Hide (musician)

Template:Nihongo, known professionally as Hide,Template:Efn was a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band X Japan from 1987 to 1997 and rose to prominence in Asia as a solo artist from 1993 to 1998, until his death. He also formed the United States–based rock supergroup Zilch in 1996.

Hide sold millions of records, both solo and as a member of X Japan. X Japan rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, credited as founders of the Japanese visual kei movement. When they disbanded in 1997, he focused on his solo career which started four years prior and went on to enjoy significant popularity. At the height of his fame, while recording his third studio album and about to launch an international career with the newly formed Zilch, he died in 1998 of what was ruled a suicide by hanging. He was seen as an icon for Japanese youth rebelling against their country's conformist society, and his death was labeled "the end of an era".<ref name="asiaweek_death">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nytimes_death"/>

Life and career

1964–1987: Early years and Saber Tiger

Hideto Matsumoto was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Midorigaoka, Japan, on December 13, 1964, and attended Yokosuka Tokiwa Junior High School. He was first exposed to rock music at the age of fifteen, through the album Alive II by Kiss.<ref name="natspecial">Template:Cite web</ref> That year his grandmother bought him his first electric guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe.<ref name="hidecity_bio_1964-1986">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Gigs">Template:Cite journal</ref>

On March 11, 1980, Hide graduated from Tokiwa Junior High School. He entered Zushi Kaisei Senior High School in Zushi, Kanagawa, where he entered the school's brass band as a club activity. He quit the band after a short time because he was assigned the clarinet while he wanted to play the trumpet. After this, he concentrated on guitar and in 1981 formed the band Saber Tiger. A year after their founding, they started playing shows at live houses in Yokosuka, such as Rock City.<ref name="hidecity_bio_1964-1986"/> Their live performances featured shock elements such as mannequins and raw meat.<ref name="natspecial"/>

In April 1983, Hide started studying cosmetology and fashion at the Hollywood University of Beauty and Fashion in present-day Roppongi Hills, from which he graduated in 1985.<ref name="hidecity_bio_1964-1986"/> Later that year he took a nationwide examination and obtained a beautician license. In July 1985 Saber Tiger released their self-titled EP, which included two songs, "Double Cross" and "Gold Digger".<ref name="natspecial"/> In November, the band contributed the song "Vampire" to the Heavy Metal Force III sampler, which also included songs by X.<ref name="natspecial"/><ref name="JRREarly">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1986 the group changed its name to Template:Em Tiger to avoid confusion with Saber Tiger from Sapporo.<ref name="natspecial"/><ref name="JRREarly"/> Their first appearance with the new name was on the sampler Devil Must Be Driven out with Devil, with their songs "Dead Angle" and "Emergency Express". They continued to perform in venues such as Meguro Rokumeikan, Omiya Freaks and Meguro Live Station<ref name="hidecity_bio_1964-1986"/> until January 28, 1987, when Hide became tired of changing members and decided to end the band (vocalist Kyo and drummer Tetsu would both go on to D'erlanger), around the same time he was invited to join X.<ref name="natspecial"/><ref name="JRREarly"/> In 2001, Nippon Crown issued a three-volume release titled Origin of hide, with the band credited as "Yokosuka Saver Tiger". Volumes 1 and 2 were live CDs, with some rehearsal recordings, while volume 3 was a concert VHS.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1987–1997: X Japan

Hide joined X in February 1987,<ref name="hidecity_bio_1987">Template:Cite web</ref> becoming the lead guitarist and occasional songwriter. X released their first album, Vanishing Vision, through drummer Yoshiki's own Extasy Records on April 14, 1988, and toured extensively in support of the record. They became one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success on an independent label,<ref name="eastern_standard_time">Template:Cite book</ref> and were later widely credited as one of the pioneers of visual kei.<ref name="nytimes_death">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="asiaarts_x_best">Template:Cite web</ref>

X's major label debut album, Blue Blood, was released on April 21, 1989, and debuted at number six on the Oricon chart.<ref name="XOricon">Template:Cite web</ref> Its success earned the band the "Grand Prix New Artist of the Year" award at the 4th annual Japan Gold Disc Awards in 1990.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their third album Jealousy was released on July 1, 1991, and debuted at number one, selling over 600,000 copies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was later certified million by the RIAJ.<ref name="RIAJ">Template:Cite web</ref>

