Hotei (“hoe-tay”) is a legendary Japanese guitarist, composer and record producer with a career spanning
more than 35 years, who has sold over 40 million records and collaborated with many acclaimed artists
from around the world. Hotei first rose to prominence in the 1980s as the guitarist for Boøwy, one of Japan’s
most successful rock bands, before starting a solo career.
Hotei has built his musical reputation upon his chameleon type nature, recording in a broad variety of styles,
underpinned by his virtuoso guitar performances and a tendency to write expansive, cinematic songs that
evoke a range of emotions, sung in both English and Japanese.
Internationally Hotei is best known for his song "Battle Without Honor or Humanity," which has been
featured in numerous films, commercials, video games, and events, most notably Quentin Tarantino's feature
film Kill Bill. Tarantino said in a 2019 interview that “Battle" was ‘amazing' and one of the songs he was most
proud to bring to wider attention. Hotei’s music continues to get used in a broad variety of ways for film, TV and
games, and he is in demand as a composer for bespoke projects.
Hotei is a committed British music fan and has been living in London for many years, where he makes most of
his albums. He continues to collaborate extensively with other artists, both live and on record, including more
recently The Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, Zucchero and Roger Taylor (Queen).
Hotei released his latest studio album, Guitarhythm VI, worldwide in May 2019 and his last major headline
show in London was at Shepherds Bush Empire in October 2018.