X JAPAN has 17 people listed as members in the MusicBrainz “member of band” relations. This reference follows the MusicBrainz page for X JAPAN, retrieved 2026-11-06, and reflects that database’s member list. It gives each listed name, role or roles, and year span, then separates entries with no end date from those with an end date. The referenced Wikipedia article is titled X Japan.
The list below is a database-based view, not an attempt to add names or fill gaps from elsewhere. In particular, a year span is shown as MusicBrainz records it, including repeated spans where they appear in the record. The original-member designation is included only for the entries MusicBrainz marks that way. The album section compares the listed year spans with the five studio-album years named below; it does not add personnel or dates beyond those records.
Current Members
Four members have no end date in the MusicBrainz member information. This grouping describes the end-date field in the database; it does not supply additional detail about a member’s activities in any particular year.
- Toshl – lead vocals, 1982–1997, 2007–present
- YOSHIKI – drums, piano, 1982–1997, 2007–present, 2007–present
- PATA – guitar, 1987–1997, 2007–present
- SUGIZO – guitar, violin, 2009–present
These entries are the complete no-end-date group in this MusicBrainz list. The year strings matter: Toshl and YOSHIKI each have a span beginning in 1982 and another beginning in 2007, while PATA has a span beginning in 1987 and another beginning in 2007. Where a reader wants details beyond the recorded names, roles, and year spans, MusicBrainz does not list them in this member information.
Former Members
The entries in this section have an end date in their MusicBrainz membership information. Each is included once, with the role or roles and year span written in the same order as the listing. A span that contains the same year at both ends is retained in that form rather than expanded into a more specific date. These records should be read as the database’s member entries, not supplemented with assumptions about activity between or within the displayed years.
- TOMO – guitar, 1982–1985
- 泉沢裕二 – guitar, 1982–1985
- 徳応アツシ – bass guitar, 1984–1985
- Eddy – guitar, 1985–1985
- TAIJI – bass guitar, 1985–1985, 1986–1992
- XENON – guitar, 1985–1986
- 吉田良文 – guitar, 1985–1985
- 宇高光 – bass guitar, 1985–1986
- 高井寿 – guitar, 1985–1985, 1986–1986
- 村上悟 – guitar, 1986–1987
- hide – guitar, 1987–1997
- 堀功 – guitar, 1987–1987
- heath – bass guitar, 1992–1997, 2007–2023
The former-member list includes every MusicBrainz member entry with an end date in this set. Several records show more than one span, and those spans remain separate rather than being combined into a single continuous period. For example, TAIJI’s entry has two displayed spans, and heath’s entry also has two. The list preserves those breaks exactly as recorded. It does not assign a reason for a gap, infer a role outside the stated spans, or use a missing detail to make a claim about membership.
Original Line-up
MusicBrainz marks two names as original members: Toshl and YOSHIKI. Their roles and years appear in the current-members section above, and their original-member status does not replace or alter those listed spans. No other member in this list is marked as an original member. The section is limited to that designation; it does not add an expanded line-up or make a claim about any member not specifically marked by the database.
Line-up Timeline
This table places all 17 member entries in one view. It is intended as a quick way to compare the names, role fields, and membership years without changing how those fields are recorded in the lists above. When an entry has multiple roles, both are shown. When an entry has multiple year spans, each is retained in its original sequence. The timeline therefore mirrors the MusicBrainz membership information rather than attempting to turn year-level spans into exact joining or leaving dates.
| Member | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| TOMO | guitar | 1982–1985 |
| Toshl | lead vocals | 1982–1997, 2007–present |
| YOSHIKI | drums, piano | 1982–1997, 2007–present, 2007–present |
| 泉沢裕二 | guitar | 1982–1985 |
| 徳応アツシ | bass guitar | 1984–1985 |
| Eddy | guitar | 1985–1985 |
| TAIJI | bass guitar | 1985–1985, 1986–1992 |
| XENON | guitar | 1985–1986 |
| 吉田良文 | guitar | 1985–1985 |
| 宇高光 | bass guitar | 1985–1986 |
| 高井寿 | guitar | 1985–1985, 1986–1986 |
| 村上悟 | guitar | 1986–1987 |
| PATA | guitar | 1987–1997, 2007–present |
| hide | guitar | 1987–1997 |
| 堀功 | guitar | 1987–1987 |
| heath | bass guitar | 1992–1997, 2007–2023 |
| SUGIZO | guitar, violin | 2009–present |
The database records the band as active from 1982–present and from Japan. It was named “X” until 1992-08-24. Those band-level details provide context for reading the member list, but they do not change the individual role or year fields in the table. The member records are the basis for the timeline; no additional person is introduced to bridge a period or to make the sequence appear more detailed than the listed years allow.