Shortly after the release of Art of Life, which also topped the Oricon,<ref name="XOricon"/> the members of X Japan took a break, to start solo projects. Around that time, the group also dropped most of its original visual kei aesthetics, except Hide who would still perform in wildly colorful outfits and with his trademark red, later pink, hair.<ref name="x_video_releases">As seen on the Dahlia Tour Final 1996 video release.</ref> Dahlia, which would become the band's final album to date, was released on November 4, 1996, and once again, it reached the number one spot.<ref name="XOricon"/> In September 1997 it was announced that X Japan would disband, they performed their farewell show, aptly titled "The Last Live", at the Tokyo Dome on December 31, 1997.<ref name="JRRLegend">Template:Cite web</ref>

1993–1998: Solo career

In early 1993, Hide recorded the "cyborg rock" song "Frozen Bug" with Inoran and J of Luna Sea under the band name M*A*S*S; it was included on the sampler Dance 2 Noise 004.<ref name="natspecial2">Template:Cite web</ref> He also starred in an art film titled Seth et Holth, along with Tusk of Zi:Kill.<ref name="hidecity_bio_1993">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1994, he recorded and released his first solo album Hide Your Face, which reached number 9 on the Oricon chart.<ref name="hideoricon">Template:Cite web</ref> The album's musical style differed significantly from the speed metal anthems and power ballads of X Japan, leaning more towards alternative rock. He then went on the Hide Our Psychommunity Tour, for which a live band was hired that would later become his primary project, Hide with Spread Beaver.<ref name="alivest">Template:Cite video</ref>

In 1996, Hide oversaw the production of the first release on his own record label LEMONed, an album from the band Zeppet Store.<ref name="natspecial2"/> Prior to starting his own label, Hide would introduce bands he liked to Yoshiki, who then signed them to Extasy Records, as he had done with Zi:Kill, Luna Sea and Glay.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Oblivion Dust also credits early support from Hide for them getting a record deal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hide's second solo album Psyence was released on September 2, it topped the Oricon and was followed by the Psyence a Go Go tour.<ref name="hideoricon"/> He also formed a new band named Zilch in 1996, which apart from him and Spread Beaver programmer and percussionist I.N.A., was composed of American and British artists, such as Joey Castillo (Danzig), Paul Raven (Killing Joke) and Ray McVeigh (ex-The Professionals).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> After X Japan disbanded in 1997, he formally titled his solo project Hide with Spread Beaver, with his backing band considered full members. On August 26, 1997, he produced the Mix LEMONed Jelly event at four different Tokyo nightclubs on the same night.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Death

File:HideHeadstone.jpg

Hide's grave

On May 1, Hide and the members of Spread Beaver recorded for television shows and went out drinking. Hide's younger brother drove him home at roughly 6:30Template:Nbspam the following morning.<ref name="hiroshi_book">Template:Cite book</ref> He had returned to Japan five days earlier, after a three-month stay in Los Angeles.<ref name="hiroshi_book" /> At 7:30 the following morning, he was found unconscious, hanged by a towel tied to a doorhandle in his apartment in the Minami-Azabu district of Tokyo. He was rushed to Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Hiroo, where he was pronounced dead at 8:52Template:Nbspam by Japanese Red Cross Medical Center.<ref name="hiroshi_book"/><ref name="FWWeekly">Template:Cite web</ref> He was 33.<ref name="asiaweek_death" />

Within a week, three teenage fans had died in copycat suicides. At the wake on May 6, which 10,000 people attended, a 19-year-old girl slit her wrists after laying flowers at the temple, and a car crash caused by sleep-deprived fans traveling from Osaka caused one death and seven serious injuries on a motorway.<ref name="Hide funeral Japan Times">Template:Cite news</ref> His remains were buried in Miura Reien in Miura, Kanagawa during a Buddhist memorial service. Approximately 50,000 people attended his funeral at Tsukiji Hongan-ji on May 7, where 56 people were hospitalized and 197 people received medical treatment in first aid tents due to a mixture of emotional exhaustion and heat, with the funeral taking place on the warmest day of the year so far, at 27 degrees Celsius (about 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit).<ref name="asiaweek_death"/><ref name="nytimes_death"/><ref name="Hide funeral Japan Times"/>

