, sometimes abbreviated as , is a Japanese rock band from Kita, Tokyo, formed in 1981. It has consisted of vocalist and guitarist Hiroji Miyamoto, guitarist Toshiyuki Ishimori, bassist Seiji Takamidori and drummer Yoshiyuki Tominaga since 1986. In 2007, Rolling Stone Japan ranked their album The Elephant Kashimashi II number 50 on a list of the greatest Japanese rock albums of all time. History Elephant Kashimashi was formed in 1981 by Akabanedai Junior High School classmates Toshiyuki Ishimori and Yoshiyuki Tominaga on guitar and drums respectively. Vocalist and guitarist Hiroji Miyamoto joined in their third year of junior high, and they covered songs by bands such as Deep Purple, Rainbow and RC Succession. They participated in the amateur music competition EastWest put on by Nippon Gakki (Yamaha Corporation) playing original songs. In 1986, Tominaga's high school classmate Seiji Takamidori joined on bass completing the final line up that continues to this day. In December of that year they won the CBS Sony SD audition. Elephant Kashimashi made their debut on March 21, 1988 with the simultaneous Epic/Sony Records release of the single "Dede" and their self-titled album. Miyamoto, the band's principal songwriter, stated that his biggest influences at the time were Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, and T. Rex. Their second album, The Elephant Kashimashi II, followed in November of that same year. The band held a concert at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in 1990 and it has become a tradition, with them having performed there every year since. Following several albums with disappointing sales, their contract with Epic/Sony ended after their seventh album Tokyo no Sora in May 1994. In 1996, Elephant Kashimashi signed with Pony Canyon and released the single "Kanashimi no Hate" in April and the album Kokoro ni Hana wo in August. The album sold well and gave them their first top 10 release on Oricon. Their 1997 album Asu ni Mukatte Hashire -Tsukiyo no Uta- was a big success with half a million copies sold, thanks to the single "Koyoi no Tsuki no Yoni" being used as the theme song of the TV drama Tsuki no Kagayaku Yoru Dakara. After one more album with Pony Canyon, the band moved to Toshiba EMI in 1999. Reportedly, Elephant Kashimashi's sound at this time was influenced by American hard rock and industrial rock like Nine Inch Nails and Rage Against the Machine. In 2003, the tribute