La'cryma Christi (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "The Tears of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

") is a Japanese

visual kei , abbreviated , is a category of Japanese musicians that have a strong focus on extravagant stage costumes that originated in Japan during the early 1980s. Koji Dejima of '' Bounce'' wrote that visual kei is not a specific sound, but rather it " ...

rock band, formed in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

in 1991. After changing their name from Strippe-D Lady, the classic lineup of vocalist Taka, guitarists Hiro and Koji, drummer Levin and bassist Shuse lasted from 1994 until 2005. Following Koji's departure that year, the band continued for two more years before disbanding in January 2007. At their peak in the mid-to-late 1990s, they were considered one of the "

Four Heavenly Kings The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhism, Buddhist gods or Deva (Buddhism), ''devas'', each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings is a standard component of Chinese Buddhism, Ch ...

of visual kei" alongside Malice Mizer, Fanatic Crisis and

Shazna Shazna (stylized as SHAZNA) is a Japanese visual kei Rock music, rock band originally active from 1993 to 2000. Originally having a strong gothic rock, gothic/post-punk influence, the band's sound greatly shifted to a more New wave music, new wav ...

. ''Barks'' described La'cryma Christi as having a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

sound, despite having achieved popularity through accessible pop songs. The five members reunited for a festival performance in 2009, a short reunion tour in 2010, and a 15th anniversary tour in 2012 and 2013. Koji died from cancer in 2022, and the four surviving members are scheduled to perform in November 2025.

History

The band was originally formed in 1991 under the name of Strippe-D Lady by vocalist and leader Taka with his college friend and neighbor, Hiro. The two friends held a small audition in

Kansai The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

to find new talent for the band. They recruited bassist Kita-J and drummer Sima-chan, although Sima-chan was later replaced by Levin, who invited his high school friend, Koji, to join the band as the second guitarist. This

based band played hard rock and heavy metal during this time period. In October 1994, Kita-J decided to leave the band and was replaced by Jun and later Shuse, who had played in the same band as Taka in the past. After this the band changed their name to La'cryma Christi before releasing their first single, "Siam's Eye", on a local indies label in 1994. The band moved to

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in 1996, after releasing their first mini-album, ''Warm Snow'', which sold 15,000 copies. In 1997, they signed with

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

and made their major label debut with the single "Ivory Trees". The album ''Dwellers of Sand Castle'' was named one of the top albums from 1989 to 1998 in a 2004 issue of the music magazine ''Band Yarouze''. Their single "Mirai Kōro" was used as the ending theme of the

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

'' Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective'' and reached No. 3 on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

singles chart. They founded their own label, Majestic Ring, in 2003. Koji left the band after their Zepp Tokyo gig on March 21, 2005. Continuing as a quartet, they released their eighth album ''Zeus'' on May 25 of that same year. The band's final album, ''Where the Earth is Rotting Away'', was released on September 27, 2006. That same month, La'cryma Christi announced that they would officially disband on January 20, 2007. They explained that each member had differing opinions after discussing their future music and activities. Koji formed ALvino in 2006, with former

Pierrot Pierrot ( , ; ), a stock character of pantomime and commedia dell'arte, has his origins in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a hypocorism, diminutive of ''Pierr ...

member Jun. Taka and Hiro formed the band Libraian in 2007. In 2009, Hiro became a support guitarist for Creature Creature, the solo project of Morrie from Dead End. He also contributes compositions to the band, including "Dream Caller", the lead track of their 2009 album ''Inferno''. Levin played with several artists including Toshi with T-Earth, while Shuse played with acts such as

Acid Black Cherry Acid Black Cherry (abbreviated as ABC) is the solo project of the former lead vocalist of Janne Da Arc, Yasu. The group was formed after Janne Da Arc announced their indefinite hiatus. Information Acid Black Cherry is the solo project of Yasun ...