Authorities deemed Hide's death a suicide,<ref name="nytimes_death" /> and it was reported in the media as such.<ref name="wearex">Template:Cite video</ref> Several of Hide's friends and colleagues stated that they believed the strangulation to have been an accident, among them X Japan co-founder Yoshiki and former X bassist Taiji. No suicide note was left.<ref name="asiaweek_death"/> Taiji theorizes in his autobiography that Hide may have been practicing a technique to relieve upper back and neck pains which guitarists can suffer from due to continuous use of a shoulder strap.<ref name="sawada_bio">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="guitarsite_pain">Template:Cite web</ref> The technique required the use of a towel and a doorknob or handle.<ref name="painclinic_exercises">Template:Cite web</ref> According to Taiji, Hide may have fallen asleep in his intoxicated state, becoming caught and strangling himself.<ref name="sawada_bio"/>

Zilch bassist Paul Raven said, "I saw him a few days before he passed away, and I had no indication from him that anything was wrong, other than that he was exhausted," but commented that Hide was "under a lot of stress," due to the recording schedule for the Ja, Zoo album. He questioned the ultimate degree of Hide's involvement in the finished record, remarking that only three songs had been completed before he died.<ref name="nytimes_death" /> However, Hide's younger brother and manager stated in his 2010 book that six songs were completed by the time of his death.<ref name="hiroshi_book"/> This is supported by the fact that I.N.A. is credited with additional arrangement on four of the album's ten tracks.<ref name="Jaliner">Ja, Zoo liner notes, 1998-11-21. Retrieved 2013-03-08</ref>

Posthumous

1998–2010

File:Hide3.jpg

The Hide museum

Later that month after his death, the single "Pink Spider" was released, entering the Oricon chart at number one.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The song was also named "Song of the Year" at the 13th Japan Gold Disc Awards and received the MTV Video Music Award in the category "Japan Viewers Choice".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="hidecity_bio_1998">Template:Cite web</ref> Sales were also strong for the follow-up single "Ever Free" which took its number one spot, while those of the single released prior to his death "Rocket Dive" would also see a substantial increase. American Journalist Neil Strauss commented on the trend saying that: "In just a few weeks, pop culture in Japan had gone from mourning Hide's death to consuming it."<ref name="nytimes_death"/>

Zilch's debut album 3.2.1. was released in July and reached number 2 on the Oricon chart.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Zilch performed and record for several years. While they never achieved mainstream success in the United States one of their songs was included on the soundtrack for the Canadian film Heavy Metal 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ja, Zoo was released in November that year with the artist listed as 'hide with Spread Beaver', formally crediting his backing band, also reached the number 2 position and sold over a million copies by the end of the following year.<ref name="RIAJ"/><ref name="hideoricon"/> Despite Hide's death, Spread Beaver went through with the 1998 Tribal Ja, Zoo Tour from October through November, performing live with the addition of recordings, drawing an audience of 50,000 people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Footage from the tour was later released on DVD in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On May 1, 1999, a tribute album was released, titled Tribute Spirits. It features covers by bands such as Buck-Tick, Luna Sea and Oblivion Dust, and solo artists including Tomoyasu Hotei and Cornelius.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album was released to coincide with the first anniversary of his death.

A Hide museum was opened in his hometown of Yokosuka on July 20, 2000.<ref name="musjaplus">Template:Cite web</ref> It has been reported that Japan's Prime Minister at the time, Junichiro Koizumi, was influential in getting it built as he is a big fan of X Japan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The museum remained open, past its original three-year plan, for five years, before closing its doors on September 25, 2005, with an estimated 400,000 people visiting.<ref name="musjaplus"/><ref name="th_50">Template:Cite web</ref>

Prior to his death, Hide and Yoshiki talked about restarting X Japan with a new vocalist in the year 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The surviving members of X Japan eventually reunited in 2007 and recorded a new song, "I.V.". It contains a previously unused guitar track by hide.<ref name="tokyograph_iv_video">Template:Cite web</ref> Their first concert was held at the Tokyo Dome on March 28, 2008, during the performance of "Art of Life" a hologram of Hide (taken from footage of an "Art of Life" performance at the Tokyo Dome in 1993) played alongside the band.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> X Japan still considers Hide a member, and have introduced him at every concert they have performed since reuniting.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Xjapan hongkong2.jpg

X Japan performing in 2009 with an image of Hide in the background. Despite his death, they still consider him a member of the band.

