Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋寅泰 , born February 1, 1962 in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture… Read Full Bio ↴Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋寅泰 , born February 1, 1962 in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture) is a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor. Hotei rose to prominence in the 1980s as the guitarist for BOØWY, one of Japan's most popular rock bands, before starting a solo career. In 2003, he was ranked number 70 on HMV Japan's list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts. He ranked second in a 2011 poll on who the Japanese people thought was the best guitarist to represent Japan after Tak Matsumoto.

Hotei is best known internationally for his song "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" , which has been used in numerous films, commercials, and video games, most notably Quentin Tarantino's feature film Kill Bill.

Born to a Korean father and a Japanese/Russian mother, Hotei first began playing the guitar in junior high school. In high school, his band Blue Film finished runners up in a school contest to Death Penalty, a band led by Kyosuke Himuro. Hotei was expelled shortly before graduation. The reason was that, when warned about his long hair he replied “Jesus had long hair!” Shortly after, he went to Tokyo where one day he received a phone call from Himuro. The two had never really known each other but hit it off and went on to hold auditions for a new band, which in 1981 became the six-member BOØWY. The band became major stars in Japan, in 1985 played the Marquee in London, and in 1986 had their first million seller, Beat Emotion.

When the band broke up in 1988, Hotei established himself as a solo star, as did Himuro. Hotei also made two albums with Koji Kikkawa as Complex, both of which went to number one in the national charts. Hotei frequently records overseas and has collaborated with many foreign musicians, including playing on The Stranglers Hugh Cornwell’s 1993 solo album, on stage with David Bowie at Nippon Budokan in 1996, and at the closing ceremony of the Atlanta 1996 Centennial Olympic Games with Michael Kamen.

He later recorded “Guitar Concerto” with Kamen. He has also worked with Andy Mackay of Roxy Music, guitarist Chris Spedding and Mike Edwards of Jesus Jones. Hotei also sometimes plays in Europe, including a number of major festivals. His regular drummer in recent years, Zachary Alford, has previously played with Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. Hotei's 1998 album Supersonic Generation, recorded in part with Apollo 440 and Ofra Haza, was released in 14 European countries.

In addition to many bestselling solo albums, Hotei composed and performed the score for Hiroyuki Nakano’s Samurai Fiction, as well as starring in the film. He composed the score to Terry Gilliam’s feature film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas together with Ray Cooper. Hotei's song “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” was used in the Quentin Tarantino’s feature film Kill Bill, the PlayStation 2 version of Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA,and Michael Bay’s feature film Transformers. Hotei recorded a cover of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” for Merry Axemas, an instrumental guitar Christmas album featuring tracks from guitarists including Jeff Beck, Joe Perry, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai and Steve Morse.

The Nintendo DS game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan features his song "Thrill". The game's sequel, Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii, features another Hotei song, "Bambina". (Both songs are cover versions.) Hotei is featured in “Grace” on the Apocalyptica album Worlds Collide. The song is featured in the game NHL 09.

命は燃やしつくすためのもの
布袋寅泰 Lyrics

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喜びも哀しみも幸福も嘘も
すべては儚い夢の中の夢
永久に続く虹など
誰も見向きもしないだろう
命は燃やしつくすためのもの
黄昏に咲く花は無言の情熱
花びらせつなく夜の風に散る
冷たい月今宵も

夜空にまた独りぼっち
孤独な光がなぜか愛しい

天国は幻さ何処にもありゃしない
気まぐれな神様の笑えないジョーク
この命は生まれて
生きてただ死んでゆくだけ
奇跡を待ち続ける暇などない

暗闇恐れず大きく羽ばたけ
命は燃やしつくすためのもの

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 命は燃やしつくすためのもの (Inochi wa Moyashitsukusu Tame no Mono) by 布袋寅泰 convey a sense of the transient nature of life and the importance of embracing both joy and sorrow. The lyrics suggest that everything, including happiness and sadness, is ephemeral and exists within a dream. The eternal rainbow is mentioned but deemed unnoticed, highlighting the insignificance of certain aspects in the grand scheme of life.

The song suggests that life is meant to be consumed and burned, implying that we should fully experience and seize the opportunities that come our way. The flowers that bloom in twilight represent a silent passion, while their petals scatter in the night wind, symbolizing the fleetingness of love. The cold moon continues to shine alone in the night sky, somehow endearing to the singer.

The lyrics touch upon the idea that heaven is an illusion, nowhere to be found. It mentions the capriciousness of a humorless god's jokes. The song suggests that this life is just about being born, living, and eventually dying. There is no time to wait for miracles; rather, we should fearlessly spread our wings and soar into the darkness.

Overall, the lyrics of "命は燃やしつくすためのもの" reflect upon the transient nature of life and the need to embrace both joy and sorrow, while advocating for seizing opportunities and not waiting for miracles.

Line by Line Meaning

喜びも哀しみも幸福も嘘も
Joy, sorrow, happiness, and lies

すべては儚い夢の中の夢
All of them are fleeting dreams within a dream

永久に続く虹など
No one would even pay attention to an everlasting rainbow

誰も見向きもしないだろう
No one would give it a glance

命は燃やしつくすためのもの
Life is meant to be burned and consumed

黄昏に咲く花は無言の情熱
The flower blooming in twilight is a wordless passion

花びらせつなく夜の風に散る
Its petals scatter painfully in the night breeze

冷たい月今宵も
Even tonight, the cold moon

夜空にまた独りぼっち
Remains alone in the night sky

孤独な光がなぜか愛しい
For some reason, this lonely light is beloved

天国は幻さ何処にもありゃしない
Heaven is an illusion, it doesn't exist anywhere