and 44Magnum, and in 2010 formed †яi¢к. La'cryma Christi, including Koji, reunited for one night at the V-Rock Festival on October 21, 2009. There they announced their reunion tour, La'cryma Christi Resurrection ~Final Prayer~, which started on January 12, 2010 and ended on February 1. La'cryma Christi's song "With-You" was covered by Daizystripper on the compilation ''Crush! -90's V-Rock Best Hit Cover Songs-'', which was released on January 26, 2011 and features current

bands covering songs from bands that were important to the '90s visual kei movement. Their song "Mirai Kōro" was covered by Blu-Billion on its sequel, ''Crush! 2 -90's V-Rock Best Hit Cover Songs-'', that released on November 23, 2011. In 2012, La'cryma Christi performed a 15th anniversary tour from May 8 to July 29. At the final show, another concert was announced for September 30 at

Shibuya-AX Shibuya-AX (stylized as SHIBUYA- AX) was a concert hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, near the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. Layout Shibuya-AX was the only purpose-built concert hall or "live house" in the Tokyo metropolitan area that could accommod ...

. Two additional anniversary concerts were held the following year; Shibuya-AX on May 5 and Akasaka Blitz on June 8. Rhythm guitarist Koji died from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

on April 15, 2022. The four surviving members of La'cryma Christi are scheduled to reunite and headline both nights of the Cross Road Fest, which will take place at the

Makuhari Event Hall is a convention center in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, located just outside of Tokyo. Designed by Fumihiko Maki, it is accessible by Tokyo's commuter rail system. '' Makuhari'' is the name of the area, and Messe is a German language w ...

on November 15 and 16, 2025.

Influences

Shuse listed

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...

, U2,

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

44 Magnum The .44 Remington Magnum, also known as .44 Magnum or 10.9x33mmR (as it is known in unofficial metric designation), is a rimmed, large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers and quickly adopted for carbines and rifles. Despite the " ...

, Dead End,

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...

and

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

in his favorite bands list. Hiro cited Dead End as one of his favorite bands, while Koji named

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

as his favorite. Yomi from Nightmare covered La'cryma Christi in his high school days.

Members

;Current members * Taka – lead vocals, keyboards (1991–2007, 2009–2010, 2012, 2025) * Hiro – lead guitar, backing vocals (1991–2007, 2009–2010, 2012, 2025) * Levin – drums (1992–2007, 2009–2010, 2012, 2025) * Shuse – bass, backing vocals (1994–2007, 2009–2010, 2012, 2025) ;Former members * Sima-chan – drums (as Strippe-D Lady) * Kita-J – bass (as Strippe-D Lady) * Jun – bass (as Strippe-D Lady) * Koji – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1992–2005, 2009–2010, 2012)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Warm Snow'' (February 4, 1996, mini-album) * ''Dwellers of Sand Castle'' (July 22, 1996),

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...

Peak Position: No. 71 * ''Sculpture of Time'' (November 12, 1997) No. 8 * ''Lhasa'' (November 25, 1998) No. 8 * ''Magic Theater'' (March 15, 2000) No. 22 * ''&.U'' (March 6, 2002) No. 36 * ''Deep Space Syndicate'' (November 5, 2003) No. 42 * ''Zeus'' (May 25, 2005) No. 59 * ''Where the Earth is Rotting Away'' (September 27, 2006) No. 79

Singles

* "Siam's Eye" (October 7, 1994),

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

Peak Position: No. 25 * "Forest" (March 13, 1997) No. 50 * "Ivory Trees" (May 8, 1997) No. 22 * "The Scent" (July 30, 1997.07.30) No. 23 * No. 25 * "With-You" (May 8, 1998) No. 10 * No. 3 * "In Forest" (November 11, 1998) No. 8 * "Without You" (May 26, 1999) No. 8 * No. 9 * "Lime Rain" (January 19, 2000) No. 15 * "Life" (November 22, 2000) No. 27 * "Jump!!" (October 24, 2001) No. 27 * No. 26 * "Hirameki" (December 4, 2002) No. 26 * "Mystical Glider" (March 26, 2003) * "Groove Weapon" (July 30, 2003) No. 44 * "Cannonball" (April 21, 2004) No. 50 * "Hot Rod Circuit" (August 11, 2004) No. 65 * "Yesterdays" (March 23, 2005) No. 40 * "Sweet Lil' Devil" (June 6, 2006) * "Breaking" (August 23, 2006) No. 108