As far back as July 8, 2007, Yoshiki announced to be in talks with several musicians regarding a Hide tribute concert set for 2008, in order to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his former bandmate's death. The Hide memorial summit was held on May 3 and 4 2008 at Ajinomoto Stadium, with X Japan, Dir En Grey, D'espairsRay, Versailles and many others performing, Luna Sea and Phantasmagoria even reunited for one day to perform.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="MemorialBeaver">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hide with Spread Beaver also performed, using studio and live recordings for Hide's vocals.<ref name="MemorialBeaver"/> Organizers planned for an estimated 100,000 fans to attend the two shows.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Prior to the summit, there had been tribute shows held every year since 2000, where bands performed on Hide's birthday and this continues to this day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As with many other deceased musicians, re-issues, remixes, compilations and previously unreleased portions of Hide's work continue to be published. One of the most recent being "The Devolution Project", a release of his original eleven singles on picture disc vinyl, throughout 2010.<ref name="tokyohive_singles_re-released_on_vinyl">Template:Cite web</ref> On the 12th anniversary of his death, also in 2010, a memorial service was held at Tsukiji Hongan-ji with an estimated 35,000 people attending.<ref name="th_50"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2010, Hide's management company Headwax Organization, which includes his younger brother Hiroshi, filed a lawsuit against Yoshiki's management Japan Music Agency, for using images of the former X Japan guitarist without a formal agreement in place.<ref name="lawsuit">Template:Cite web</ref> The claim states that in 2000 the two companies signed an agreement allowing Yoshiki and X Japan to use visual images of Hide during concerts. However, images were used at X Japan's August 14 and 15 shows at Nissan Stadium, when apparently the contract had expired.<ref name="lawsuit"/><ref name="lawsuit_2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Since 2011

On March 8, 2011, a jukebox musical based on and featuring Hide's music debuted, named Pink Spider after his song of the same name.<ref name="th_musical_1">Template:Cite web</ref> Hide had previously expressed his desire to make a"rock opera", and said that the story of Pink Spider is not finished in the single, it remains open, and the musical aims to follow this thought thread.<ref name="barksmuscial">Template:Cite web</ref> The show stars both Nao Minamisawa and Hitomi Takahashi as Meru, a girl who likes rock music, struggling between the real world and a fictional one called Psychocommunity. Other cast members included Taka (defspiral) and J, with the backing band being the rest of defspiral. The production ran from March 8 to the 27 at the Tokyo Globe Theater and was then brought to Fukuoka, Kobe, Nagoya, Niigata, Sendai, and Sapporo in April.<ref name="th_musical_2">Template:Cite web</ref> The musical production was overseen by I.N.A.<ref name="barksmuscial" /> A compilation album of the songs used in the musical (the original versions by hide) was released on March 2 and is titled "Musical Number" -Rock Musical Pink Spider-.<ref name="mjp_musical">Template:Cite web</ref>

At the end of 2012, a special project titled Hide Rocket Dive 2013~2014 ~20th Solo Works & 50th of Birth Anniversary was announced. It includes films shown in several locations on May 2, including some overseas, the re-opening of the Hide museum and plans to hold another Hide memorial summit festival.<ref name="th_50"/> Two tribute albums, following the first in 1999, were released on July 3, 2013, and contain twenty-five tracks covered by newer visual kei acts such as heidi., Sadie, Matenrou Opera and Screw.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two more tribute albums were released on August 28, the first being covers of Hide's songs in a classical music theme, and the latter his song's remixed by Spread Beaver member INA.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two additional tribute albums were released on December 18 as the final installments, one composed of covers by female recording artists such as Koda Kumi and Kanon Wakeshima, and the other by rock acts including D'erlanger and Kinniku Shōjo Tai.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Hide Museum 2013 was in Odaiba from June 27 to July 28, when it moved to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka for August 7 to September 8. The exhibition include life size wax dolls of hide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The new live concert film hide Alive the Movie -hide Indian Summer Special Limited Edition- was shown in theaters throughout Japan.<ref name="Indian">Template:Cite web</ref> Special limited tickets to see the movie came with a thirteen-track live CD of songs from the depicted concert, which was recorded on September 8, 1996, at Chiba Marine Stadium.<ref name="Indian"/>

