Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi made his official debut in 1978 with the single “Junrenka 巡恋歌”. The following year he released his first album “Kaze Wa Minami Kara 風は南から”, and in 1980 his single “Junko 順子” reached #1 on the charts. During the 1980s, he released numerous hit singles, including “Yuji 勇次” (1985), “Rokuna Mon Janee ろくなもんじゃねぇ” (1987), “Kanpai 乾杯” and “Tonbo とんぼ” (1988).
In the 1990s, Nagabuchi is thought to have reached the height of his originality with the release of his albums “JAPAN” (1991) and “Captain of the Ship” (1993). His concert in Tokyo Dome on May 15, 1992 was enormously successful, with an audience of 65,000 people.
With the release of his single “Shiawase Ni Narouyo しあわせになろうよ” in 2003, Nagabuchi exceeded 10 million in the total number of singles sold. As a solo artist, twelve of his original albums have reached the #1 spot on the Oricon Charts, which is also considered a remarkable achievement. He has broken the record for the biggest concert attendance at several venues, including Yokohama Stadium in 2002 and Akarenga Park in 2003. In the summer of 2004, Nagabuchi held an extraordinary all-night concert in Sakurajima at an outdoor venue that was constructed on deserted land, which drew 75,000 fans from all over Japan. This concert is said to have had an economic effect of 5 billion yen, which left an extremely significant impression on not only the music industry, but all of Japan as well. A monument titled “Sakebi No Shouzou 叫びの肖像” was constructed on the site of this outdoor venue, and a project is currently under way to build a park in that location. This was a defining moment that represented the power and possibilities of music in Japan. Similar to the atmosphere of a FIFA World Cup venue, the Japanese flag was raised at the concert venues for the “YAMATO” tour in 2005, which drew a total of 95,000 people. During the arena tour “Come on Stand up!” in 2007, Nagabuchi held 19 concerts at 14 locations nationwide, and performed in front of a total of 150,000 fans. The center stage for this tour was designed like a martial arts ring, with a diameter of 9 meters, and on this he gave an astounding live performance that continued for over 3 and a half hours and had his heart rate up to 180.
In 2009, Nagabuchi transferred to the record company Universal Music. His first single with them was “Sotsugyou 卒業”, which was a collaborative effort with 40 high school students that he met through the NHK program “Kagai Jugyou Youkoso Senpai 課外授業 ようこそ先輩”, and this immediately became popular as the newest graduation song. In July of the same year, he released his second single with Universal Music titled “蝉 semi”, and in August, he announced the release of his long-awaited new album “FRIENDS”, his first album in 2 years and 3 months. During this year, he completed an arena tour of 10 concerts at 6 locations, as well as a hall tour of 20 concerts at 13 locations, and also performed his first countdown live, which wrapped up a dizzyingly eventful first year with Universal Music.
Nagabuchi kept up his momentum the following year (2010), which included the release of his deluxe 30th anniversary box set titled “30th Anniversary BOX from TSUYOSHI NAGABUCHI PREMIUM” in June. Two months later, he announced the urgent release of his single “Oretachi No Nirai Kanai 俺たちのニライカナイ”, a heartfelt dedication to Okinawa which was in the midst of dealing with the U.S. military base controversy at the time. October marked the release of his song “絆 -KIZUNA-”, which was the Japanese theme song for “The Expendables”, a movie written and directed by Sylvester Stallone who also starred in the lead role. Nagabuchi’s interview with Stallone during his visit to Japan became a popular topic of conversation that year. This was followed by the release of another new album “TRY AGAIN”, just a little over a year since the release of his previous album, and Nagabuchi showed no signs of slowing down as he gathered a new band to complete an arena tour of 14 performances at 8 venues nationwide (including a countdown live in Okinawa).
