# Casiopea (カシオペア)

**Casiopea** (カシオペア, also romanized Kashiopea, a name derived from the constellation Cassiopeia) is a [Japanese jazz](https://www.edgepedia.org/japanese-jazz) fusion band formed around guitarist Issei Noro (野呂一生) and bassist Tetsuo Sakurai (櫻井哲夫). [Sony Music](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-music)'s official profile dates the formation to 1976 with Noro, keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya (向谷実), bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, and drummer Takashi Sasaki (佐々木隆); the band's label HATS dates the founding to 1977<sup>[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/CASIOPEA/profile/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup>. It made its record debut in 1979 with the album *CASIOPEA*, and since then it has remained a leading name in Japan's fusion scene, producing hits such as "ASAYAKE" and "DOMINO LINE"<sup>[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/CASIOPEA/profile/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup>.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre | Jazz fusion (electric jazz, jazz-funk, smooth jazz) with complex compositions, grooves, and highly technical performances<sup>[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/casiopea-mn0000856704)</sup> |
| Founded | Tokyo, 1976 per Sony Music and AllMusic; 1977 per the band's label HATS<sup>[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/CASIOPEA/profile/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/casiopea-mn0000856704)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup>  |
| Debut | Album *CASIOPEA*, 1979, with guests David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers<sup>[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/CASIOPEA/profile/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/casiopea-mn0000856704)</sup>  |
| Classic-era songs | "ASAYAKE", "DOMINO LINE", "LOOKING UP", "FIGHT MAN"<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000026.000045395.html)</sup>  |
| Current lineup (5th era, from 2025) | Issei Noro (guitar), Yoshihiro Naruse (bass), Jun Abe (keyboards), Yoshinori Imai (drums)<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://casiopea.co.jp/news/news.html)</sup>  |
| Recent albums | *TRUE BLUE* (2025), *SUNSHINE & MOONLIGHT* (December 2, 2026)<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://hats.jp/news/casiopea_releaseinfo_20261007/)</sup>  |
| Debut slogan | "Thrill, Speed, Super Technique" (スリル・スピード・スーパーテクニック)<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup> |

## Formation and early years

The band came together in Tokyo in the mid-1970s and spent roughly two years stabilizing its lineup around Noro, Mukaiya, Sakurai, and drummer Takashi Sasaki<sup>[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/casiopea-mn0000856704)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://acidjazz.ru/en/artists/casiopea)</sup>. As an amateur band it was already highly rated, and after turning professional its visibility grew further when its music was used in a commercial for "I LOVE NEW YORK"<sup>[8](https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/2611)</sup>.

The self-titled debut album appeared in 1979 and included American guests [David Sanborn](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-sanborn) and the Brecker Brothers; AllMusic describes it as a style based in electric jazz that also incorporated funk, rock, and electronic music<sup>[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/casiopea-mn0000856704)</sup>. Drummer Akira Jimbo (神保彰) joined in 1980 for *Thunder Live* and the studio album *Make Up City*, and the 1982 live album *Mint Jams* became one of the band's best known and most beloved recordings<sup>[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/casiopea-mn0000856704)</sup>.

## The band's periods

Because the lineup has changed several times, the band and its fans distinguish distinct periods, and the name changed with them<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://taju.uniarts.fi/server/api/core/bitstreams/285e77fa-c416-4551-b9cc-df561d0b5ce8/content)</sup>:

1. **First era (1977–1989)**: from the founding through the classic quartet of Noro, Sakurai, Mukaiya, and Jimbo<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup>.
2. **Second era (1990–2006)**: after Sakurai and Jimbo left, Yoshihiro Naruse (鳴瀬喜博) took over on bass<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://taju.uniarts.fi/server/api/core/bitstreams/285e77fa-c416-4551-b9cc-df561d0b5ce8/content)</sup>.
3. **Hiatus**: the band announced a halt to activities in 2006, ending that stretch of nearly thirty years<sup>[8](https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/2611)</sup>.
4. **Third era (2012–2022)**: after six years dormant, the band restarted on its 35th anniversary as **CASIOPEA 3rd**, with Noro, Naruse, Jimbo, and keyboardist Kiyomi Otaka (大髙清美)<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup>.
5. **Fourth era (2022–2024)**: Jimbo left and Yoshinori Imai (今井義頼) took the drum chair; the band renamed itself **CASIOPEA-P4** and released *NEW TOPICS* (2022) and *RIGHT NOW* (2024)<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000026.000045395.html)</sup>.
6. **Fifth era (2025–present)**: keyboardist Jun Abe (安部潤) joined in May 2025, and the group reverted to its original spelling, **CASIOPEA**<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup>.

Imai's 2022 arrival was notable in itself: he became the first drummer to formally join the band in 25 years, and with members spanning their 30s to their 70s, the band described itself as spanning four generations<sup>[10](https://guitarmagazine.jp/interview/2022-1012-issei-noro-casiopea-p4/)</sup>. Former members have also continued in parallel projects; in 2021 Sakurai, Jimbo, and Mukaiya formed the Katsushika Trio (かつしかトリオ)<sup>[11](https://www.katsushika-trio.com/en/biography_top.html)</sup>.

## Musical style

The signature sound pairs accessible melodies with virtuosic, technically dense playing. HATS credits leader Issei Noro, the band's main composer, with establishing a musical identity that combines catchy tunes and highly technical performance, something the label describes as previously unheard of<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup>. A contemporary account of the early years describes the band performing complex phrases in unison with apparent ease, a departure from the solo-showcase format of conventional rock and jazz groups<sup>[12](https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4928744/)</sup>.

