, known exclusively by his stage name Pata, is a Japanese musician. He is best known as rhythm guitarist of the visual kei rock band X Japan. He joined the band in 1987, stayed with them until their dissolution in 1997, and rejoined when the band reunited in 2007.

Pata began a solo career in 1993, releasing two studio albums featuring Western musicians such as Tommy Aldridge, Tim Bogert, James Christian and Chuck Wright. When X Japan disbanded, he formed the short-lived duo P.A.F. in 1998 with former Make-Up singer NoB and the rock band Dope HEADz in 2000 with X Japan bassist Heath and former Spread Beaver programmer I.N.A. Both projects released two studio albums before ceasing activity. Pata then formed the instrumental band Ra:IN in 2002, which still tours extensively to this day. In 2018, readers and professional musicians voted Pata the ninth best guitarist in the history of hard rock and heavy metal in We Rock magazine's "Metal General Election".

Early life

Tomoaki Ishizuka was born on November 4, 1965, in the town of Matsunami, Chiba, Japan. His father was an elementary school teacher and later principal, his mother was a housewife, and he has a younger sister two years his junior. Due to the influence of his father, Pata came to love baseball and often played it with friends in the neighborhood park. Although he claims to have had no artistic ability, he attended art classes for about two years because his sister wanted to. There, he was friends with Katsuhide Uekusa. In junior high school, Pata was a member of the tennis club. However, after his father died from cancer in the middle of his second year, he rarely attended school. When he did, he would only go half the day in order to avoid the classes he hated.

Instead, Pata spent his time playing an acoustic guitar that his parents had bought his sister. He had previously watched Kiss' 1977 Nippon Budokan concert on the NHK television show Young Music Club, and it made a big impact on him. Although he and members of his family owned albums by other Western acts, such as Rock 'n' Roll Music by The Beatles which was the first album he ever bought, Pata was not allowed to play Kiss too loud. At the time, rock music was thought to be a bad influence on children and his parents threw away a magazine that he had bought because Kiss was on the cover. Cheap Trick is the Western rock band that had the biggest influence on Pata, with him citing them as the reason he started playing guitar and the intro to "Dream Police" as the first thing he learned. The first electric guitar he owned was a cheap Explorer replica, the same style and paint job as Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, that his parents bought him in his second year of junior high from a mail-order magazine advertisement.

Because of his poor grades due to truancy, Pata was told he only had two options for high school; one near his home and one in Kisarazu, an hour away. He chose the latter because it had a good baseball team; although he never played for the school. However, he was frequently absent due to asthma, attending less than a single semester, and had to repeat his first year. But he gradually stopped attending anyway.

Career

1979–1997: Early bands and X Japan

thumb|left|Pata performing at [[Japan Expo in 2008]]

Together with a former junior high classmate, Pata formed his first band in high school, Headlock, named after the wrestling move. They performed at the Yamaha-sponsored music contest East West, but fell apart as the members gradually stopped hanging out. He then formed a band with high school classmates that he met at a Sakae, Chiba musical instrument store that he frequented and later became a part-time employee at, and performed at the school festival during Pata's repeat of his first year. This was the predecessor of what became Black Rose, named after the Thin Lizzy song. Pata and the other guitarist were the composers of their five or six original songs. Pata was present at East West '83, where one of the bands competing was X. By the time he turned 20, Pata was in Judy, a band he formed with the vocalist of Black Rose. Whereas the previous group had a twin guitar setup, Pata was the only guitarist in Judy. And although he wrote some songs, the bassist was the main composer in the new band. When Judy found themselves without a drummer and a concert approaching, a mutual acquaintance asked X drummer Yoshiki if he would provide live support for them. In total, Pata estimates that Yoshiki filled in on drums three times for the band. Unable to find a permanent drummer, Judy could not book performances and naturally disintegrated.

