eventually climbed to number 4, selling a total of 640,000 copies. The band simultaneously released their fifth and sixth singles, "Grateful Days" and "I Love Hip Hop", which debuted at number 3 and number 4, respectively. When these two singles debuted, "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go" had not yet dropped off the top 10 chart, giving Dragon Ash three top 10 singles at the same time.

The band finally reached the peak of their success when they released their third album, Viva la Revolution, in July 1999 and it hit number 1 on its debut week. The album has sold in excess of 2,000,000 copies.

During 1999, Dragon Ash had become a four-piece, with DJ Bots essential to the mix. In 2000, Dragon Ash undertook the Total Music Communication Tour, touring Japan with a lineup that included other rising rock acts, such as Missile Girl Scout, Penpals, and Skebou Kings. Meanwhile, Furuya and DJ Bots formed a duo of sorts, writing and producing songs for acts such as Sugar Soul under the name Steady & Co. Likewise, Baba and Sakurai sidelined as a remixing unit called Motor Headphone, popping up on various compilations. The full band released Lily of da Valley in 2001.

Dragon Ash collaborated with the hip hop group Rappagariya on "Deep Impact" in 2000. In 2003 the group expanded to include its full current roster of members, bringing in Hiroki, Atsushi, and Dri-V. In 2007 they celebrated their 10th anniversary by simultaneously releasing two best-of albums, The Best of Dragon Ash with Changes Vol. 1 and The Best of Dragon Ash with Changes Vol. 2. Both albums hit number 1 upon their debut.

Bandleader Kenji Furuya released his first solo album Everything Becomes The Music from Victor Entertainment in mid-2015. Following his solo debut song "Swallow Dive" in March 2015, anime director Kenji Kamiyama directed a music video for "Stairway", the leading track from the album.

Dragon Ash covered "Rocket Dive" for the June 6, 2018 hide tribute album Tribute Impulse.

Members

  • Kenji "KJ" Furuya (降谷建志) – lead vocals, MC, guitar, latin percussion, songwriter, composer, producer, bandleader (1996–present)
  • As the front-man and founding member of Dragon Ash, Kenji is also a popular model in Japan and Asia for style and fashion magazines. As a model he has also promoted brands Levis, Stussy, Adidas & Ray-ban (including appearing in a Japanese commercials for these brands). Kenji Furuya had been the spokesperson for the Sony Walkman series in the late 1990s and early 2000s (during the Walkman popularity in Japan), appearing in many commercials featuring Dragon Ash's latest music releases. In July 2008, Kenji married Japanese singer/actress Megumi Yamano, whom he had been dating since 2005. Kenji has appeared in various Japanese movies with main and cameo roles, and has also made his J-Drama debut in 2013, appeared as an actor in the NHK drama Yae's Sakura. In 2017, Kenji starred in Japanese film Alley Cat. In 2018, Kenji starred in season 3 J-drama Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. K.J.'s father Ikko Furuya was also a well known actor in Japan.
  • Makoto "MAKOTO" Sakurai (桜井誠) – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1996–present)
  • Makoto is also a lover of cooking; he has written two cookbooks in Japan. Makoto also appears on AbemaTV broadcast "The Saku Kouichi Sambu Thursday The Night" showcasing his skills and hobby for Japanese slot machines.
  • Tetsuya "DJ BOTS" Sato (佐藤哲也) – DJ, turntables, synthesizer, sampler, producer, latin percussion, backing vocals [support member] (1998–1999), [band member] (1999–present)
  • DJ BOTS joined Dragon Ash in 1999. In 2015 DJ Bots completed a DJ mix album for Dragon Ash, titled 'dodecahedron mix "by DJ BOTS". Tetsuya an avid fan for the sport of soccer; he is also the captain of his own official soccer team.
  • Hiroki "HIROKI" Sugiyama (杉山弘樹) – electric guitar [support member] (2000–2003), [band member] (2003–present)
  • Hiroki was first a support member for Dragon ash from 2000, then became a full-time member in 2003 as the main guitarist.

Former members

  • Ikuzo "IKÜZÖNE" Baba (馬場育三) – bass, mentor (1996–2012)
  • Ikuzone was a big fan of hide of X Japan.