Noro has written most of the band's material, including "ASAYAKE", "LOOKING UP", and "FIGHT MAN"<sup>[4](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000026.000045395.html)</sup>. On later albums the writing is more distributed: on *RIGHT NOW* (2024), Noro wrote seven of ten tracks, with the remaining three from Otaka, Imai, and Naruse<sup>[4](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000026.000045395.html)</sup>, and on *SUNSHINE & MOONLIGHT* the ten tracks include two by Naruse and Abe and one by Imai<sup>[5](https://casiopea.co.jp/news/news.html)</sup>.

## International reach

Casiopea has played outside Japan since early in its history; a Finnish music-school thesis records appearances at the [Montreux Jazz Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/montreux-jazz-festival) in 1984 and, in the same year, its only Finnish appearance at Pori Jazz<sup>[9](https://taju.uniarts.fi/server/api/core/bitstreams/285e77fa-c416-4551-b9cc-df561d0b5ce8/content)</sup>. AllMusic calls it one of Japan's longest-running and most influential jazz fusion bands, with record sales and sold-out tours worldwide<sup>[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/casiopea-mn0000856704)</sup>. A 2026 feature on the renewed international interest in Japanese fusion notes that in the first half of 2025, the top five positions in a ranking of Japanese records selling at a Brooklyn record shop were taken by fusion acts led by Casiopea and [Masayoshi Takanaka](https://www.edgepedia.org/masayoshi-takanaka)<sup>[13](https://encount.press/archives/848893/)</sup>.

## The fifth era and recent releases

**Restart under the original name.** In May 2025 the band opened its fifth era with the "NEW MEMBER's GIG 2025" Billboard Live tour in Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama, presenting new songs alongside its standards<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup>. On August 27, 2025 it released *TRUE BLUE*, ten all-new tracks and its first original album under the CASIOPEA name in 20 years<sup>[2](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)</sup>.

The live document *MIRACLE NIGHT LIVE* followed in two formats: a Blu-ray released April 22, 2026 (20 tracks, HUXD-10960, 7,700 yen) and a two-CD "Sound Version" on May 27, 2026 (HUCD-10352–3, 4,400 yen), both recorded at the summer tour finale at CLUB CITTA' in Kawasaki<sup>[5](https://casiopea.co.jp/news/news.html)</sup>.

**Los Angeles and a second album.** After a domestic summer tour through Nagoya, Osaka, and Kawasaki, the band played The WILTERN in Los Angeles on September 12 and 13, 2026, with the second day added; HATS reports both days sold out and the audience gave standing ovations<sup>[5](https://casiopea.co.jp/news/news.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://hats.jp/news/casiopea_releaseinfo_20261007/)</sup>. The band also launched its first crowdfunding campaign, running from July 10 to August 25, to fund a Blu-ray release of the Los Angeles concert<sup>[5](https://casiopea.co.jp/news/news.html)</sup>.

The second album of the new lineup, *SUNSHINE & MOONLIGHT*, is scheduled for December 2, 2026 (HUCD-10359, 3,850 yen, Blu-spec CD2), with ten tracks including "FANTASTIC MOMENT", "HABITABLE ZONE", and "UNDER THE SUPER MOON"<sup>[6](https://hats.jp/news/casiopea_releaseinfo_20261007/)</sup>. A supporting winter tour, the CASIOPEA LIVE TOUR /SUNSHINE & MOONLIGHT, was announced with tickets at 9,000 yen in advance<sup>[14](https://www.casiopea.co.jp/)</sup>. The Billboard Live page for the band's 2026 Tokyo dates summarizes the current arc directly: in May 2025 the band held its first show with the new lineup at Billboard Live, and in August it released *TRUE BLUE*, which includes songs performed on that tour<sup>[15](https://www.billboard-live.com/en/tokyo/show?event_id=ev-21116)</sup>.

## References

1. [カシオペア プロフィール, ソニーミュージック](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/CASIOPEA/profile/)
2. [CASIOPEA artist page, HATS Unlimited](https://hats.jp/artist/casiopea/)
3. [Casiopea Biography by Thom Jurek, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/casiopea-mn0000856704)
4. [CASIOPEA-P4 ニューアルバム『RIGHT NOW』本日発売, HATS Unlimited press release (PR TIMES)](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000026.000045395.html)
5. [News, CASIOPEA Official Site](https://casiopea.co.jp/news/news.html)
6. [《CASIOPEA》Release情報：新生「CASIOPEA」第2弾アルバム発売決定, HATS Unlimited](https://hats.jp/news/casiopea_releaseinfo_20261007/)
7. [Casiopea artist page, acidjazz.ru](https://acidjazz.ru/en/artists/casiopea)
8. [特集：CASIOPEA 3rd, Billboard JAPAN](https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/2611)
9. [Johdanto Casiopeaan, Sibelius Academy (Taju repository)](https://taju.uniarts.fi/server/api/core/bitstreams/285e77fa-c416-4551-b9cc-df561d0b5ce8/content)
10. [Interview｜野呂一生（CASIOPEA-P4）『NEW TOPICS』本人全曲解説, ギター・マガジンWEB](https://guitarmagazine.jp/interview/2022-1012-issei-noro-casiopea-p4/)
11. [Katsushika Trio (K3) Biography](https://www.katsushika-trio.com/en/biography_top.html)
12. [〖名盤クロニクル〗カシオペア「THUNDER LIVE」, ライブドアニュース](https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4928744/)
13. [結成48年のCASIOPEA、新メンバーは…, ENCOUNT](https://encount.press/archives/848893/)
14. [CASIOPEA Official Site (top page)](https://www.casiopea.co.jp/)
15. [CASIOPEA Billboard Live Tour 2026 | TOKYO, Billboard Live](https://www.billboard-live.com/en/tokyo/show?event_id=ev-21116)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Jazz ensembles and big bands › Named jazz ensembles and bandleaders*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license