Around New Year's 1987, Pata received a phone call out of the blue from Yoshiki. X were about to record for an omnibus album, but had fired their guitarist. Wanting to repay his debt to Yoshiki and with no musical activities of his own, Pata agreed to help. He made his recording debut playing as a session musician on X's songs "Stab Me in the Back" and "No Connexion" for the 1987 omnibus album Skull Thrash Zone Volume I. The record also saw his occasional nickname, "Pata", become his stage name. It was coined after someone at the music shop he worked at had told him his personality resembled that of the title character of the manga series Patalliro!.

X released their first album Vanishing Vision in April 1988 and toured extensively in support of the record. They became one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label. X are also widely credited as one of the pioneers of visual kei, a movement among Japanese musicians comparable to Western glam. Describing his own visual aesthetics, Pata said he had Nori from Tokyo Yankees, who was a roadie for X and had briefly attended a barber school, dye his red since every other member of the band had blond hair. Pata also shaved one side of his head because he liked punk rock. This later became a mohawk when X made their major label debut. When he first joined the band, Pata would borrow a leather jacket that Hide had worn in his previous band, but eventually switched to a longer one after seeing Steve Stevens in the music video for "Rebel Yell". Because it was rather plain, Taiji took it home and painted a punk-like image on it.

Their major label debut album, Blue Blood, was released in April 1989 and debuted at number six on the Oricon chart. Its success earned the band the "Grand Prix New Artist of the Year" award at the 4th annual Japan Gold Disc Awards in 1990. Their third album Jealousy was released in 1991 and debuted at number one, selling over 600,000 copies. It was later certified million by the RIAJ. On August 24, 1992, at a press conference in New York City at Rockefeller Center, the band introduced their new bassist Heath and announced that they were changing their name from "X" to "X Japan". Shortly after the release of August 1993's Art of Life, which also topped the Oricon, His second solo album, Raised on Rock, was released on July 5, 1995 and again featured Christian and Daisuke Hinata, as well as Chuck Wright and Ken Mary. However, he was unable to tour in support of it due to his work with X Japan. In 1996, Pata once again supported Hide at his solo concerts, this time on the Psyence a Go Go tour. When X Japan broke up, Pata formed P.A.F. with former Make-Up frontman NoB in 1998. Planning to work as a solo artist, Pata initially only had NoB help by writing lyrics and providing temporary vocals for demos. Then while recording and wondering who should sing, the guitarist realized he should just ask Nob to be an official member. The duo is named after P.A.F. guitar pickups. In about one year's time they released two studio albums, one mini-album, one live album and two singles.

thumb|left|Pata with his [[Rain (Japanese band)|Ra:IN bandmate Michiaki in 2008]]

For the 1999 Hide tribute album Tribute Spirits, Pata teamed up with X Japan bassist Heath and former Spread Beaver percussionist and programmer I.N.A. to cover X's song "Celebration". This was the catalyst for Dope HEADz, the band the three formed the following year. I.N.A. later suggested that Heath had wanted to form a band with him because they both liked 1990s industrial music, such as Nine Inch Nails. When Pata was suggested as the guitarist, he decided to give it a try, but said he would quit if he did not like it. However, Jo:Ya left the band after a September 9, 2001, concert at Zepp Tokyo. On October 19, 2003, Pata provided live support for Miyavi at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall, alongside Spread Beaver bassist Chirolyn, Seikima-II guitarist Luke Takamura and Luna Sea drummer Shinya. Ra:IN played their first shows outside Japan in 2004; events in Shanghai and Taiwan. A performance in Paris followed in May 2005. He also appears on three tracks from her November 2005 album R.U.O.K.?!, including the single "Everybody Goes". After playing with Ra:IN several times since 2005, DIE officially joined the band as keyboardist in 2007.

2007–present: X Japan reunion

thumb|upright|Pata in São Paulo, 2011

According to a report by the newspaper Sponichi, X Japan vocalist Toshi visited Yoshiki in Los Angeles in November 2006 to work on a song as a tribute to Hide. In March 2007, Toshi announced on his website that he and Yoshiki had recently resumed working together, stating that a "new project" would commence soon. In June, Yoshiki confirmed there were talks about reuniting X Japan and expressed interest in a tour and that he was in talks with Pata and Heath regarding their participation.