In March 2013, Headwax Organization announced that Hide's grave site at Miura Reien was vandalized when unknown suspect(s) scratched the gravestone with a sharp object. They stated that if additional acts occur, the grave would be temporarily closed to the public.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hide "performed" with Super Band, a one-off band whose lineup altered per song, at Sodegaura Kaihin Koen on September 14, 2013, as part of Kishidan Banpaku 2013 hosted by Kishidan. Its members included J on bass, Hisashi Imai and Hisashi on guitar, Ken Morioka on keyboards, and Tetsu (D'erlanger) on drums.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A previously unfinished song by Hide called Template:Nihongo has been completed by Yamaha and INA utilizing vocaloid technology to mimic the deceased musician's voice. The song was originally written and demoed for Ja, Zoo in 1998, took two years to finish and was included on an album by Universal Music released on December 10, 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Junk Story, a theatrical documentary on Hide that includes interviews with friends, staff and fellow musicians who knew him, entered theaters across Japan on May 23, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hide with Spread Beaver performed on October 15, 2016, at Makuhari Messe alongside X Japan and Glay as part of the second day of the Visual Japan Summit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A special Hide 20th Memorial Super Live Spirits was held at Tokyo Otaiba Yagai Tokusetsu Stage J Chikuon on April 28 and 29, 2018. In addition to Hide with Spread Beaver on both nights, other acts that performed over the two days included Buck-Tick, Oblivion Dust, Mucc and Tomoyasu Hotei.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A multimedia box set titled hide 1998 ~Last Words~ and containing five CDs, a DVD and two books was released on May 2. All conducted within the last few months of his life, the CDs contain radio interviews Hide gave on Nippon Broadcasting System and Bay FM 78, the DVD contains footage shot in Los Angeles while recording Ja, Zoo, and the books republish interviews he gave to magazines such as Rockin'On Japan and Fool's Mate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On May 26, a documentary film titled Hurry Go Round was released in theaters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Another tribute album titled Tribute Impulse was released on June 6, 2018, and features acts such as Dragon Ash, Takanori Nishikawa and Miyavi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In October 2021, the exhibition "Psychovision Hide Museum Since 2000" opened in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Divided into five zones, it displayed about 300 items, including memorabilia from Hide's childhood, his guitars, stage costumes, handwritten lyrics, gold and platinum records, and artwork that he drew himself.<ref name="Psychovision2021">Template:Cite web</ref> The exhibition moved each year, to Aichi, Osaka, and Fukuoka, before its final stop at the Sogo Museum of Art in Yokohama from March 19 to May 7, 2025.<ref name="Psychovision2025">Template:Cite web</ref>

Using the 2010 book by Hide's brother Hiroshi and I.N.A.'s 2018 book as sources, Renpei Tsukamoto wrote and directed the live-action film Template:Nihongo about how Hiroshi and I.N.A. struggled to finish and release Hide's music after his death in 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Released on July 8, 2022, in addition to Tsubasa Imai as Hiroshi, actual musicians were cast for the roles of Hide and the members of Spread Beaver; Juon of the band Fuzzy Control as Hide, Takashi Tsukamoto as I.N.A., Naoki Kawano as Joe, Sex Machineguns bassist Shingo☆ as Chirolyn, Orito Kasahara as Kiyoshi, Yuuki Kubo as D.I.E., and Masato Kataoka as K.A.Z.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> I.N.A. mixed live recordings from the 1998 Tribal Ja, Zoo Tour for use in the film. Four of them were released digitally as hide with Spread Beaver Appear!! "1998 Tribal Ja,Zoo" (Live) 2022 Mix on July 6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Hide's solo debut and the 25th anniversary of his death, Hide with Spread Beaver reunited for their first one-man lives in 21 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They performed at Zepp Osaka Bayside on April 29, Kanagawa Kenmin Hall on May 2, and Toyosu Pit on July 27.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They performed two one-man lives at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on May 2 and 3, 2025, as part of celebrations to commemorate what would have been Hide's 60th birthday.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Hide's younger brother Hiroshi was his chauffeur and manager until his last days.<ref name="hiroshi_book"/><ref name="hiroshi">Template:Cite web</ref> Hiroshi has a son whom, during the Hide Our Psychommunity Tour, Hide would bring onstage and sing to. Hiroshi is the president of Hide's management company Headwax Organization, and also appears on Ja, Zoo reading an excerpt on "Pink Cloud Assembly".<ref name="Jaliner"/><ref name="hiroshi"/>

During an interview for the television show Rocket Punch!, recorded on May 1, 1998,<ref name="hiroshi_book"/> Hide said he had a girlfriend.<ref>Template:YouTube</ref> The identity of this girlfriend was never confirmed, as Hide died the following day.

