Ikimonogakari (いきものがかり)

Ikimonogakari (いきものがかり) is a Japanese j-pop and pop rock group from Kanagawa Prefecture, formed on February 1, 1999. Yoshiki Mizuno and Hotaka Yamashita, classmates since elementary school, started it as a two-man amateur band. In November 1999, Kiyoe Yoshioka joined as vocalist, completing the trio. After an indie debut with the 2003 album 『誠に僭越ながらファーストアルバムを拵えました…』, the group made its major debut on March 15, 2006 with the single "SAKURA" through Epic Records Japan. With Yoshioka on lead vocals, songs such as "YELL" and "ありがとう" became closely associated with the group. Beginning in 2008, Ikimonogakari appeared on NHK紅白歌合戦 for nine consecutive years. The group paused activities on January 5, 2017 and resumed on November 3, 2018. Ikimonogakari has also maintained a long connection to anime. That includes "Blue Bird (ブルーバード)", "Hotaru no Hikari (ホタルノヒカリ)", "Hanabi", "Netsujou no Spectrum (熱情のスペクトラム)", "BAKU", "Unmei-chan (運命ちゃん)", "Ikite, Sansan (生きて、燦々)", and "Sayonara Lara (さよならララ)". In July 2026, coverage marking 20 years since "SAKURA" revisited the group’s street-live roots in an NHK program. The same period also brought performance footage of "Sayonara Lara" from "tiny desk concerts JAPAN", renewed attention to the "Blue Bird" music video, and reports on an original cheering song written for Kanto Daiichi High School.