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.

Love or Die
布袋寅泰 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

ベッドに火を燃えたぎらす
ガソリンみたいな愛
ヌードにさえまとわりつく
悲しみを焼き尽くせ
時代にただ飼い馴らされ
眠る羊の街で
魂から血を滲ませ
俺たちは恋をする

Sometimes I wonder...

なぜ二人は
ナイフの生えた野獣に
生まれたのか?
「Born to be crazy,
Born to destroy!」
LOVE OR DIE LOVE OR DIE
愛せないなら死ねばいい
LOVE OR DIE LOVE OR DIE
二つに一つさ LOVE OR DIE

瓦礫の中薔薇に似せた
時限装置を仕掛け
キスするたび笑いながら
暗闇をぶち壊す
Sometimes I wonder...

なぜ二人は
ハートの傷を涙で
見つめあうのか?
Sometimes I wonder...

なぜ世界は
憂鬱に満ちた未来と踊るのか?
「Born to be crazy,
Born to destroy!」
LOVE OR DIE LOVE OR DIE
死ぬか愛すかただひとつ
LOVE OR DIE LOVE OR DIE
腐った時代の美学
LOVE OR DIE LOVE OR DIE
愛せないなら死ねばいい

LOVE OR DIE LOVE OR DIE
二つに一つさ LOVE OR DIE

Overall Meaning

The song "Love or Die" by Japanese artist Hotei Tomoyasu (布袋寅泰) is a powerful rock ballad that explores the intense passion and destructive nature of love. The opening lines, "Set your bed on fire with gasoline-like love, burn away the sadness that clings even to your naked body," paints a vivid picture of a tumultuous relationship that is both exhilarating and dangerous. The lyrics go on to ask existential questions about why we are drawn to such intense emotions, why we are born with the capacity to destroy, and whether love is worth the risk of dying for.

The chorus of the song, "Love or die, love or die, if you can't love, you might as well die; love or die, love or die, it's either one or the other," encapsulates the central theme of the song - that love is a choice, but also a matter of life and death. The bridge of the song, which features the lines "sometimes I wonder, why were we born as beasts with knives? Born to be crazy, born to destroy," suggests that the intensity of our emotions and our tendency towards destruction are inherent parts of human nature.

The final lines of the song further emphasize the dichotomy between love and death, and between beauty and decay in a world that is full of melancholy uncertainty. Overall, the lyrics of "Love or Die" present a complex and introspective look at the nature of love, and how it can both give us life and take it away.

Line by Line Meaning

ベッドに火を燃えたぎらす
Setting the bed on fire, igniting a love that burns like gasoline.

ガソリンみたいな愛
A love that burns like gasoline.

ヌードにさえまとわりつく
Clings even to the nude.

悲しみを焼き尽くせ
Burn away the sadness.

時代にただ飼い馴らされ眠る羊の街で
Living in a city of sleeping sheep, tamed by an era.

魂から血を滲ませ俺たちは恋をする
We bleed love from our souls.

Sometimes I wonder...
I sometimes question...

なぜ二人はナイフの生えた野獣に生まれたのか?
Why were we born as beasts with knives?

"Born to be crazy, Born to destroy!"
"Born to be crazy, Born to destroy!"

LOVE OR DIE LOVE OR DIE 愛せないなら死ねばいい
Love or die, if you can't love, then you should die.

LOVE OR DIE LOVE OR DIE 二つに一つさ LOVE OR DIE
Love or die, it's one or the other, love or die.