Line-ups and Albums
MusicBrainz lists five studio albums with years: Vanishing Vision (1988), BLUE BLOOD (1989), Jealousy (1991), ART OF LIFE (1993), and DAHLIA (1996). The comparisons below use only those album years and the member spans above. A name is included for an album year when that year falls within the person’s displayed membership span. This year-level comparison is not a claim about a specific recording date or about who performed on an album; MusicBrainz does not list that information in the member details summarized here.
For Vanishing Vision (1988), the listed year falls within the spans for Toshl, YOSHIKI, PATA, and hide. It also falls within TAIJI’s 1986–1992 span. The other entries do not have a displayed span covering 1988. This comparison uses the year as printed, without estimating a month or day, and without extending any span beyond its listed endpoints.
For BLUE BLOOD (1989), the year falls within the displayed spans for Toshl, YOSHIKI, PATA, and hide, as well as TAIJI’s 1986–1992 span. These are the members whose listed years include 1989. As with the preceding album-year comparison, this is an overlap of year values only. It does not identify a recording line-up or add a separate album-credit claim.
For Jealousy (1991), the year falls within the spans for Toshl, YOSHIKI, PATA, and hide, and within TAIJI’s 1986–1992 span. The membership dates support this same set of year overlaps without requiring an inference about dates within 1991. No member whose displayed span ends before 1991 or begins after 1991 is included in this comparison.
For ART OF LIFE (1993), the year falls within the listed spans for Toshl, YOSHIKI, PATA, hide, and heath. heath’s 1992–1997 span includes 1993; the later 2007–2023 span is also preserved in the member record but is not needed for this year comparison. TAIJI’s displayed span ends in 1992, so 1993 is not included for that entry under the year-level rule used here.
For DAHLIA (1996), the listed spans for Toshl, YOSHIKI, PATA, hide, and heath include the album year. As with ART OF LIFE, heath’s 1992–1997 span covers the year, while the later span remains part of the full member listing rather than the 1996 comparison. These five album-year snapshots make the relationship between the two sets of database entries easy to check, while keeping album years distinct from member dates.
The comparison is deliberately narrow: it connects the album titles and years to membership spans and nothing more. A reader looking for track lists, credits, or a precise line-up on a recording date will not find those details in this list; MusicBrainz does not list them in the member information presented here. The year overlaps are arithmetic based on the displayed endpoints, not a substitute for album-specific personnel documentation.
How This List Was Compiled
The source for the member entries is the MusicBrainz “member of band” relation on the X JAPAN page, retrieved 2026-11-06. The list reflects that database, including its 17 names, role fields, year spans, and original-member markings. The Wikipedia article is titled X Japan; the member list and year-by-year comparisons here are attributed to MusicBrainz. The band-level information included above is also recorded as stated: active 1982–present, from Japan, and named “X” until 1992-08-24.
Only people appearing among those 17 MusicBrainz member relations are included. Touring and session players are not included. The lists keep separate spans separate, preserve the repeated 2007–present span in YOSHIKI’s entry, and do not convert year-level information into more precise dates. Where a role, year, or other detail is not stated in the member information, MusicBrainz does not list it here, so this reference does not fill in that detail from another source or from assumption.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many X JAPAN members are listed?
MusicBrainz lists 17 people with a “member of band” relation. This page includes each of those 17 once across the current-members and former-members lists. Four have no end date in the database; the other 13 are grouped under former members because their entries have an end date. Those totals describe the entries in this MusicBrainz list.
Who is listed without an end date?
The four names are Toshl, YOSHIKI, PATA, and SUGIZO.
Who does MusicBrainz mark as an original member?
MusicBrainz marks Toshl and YOSHIKI as original members. No other name in the 17-member list carries that designation. The original-member section reports the database marking and does not add a separate historical claim.
Where does this member information come from?
It comes from MusicBrainz’s “member of band” relations for X JAPAN, retrieved 2026-11-06. The page reflects that database. The referenced Wikipedia article is X Japan, while the names, roles, and years in this list are attributed to MusicBrainz.
Final Thoughts
This reference presents all 17 MusicBrainz-listed members, with their recorded roles and year spans. Its line-up and album-year comparisons reflect that database and do not add details MusicBrainz does not list.