Musicianship

Musical style

Hide was influenced by hard rock bands such as Iron Maiden, AC/DC and Bow Wow as well as punk rock acts such as The Clash and Sex Pistols.<ref name="natspecial"/> However, Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley was his idol and biggest influence.<ref name="natspecial"/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="RocknRoll">Template:Cite journal</ref> He preferred guitarists who make playing look "effortless" and who have "the skill, the looks and the attitude", naming Frehley, Jimmy Page and Joe Perry.<ref name="RocknRoll"/> He cited Bauhaus' guitarist Daniel Ash as an influence as well.<ref name="natspecial"/> Hide cited Iron Maiden's self-titled debut album for teaching him how to arrange twin guitar parts.<ref name="RocknRoll"/>

In X Japan, Hide is the second most credited songwriter to Yoshiki, and appears to have been the most experimental as well. The song "Xclamation" from 1989's Blue Blood, co-composed with Taiji, included traditional Indian percussion;<ref name="lyricsheet">Blue Blood LP lyrics sheet insert, 1989-04-21. Retrieved 2013-03-08</ref> "Scars", a single written by Hide from 1996's Dahlia, was a glimpse into his future experiments in industrial rock, according to Alexey Eremenko of AllMusic.<ref name="Allmusic">Template:Cite web</ref> The Japan TimesTemplate:'s Philip Brasor commented that when Hide died, "Japanese metal lost its greatest practicing innovator."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the outset of his solo career, Hide experimented with instrumentations very different from what he usually had access to in X Japan. The Hide Your Face opening track "Psychommunity", for example, has four guitar tracks and employs a full string section. As another example, "Blue Sky Complex" features guitars in drop C tuning, a trumpet section, and an organ.<ref name="hyf_score">Template:Cite book</ref> His solo music is also of genres uncharacteristic of X, with the bulk of his catalog being considered alternative rock. These works included influences ranging from pop rock to industrial rock.<ref name="AMBio">Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Burny mg-X 130s Hide signature (7832540508).jpg

A Burny MG-130S; one of Hide's signature model guitars

His lyrics were often dark, with one TV host saying "A lot of what Hide did was grotesque. He's talked about suicide in his records for five years. But the fans who followed him always knew there was a Hide behind that who was a very solid character. He was very outspoken about freedom and doing what you want".<ref name="nytimes_death"/> His compositions "often set the tone of alienation and frustration for which X Japan was revered."<ref name="asiaweek_death"/> Radio and TV host Bryan Burton-Lewis explained "In Japan, the image that we have of the X audience is rural kids going through a rebellion phase", "they all talk about how [hide] gave them something to live for."<ref name="asiaweek_death"/> Japanese DJ Maki Yanai believes fans saw in him the rebel society would not allow them to be.<ref name="asiaweek_death"/>

Equipment

Hide was a fan of Bow Wow guitarists Kyoji Yamamoto and Mitsuhiro Saito, and played the Mockingbird style guitar, which Saito used.<ref name="Gigs"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hide was rarely seen performing without a Fernandes guitar. He had many signature models with the company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The MG-X "Paint" model features a psychedelic paint job modeled after one that Hide had painted himself.<ref name="Psychovision2021"/> He also owned a large repertoire of guitars by other manufacturers. While in Los Angeles, he purchased a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard that was once owned by Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe for 20 million yen.<ref name="Psychovision2025"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2025, it was valued to be worth 100 million yen.<ref name="Psychovision2025"/> The whereabouts of Hide's first electric guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe that his grandmother bought him through connections at the United States military base in Yokosuka, are unknown. Pata suggested that it was sold during X Japan's indie years when they were struggling financially.<ref name="Psychovision2025"/>

