YOSHIKI

Okay, YOSHIKI is one of those people who makes you question what's even possible. The man drums like he's trying to break the kit in half, then sits at a piano and writes something so delicate it'll wreck you in a totally different way. I love that he basically invented the visual-kei blueprint with X JAPAN, became a legend in Japan, and then just... kept going. Hollywood, a Golden Globes theme, his handprints in cement on the Walk of Fame side of things, classical records with full orchestras. And he's been doing it through genuinely brutal neck and back injuries, which is wild. The all-black mystique is fun, but what gets me is how relentlessly hardworking he actually is underneath it. Quietly one of the most driven artists Japan's ever produced.

This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.

YOSHIKI (born Yoshiki Hayashi on November 20, 1965, in Tateyama, Chiba, Japan) is a musician, composer, and music producer best known as the founder, drummer, and pianist of the rock band X JAPAN. He founded his own independent label, Extasy Records, in 1986 and led X JAPAN to major commercial success following their 1989 debut album BLUE BLOOD. Beyond rock, he has composed classical works and, in 2012, the official theme for the Golden Globe Awards (used from the 69th ceremony). He continues to be active internationally, most recently co-founding the superband THE LAST ROCKSTARS in 2022.

Name (English)

YOSHIKI

Name (Japanese)

YOSHIKI

Reading

よしき

Real name

林 佳樹

Born

November 20, 1965 (age 60)

Origin

Tateyama, Chiba, Japan

Height

175 cm

Occupation

Rock musician / Classical pianist / Drummer / Composer / Music producer / Fashion designer

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Scorpio / Snake

Blood type

B

Agency

Self-managed (Extasy International Inc.)

Agency history

Extasy Records (founded 1986 — own label)

Active years

1982–present

High school

Chiba Prefectural Awa High School (graduated 1984)

University

Declined acceptance to Musashino Academia Musicae; pursued music career instead

Debut

Formed band X with Toshi in 1982; major debut with album BLUE BLOOD on April 21, 1989

Awards & achievements

• 1990 4th Japan Gold Disc Award — Best New Artist (X)
• 1999 Composed and performed "Anniversary" for the Imperial Ceremony Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of His Majesty the Emperor's Accession
• 2012 Composed the official Golden Globe Awards theme (used from the 69th ceremony)
• 2023 First Japanese person to leave handprints and footprints at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood
• 2026 Entertainment Community Fund Medal of Honor (first Japanese artist)

Timeline

1. 1965Born November 20 in Tateyama, Chiba. Began studying piano and music theory at age 4.
2. 1977Formed band "Dynamite" (later renamed "Noise") with childhood friend Toshi.
3. 1982Founded new band "X".
4. 1986Established his own indie label Extasy Records.
5. 1989Made his major debut with X on the album BLUE BLOOD (CBS/Sony)
6. 1992Band renamed X JAPAN; bought his own recording studio and home in Los Angeles
7. 1997X JAPAN announced disbandment.
8. 2007X JAPAN reunited and released new single I.V.
9. 2012Composed the official Golden Globe Awards theme, used from the 69th ceremony
10. 2022Co-founded superband THE LAST ROCKSTARS with HYDE, SUGIZO, and MIYAVI.

Spouse

Never married

Parents

His parents ran a long-established kimono shop in Tateyama

Siblings

Younger brother: Mitsuki (handles his management)

Hobbies

• Playing piano
• Fashion design
• Composing

Specialties

• Drumming
• Piano performance
• Composition and arrangement
• Music production

Works summary

Works

19 (1988–2023)

By year

1988: 1, 1993: 1, 2000: 1, 2002: 1, 2005: 1, 2007: 1, 2012: 1, 2013: 1, 2015: 1, 2016: 1, 2018: 4, 2019: 1, 2020: 1, 2022: 1, 2023: 2

Filmography / notable works

• Official sitehttps://jp.yoshiki.net/
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/yoshikiofficial/
• Xhttps://x.com/YoshikiOfficial
• YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaZK0kfr_sKxmLNoP2g9OWw
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/YOSHIKI
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q311193

Tags

• X JAPAN
• THE LAST ROCKSTARS
• Tateyama, Chiba
• Visual kei
• Composer
• Drummer
• Pianist
• Golden Globe Awards

Last updated

October 18, 2026

Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. Works and profile fields sourced from Wikipedia reflect content as of 2026-08-26. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.