(December 2, 1976) is the

lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

, main

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and

rhythm guitarist In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass gui ...

of the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

rock band

Asian Kung-Fu Generation (stylized as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama in 1996. For its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotoh, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyo ...

. Masafumi met fellow band members

Kensuke Kita (January 24, 1977) is the lead guitarist and backing singer of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Kensuke met fellow band members Masafumi Gotō and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin University. The th ...

and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of

Kanto Gakuin University is a private university located in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan. History It traces its roots to The Baptist Theological Seminary of Yokohama established by Albert Arnold Bennett, a missionary of the American Baptist Missionary Union, establi ...

. The three formed Asian Kung-Fu Generation in 1996, with drummer

Kiyoshi Ijichi (born September 25, 1977) is the drummer of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Ijichi credits the origin of his drumming ability to playing in marching bands in junior high. He met fellow band members Masafumi Gotō, Kensuke Ki ...

joining the band shortly after. As the main songwriter of the band, Gotoh is credited with writing a majority of their lyrics, but has a strong tendency to share songwriting duties equally among his bandmates. His vocal style most often alternates between soft, melodic singing, and harder, harsher, yelling. Masafumi has a degree in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...

and his favourite artists include

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...

Number Girl was a rock band formed in Fukuoka, Japan in August, 1995 by guitarist and vocalist Shutoku Mukai. They first disbanded in 2002 following bassist Kentaro Nakao's departure from the band. Number Girl played fast, guitar-driven rock similar to th ...

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

Teenage Fanclub Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Bellshill near Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), all of whom shared l ...

, and

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...

. He produces records for other artists such as

Chatmonchy was a three-piece all-female rock band which consisted of Eriko Hashimoto (guitar, vocals), Akiko Fukuoka (bass, chorus), and formerly Kumiko Takahashi (drums, chorus) who are from Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan. Since 20 ...

, Dr. Downer and

The Chef Cooks Me ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. He was also one of the founding members of the band . In 2010, Gotoh launched his own

music label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...

, only in dreams. In 2012, he started a solo project under the name Gotch, and released the single "'lost". In 2014, he released his debut solo album, ''Can't Be Forever Young'' and released live album called, ''Live in Tokyo''. In 2016, he released his second solo album, ''Good New Times'', with most songs using English lyrics.

Discography

Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Solo

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Singles

Other

* New Order – ''

Waiting for the Sirens' Call ''Waiting for the Sirens' Call'' is the eighth studio album by English rock band New Order. The album was released on 28 March 2005 in the United Kingdom and 26 April 2005 in the United States, and was preceded by the single " Krafty" in Februar ...

'' (2005) lyrics on "

Krafty "Krafty" is a song by English music group New Order, released as the first single from their eighth studio album, ''Waiting for the Sirens' Call'' (2005). It marked the first new release by New Order for Warner Bros. Records without London Reco ...

(Japanese Version)" * Dr. Downer – ''Rising'' (2011) music director * Special Others – ''Special Others'' (2011) collaboration on "Dance in Tsurumi" * Feeder – '' Generation Freakshow'' Japanese edition (2012) vocals on "

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

" * Chatmonchy – "Kirakira Hikare" (2012) producer; vocals on "Karisomethod" * Chatmonchy – ''Henshin'' (2012) producer on "Yes or No or Love" and "Kirakira Hikare" * Dr. Downer – ''Gensō no Maboroshi'' (2013) producer * The Chef Cooks Me – ''Kaitentai'' (2013) producer, vocals on "Kanjōsen wa Bokura o Nosete" * ART-SCHOOL – ''YOU'' (2014) producer * Ovall - "Nadaraka Yoru" (2018) vocals * Dance stage - ''MeMe'' (2019) music producer * Nahavand – ''Vandalism'' (2019) producer, vocals on "Hold On" * The Chef Cooks Me – "Kakato de Ai o Uchinarase" (2019) vocals * SOFTTOUCH – "Jiyū Ishi" (2019) producer * Aiha Higurashi – "Je t'aime" (2019) producer * Aiha Higurashi – "Shining all over" (2019) vocal *

Manami Konishi , also known as KONI-TAN, is a Japanese actress, singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Career Konishi appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2006 film '' Retribution'', which was screened at the 63rd Venice Film Festival. She also appeared i ...

– ''Cure'' (2020) producer and backing vocals on "Endless Summer", producer on "Ain't Nobody Know" * FIRE EX. – "The Light" (2020) vocal * Moment Joon – "Doukutsu" (2020) vocal *

The Rentals The Rentals are an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp. Sharp has been the only consistent member since the group's inception. The band's best selling single is "Friends of P" (1995). The Rentals released two albums, ''Return of t ...

– "Goodbye, Steve" (2020) vocal * SOCCER*SCHOOL - "last summer bleeze" (2021) mixing * Moment Joon – "Distance" (2021) vocal * Hironoi Momoi – "Fog" (2021) vocal, lyrics * Lil Boom – "The End of the World" (2021) vocal * Nahavand – "World Trigger"' (2022) recording * Yuragi – ''For you, Adroit it but soft : Remixes & Rarities'' (2022) mastering * The Tiva – ''On This Planet'' (2022) mastering * Mofution Vibration – "Oboroge" (2022) mixing, mastering * Dhira Bongs – ''A A Tiny Bit of Gold in The Dark Ocean'' (2022) vocal on "Make Me Fallin In Love Again"

References

External links

*
Discography at RateYourMusic

Only in Dreams label

Asian Kung-Fu Generation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goto, Masafumi 1976 births Living people Japanese rock guitarists Japanese male rock singers Japanese songwriters Asian Kung-Fu Generation members Kanto Gakuin University alumni 20th-century Japanese guitarists 21st-century Japanese guitarists Musicians from Shizuoka Prefecture