Demo tapes

* "Stay Close Tonight" (October 9, 1993) * "Stripped-D Lady" (January 1994)

Compilation albums

* ''Single Collection'' (June 28, 2000) No. 9 * ''Greatest - Hits'' (September 8, 2004) No. 66 * ''Sound & Vision The Singles + Selection from Live "Decade"'' (June 28, 2006) No. 240 * ''La'cryma Christi Singles + Clips'' (January 1, 2010, CD and DVD)

Live albums

* ''The 10th Anniversary Live "Decade" 1st Day'' (October 7, 2009) * ''The 10th Anniversary Live "Decade" 2nd Day'' (October 7, 2009) * ''The 10th Anniversary Live "Decade" 3rd Day'' (October 7, 2009) * ''La'cryma Christi Tour Mirai Kouro 1998.8.28 Tokyo International Forum Hall A'' (October 7, 2009) * ''La'cryma Christi Live at Lhasa 1999.3.31 Nippon Budokan'' (October 7, 2009) * ''La'cryma Christi Tour Angolmois 1999.9.4 Yokohama Marina'' (October 7, 2009) * ''La'cryma Christi Resurrection -The CD Box-'' (April 21, 2010, 10-CD box set) ** ''2009.10.24 V-Rock Festival'09 at Makuhari Messe'' (1CD) ** ''2010.1.18 Final Prayer at Zepp Tokyo'' (2CD) ** ''2010.1.19 Final Prayer at Zepp Tokyo'' (2CD) ** ''2010.2.13 The Final at Shibuya C.C.Lemon Hall'' (2CD) ** ''2010.2.14 The Final at Shibuya C.C.Lemon Hall'' (3CD)

Home videos

* ''Glass Castle'' (March 1997) * ''4U'' (February 11, 1998) * ''Zero'' (December 24, 1998) * ''Live at Lhasa'' (June 30, 1999) * ''True Color'' (December 22, 1999) * ''4U・True Color'' (May 31, 2000) * ''Six Visions'' (June 30, 2004), Oricon DVDs Chart Peak Position: No. 65La'cryma ChristiのDVD売り上げランキング
'' oricon.co.jp'' Retrieved 2011-05-12 * ''The 10th Anniversary Live "Decade"'' (March 31, 2005) * ''Last Live "White Period"'' (August 8, 2007) * ''The 10th Anniversary Live "Decade" 1st Day'' (October 7, 2009) * ''The 10th Anniversary Live "Decade" 2nd Day'' (October 7, 2009) * ''The 10th Anniversary Live "Decade" 3rd Day'' (October 7, 2009) * ''La'cryma Christi Tour Mirai Kouro 1998.8.28 Tokyo International Forum Hall A'' (October 7, 2009) * ''La'cryma Christi Live at Lhasa 1999.3.31 Nippon Budokan'' (October 7, 2009) * ''La'cryma Christi Tour Angolmois 1999.9.4 Yokohama Marina'' (October 7, 2009) * ''La'cryma Christi Resurrection -The DVD Box-'' (April 21, 2010, 5 DVD box set) ** ''2009.10.24 V-Rock Festival'09 at Makuhari Messe'' (1DVD) ** ''2010.1.19 Final Prayer at Zepp Tokyo'' (2DVD) ** ''2010.2.14 The Final at Shibuya C.C.Lemon Hall'' (2DVD)

References

External links

Official website

Universal Music page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacryma Christi Visual kei musical groups Japanese progressive rock groups Japanese hard rock musical groups Musical groups from Osaka Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 2007 Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Musical groups reestablished in 2012 Toy's Factory artists Japanese musical quintets 1991 establishments in Japan 2012 disestablishments in Japan