Yuzu
Yuzu (ゆず) is a Japanese pop rock duo who debuted in 1997. Its members are Yūjin Kitagawa (北川悠仁, Kitagawa Yūjin) and Kōji Iwasawa (岩沢厚治, Iwasawa Kōji). Both of the band members come from Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, and attended
Okamura Junior High School. Their songs "Hyōri Ittai" (表裏一体; "Two Sides of the Same Coin"), "Reason", and "Nagareboshi Kirari" (流れ星キラリ; "Shooting Star") were used as ending themes of the anime series Hunter × Hunter (2011).
Yuzu started out as street musicians. At first, the band's name was "Light's", but Kitagawa disliked it, so they changed the name to "Yuzu". At that time, Kitagawa was eating a yuzu sherbet, so he named the band after the fruit.
The fans of Yuzu are called "Yuzukko" (ゆずっ子), and the name of the official Yuzu fan club is "Yuzunowa" (ゆずの輪).
The story-driven ice show "Hyoen 2024 – The Miracle of the Cross Star" – starring Japanese figure skater, Olympic bronze medallist and former world champion Daisuke Takahashi – which was loosely based on the classic philosophical fantasy novel Night on the Galactic Railroad by Kenji Miyazawa, was entirely told through pre-existing Yuzu songs, which were rearranged by soundtrack composer Kenji Kawai. The band also wrote a theme song specifically for Hyoen, titled Jyujisei (engl.: Cross Star), which was subsequently released on the album Zukan (図鑑). They performed a short set at the end of each show.
In 2011, Yuzu were scheduled to perform in Tohoku, but their show was canceled due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Two months later, they visited the devastated area and witnessed the power of music to help those in need. In 2026, after traveling to Fukushima Prefecture, they composed the song "Ikue" for NHK, aiming to remember the earthquake and encourage people to move forward. Marihiko Hara also collaborated on the song. In June, as part of the same project, Yuzu collaborated with figure skater and two times Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, who performed a new program to the music of "Ikue".
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