TOSHI

Toshimitsu Deyama (出山利三, Deyama Toshimitsu, born October 10, 1965 in Tateyama, Chiba), known exclusively by his stage name Toshi, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist and a co-founder of the rock band X Japan, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s and are credited as founders of the Japanese visual kei movement. Toshi began an extensive solo career in 1992 before leaving X Japan at the end of 1997. By his own admission, Toshi was "brainwashed" by a group called Home of Heart, whose leader would control his musical output for the next 12 years. In 2007, X Japan reunited and began a world tour. Toshi severed ties with Home of Heart in January 2010 and renewed his solo career. His distinctive, impassioned tenor vocals have been compared to those of Steve Perry. In Japan, he also uses the stage name Ryūgentoshi (龍玄とし).