Legacy and influence

Hide is regarded as very influential to not only contemporary Japanese musicians, but also to his generation. X Japan is considered one of the founders of visual kei, a movement among Japanese musicians comparable to Western glam,<ref name="nytimes_death"/> and subsequently are influences to many newer bands. When they disbanded, Hide was the only member to carry on with the look and had the most successful solo career. As such, acts that cite him specifically as an influence include D'espairsRay, Mucc guitarist Miya and vocalist Tatsuro, Nightmare's Hitsugi, Syu of Galneryus, Hizaki and Teru of Versailles, members from heidi., Naoto of Deathgaze, DuelJewel's Shun, Kouichi of Laputa, Jui from Vidoll, Reo of lynch.,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="tatsuro">Template:Cite web</ref> Dir En Grey vocalist Kyo and guitarist Kaoru,<ref name="Kyo">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Kaoru">Template:Cite web</ref> each member of Daizystripper,<ref name="DaizyStripper">Template:Cite web</ref> Kohshi from Flow,<ref name="Kohshi">Template:Cite web</ref> members of MarBell,<ref name="Marbell">Template:Cite web</ref> Head Phones President frontwoman Anza,<ref name="Anza">Template:Cite web</ref> Aldious guitarist Toki,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> DJ Ozma,<ref name="Ozma & Luna Sea">Template:Cite web</ref> Ami Suzuki,<ref name="Suzuki">Template:Cite web</ref> Silver Ash leader Ling,<ref name="Ling">Template:Cite web</ref> Chiemi Ishimoto from Mass of the Fermenting Dregs,<ref name="Chiemi">Template:Cite web</ref> Marilyn Manson,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Minami Momochi,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dezert drummer Sora,<ref name="repsycle">Template:Cite web</ref> and Shokichi.<ref name="repsycle"/> Ryuichi stated that Hide was a big influence on Luna Sea.<ref name="Ozma & Luna Sea"/>

Hide has been compared to Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix with regards to his impact on Japanese youth, having been "elevated to a 'guitar god' status."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to Josephine Yun, Hide's "stage persona was insolent, in your face, taunting and belligerent, and it thrilled Japanese youth while horrifying older generations. Many Japanese felt stifled by convention and identified with his naughty rebelliousness; he became a cult figure."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Neil Strauss claims Hide "despised the music business and wanted to change it" and that he said he felt "trapped in the image of a pop star."<ref name="nytimes_death"/><ref name="FWWeekly"/> According to Strauss, he "represented a generation of fans who felt alienated, and his death represented the end of a genre."<ref name="nytimes_death"/> BillboardTemplate:'s Steve McClure concurred; his "death means the end of an era", adding "X were the first generation of visual kei bands[...] For the next generation of bands, it's like: That's it. The torch has been passed to us."<ref name="nytimes_death"/>

Spread Beaver

Hide's backing band for his solo career:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Template:Nihongo – percussion, programming, keyboards, keytar, backing vocals 1993–1998, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025 (Zilch, Dope HEADz, Sonic Storage)
• Template:Nihongo – guitar, backing vocals 1994–1996 (Blizard, X-Ray, Twinzer)
• Template:Nihongo – bass, acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals 1994–1998, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025 (Debonair, Madbeavers, Chirolyn & The Angels)
• Template:Nihongo – drums 1994–1998, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025 (44Magnum, Ziggy, Madbeavers, Rider Chips)
• Template:Nihongo – keyboards, keytar, piano, guitar, backing and lead vocals 1994–1998, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025 (Loopus, Ra:IN, Minimum Rockets)
• Template:Nihongo – guitar, backing vocals 1996–1998, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025 (Jewel, Virus, Media Youth, R, machine, Madbeavers, Lucy)
• Template:Nihongo – guitar, backing vocals 1998, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025 (Oblivion Dust, Spin Aqua, Sonic Storage, Vamps)

X Japan guitarist Pata made numerous live appearances with the band and also appears on a couple studio recordings.<ref name="alivest" /> Jennifer Finch and Demetra "Dee" Plakas, of American all-girl grunge band L7, supported Hide on a couple of TV performances in 1993 before Spread Beaver was formed,<ref>Template:YouTube</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> they also appear in the original promotional video for "Doubt".<ref name="asouvenir">As seen on the A Souvenir video release.</ref> Template:Multiple image

Discography

• Hide Your Face (1994)
• Psyence (1996)
• Ja, Zoo (1998)

Further reading

• Pink Cloudy Sky, by Masahiko "REM" Araki, Bauhaus, 1999, Template:ISBN
• Hide Days, Takarajimasha, 2003, Template:ISBN
• Hide Bible, by Akemi Oshima, Ongakusenkasha, 2008, Template:ISBN
• Template:Nihongo, by Hiroshi Matsumoto, Kodansha, 2010, Template:ISBN

External links

• Template:Official website Template:In lang
• Official YouTube
• Official LEMONed Shop website