Pata appears in the 2008 film Attitude, directed by former Color frontman Dynamite Tommy. Ra:IN went on a lengthy European tour in 2009 that took them to France, Poland, Finland and Russia. Their first world tour began with four gigs in Europe from June 28 to July 4, 2011, and was resumed from September to October with five shows in South America and five in Asia.

On September 22, 2013, Pata appeared at a concert in memory of Hide, hosted by Sexxx George (Ladies Room), performing in a special band with George, Eby (ex-Zi:Kill), Yoshihiko (heidi.) and Cutt. For the Hide tribute album Tribute VII -Rock Spirits-, released on December 18, 2013, Pata reunited with Spread Beaver members Joe, I.N.A. and Chirolyn and Dope HEADz vocalist Shame to record a new version of "Pink Spider" under the name The Pink Spiders. Tetsu left Ra:IN in 2014, and was replaced on drums by Ryu that same year.

On January 15, 2016, Pata was rushed to the intensive care unit of a Tokyo hospital. He was diagnosed with colon diverticulitis and a severe blood clot in his portal vein, but in stable condition. In June, Yoshiki stated that Pata was discharged in March, but had to go back for surgery in August. Pata announced he was discharged on August 10. X Japan ended up postponing the release of their sixth studio album and March 12, 2016, concert at the Wembley Arena in London for a whole year; the latter was held on March 4, 2017, while the former remains unreleased.

Pata sat in with The Last Rockstars at their November 21, 2023 concert at Ariake Arena for a performance of X Japan's "Rusty Nail". Rittor Music published Pata's autobiography, , on February 13, 2024. Following the October 2023 death of Heath, the "heath the live everliving everloving" event was held at Club Phase in Tokyo on October 27, 2024. There, Pata reunited with both Jo:Ya and Shame for a cover of their former Dope HEADz bandmate's solo song, "The Live". Due to the worsening of a leg injury that had been bothering him for the past few years, Pata appeared in a wheelchair and performed sitting down at Hide with Spread Beaver's May 2 and 3, 2025 concerts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. A week later, Ra:IN cancelled their tour that was set to begin in June when it was learned that he also had a spinal fracture.

Equipment

Pata is noted as the only member of X Japan who plays American-made instruments, almost always seen playing a vintage Gibson Les Paul. His favorite is a black Les Paul Custom that is estimated to be from around 1972. Nicknamed , he has owned it since his amateur days. Pata's own copy of the guitar is made of korina and has Tom Holmes pickups.

  • Pata's Bootleg at Nissin Power Station Shinjuku (April 21, 1994, VHS or LD)
  • "Fly Away" (September 21, 1994) #35
  • "Shine on Me" (January 21, 1995) #94
  • "True Lies" (April 25, 2001) #35
  • Planet of the Dope (July 24, 2002) #59
  • Overdoing (Tokyo Yankees, October 20, 1992, guest guitar on "Drugstore Cowboy")
  • Fire, Water, Earth & Stone (Rumble Tribe, August 31, 1994, lead guitar on "Whipping Post")
  • Char Tribute: Psyche-Delicious (Various artists, June 18, 1997, "You Keep Snowin'")
  • Ja, Zoo (hide with Spread Beaver, November 21, 1998, guitar on "Fish Scratch Fever" and "Hurry Go Round")
  • Tribute Spirits (Various artists, May 1, 1999, "Celebration")
  • Force of Fifth (e.mu, June 28, 2000, producer)
  • R.U.O.K.?! (Nanase Aikawa, November 19, 2005, guitar on "Foolish 555", "Rock Star's Steady" and "Everybody Goes")
  • "In Motion" (hide, July 10, 2002, guitar)
  • 7.7.7. (Nanase Aikawa, January 1, 2006, guitar)
  • Music Not Fade Away (Seizi Kimura, 2018, guitar)
  • "Red Swan" (Yoshiki feat. Hyde, October 3, 2018, guest guitar)
  • Issay Gave Life to Flowers - A Tribute to Der Zibet - (Various artists, July 6, 2024, guitar solo on "Akari o Keshite")
  • Glowing Ash Burns On (Various artists, July 2024)

Notes

References

Sources

  • Official website