After the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, Nagabuchi immediately set up a radio program to support reconstruction efforts and paid numerous visits to the affected areas. During one of his visits, he held a particularly memorable and moving concert at Matsushima Air Base to send words of encouragement and support to members of the Japan Self-Defense Force. Towards the end of the year, he performed his hit single “Hitotsu ひとつ” during a live broadcast from the schoolyard of Kadonowaki Elementary School in Ishinomaki. Nagabuchi wrote several songs based upon his experiences in the affected areas, and compiled them in an album titled “Stay Alive” which he released in May 2012. He promoted this album in a nationwide tour that consisted of 36 performances and gathered a total of 250,000 fans. On May 22, 2013, he released another hit single “Mirai 未来” which served as the theme song for the NHK drama “Shima No Sensei 島の先生”. In addition, he announced the publication of a photo collection titled “Mirai 未来” which extensively detailed his experiences surrounding the earthquake reconstruction efforts and the live performances that followed. Beginning in June of that year, Nagabuchi went on a fan club concert tour (his first in approximately 9 years) called “Thank You!” and performed at 13 venues nationwide, with all shows exhibiting his signature ‘singing while playing’ style. On December 25, 2013, footage from this tour was released in a video titled “Acoustic Live”.
The following year on June 11, 2014, Nagabuchi released the single “Hashiru 走る” which served as the theme song for the “KEIRIN Grand Prix 2014 Kishiwada”, and he also made an appearance in the PR television commercial for this event. On July 2 he released his greatest hits album as a 4-CD set containing 58 songs, called “TSUYOSHI NAGABUCHI ALL TIME BEST 2014”, and from August 16 through September 20 he went on a nationwide concert tour “TSUYOSHI NAGABUCHI ARENA TOUR 2014 ALL TIME BEST” which comprised of 12 performances at 7 venues. On September 18, he officially announced his plans to execute a performance titled “Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi All-Night Live 2015 in Fujisanroku with 100,000 People (長渕剛10万人オールナイト・ライヴ2015 in 富士山麓)” on August 22, 2015 at ‘Fumotoppara ふもとっぱら’. On December 5 he released a new single “Ashitae Tsuzuku Michi 明日へ続く道”, which he performed on New Year’s Eve during an appearance on “The 65th Annual NHK Kouhaku Utagassen (第65回NHK紅白歌合戦)”, his first appearance in 3 years.
On March 6, 2015, in what could be considered a prelude to his “All-Night Live” scheduled for later that year, Nagabuchi kicked off a hall tour called “Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi HALL TOUR 2015 ‘ROAD TO FUJI’” (14 performances at 13 venues), which wrapped up with a premium live on May 8 at Kagoshima Arena. On June 21, he performed his new song “Fuji No Kuni 富士の国” during a ‘dedication live’ held at Sengen Taisha (浅間大社) in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka. The following day, he released this new song “Fuji No Kuni 富士の国” as a single, and this became the theme song for his upcoming “Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi All-Night Live 2015 in Fujisanroku with 100,000 People (長渕剛10万人オールナイト・ライヴ2015 in 富士山麓)”.
In addition to his success as a musician, Nagabuchi has also displayed his talents in other areas. As an actor, he has received wide acclaim for his performances in TV dramas such as “Kazoku Game 家族ゲーム”, “Oyako Game 親子ゲーム”, and “Tonbo とんぼ”, as well as in movies such as “Orugoru オルゴール” and “Eiji 英二”. In August 2010, for the first time in approximately 11 years, he starred in a TBS drama called “Kikoku 歸國” which generated lots of buzz.
Nagabuchi is also known for his work in the arts, which began in 1998 with his first ‘Shiga 詩画’ exhibition held at the Gallery Nichido (日動画廊) in Ginza, Tokyo. Two years later, he held his second exhibition, which was additionally held in Kagoshima and Fukuoka, and each attracted approximately 20,000 visitors. In 2013, for the first time in 5 years, he held another ‘Shiga 詩画’ exhibition titled “Sakki 殺気”, and this was displayed in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, Kagoshima, and Kasama (Ibaraki), making this his first nationwide exhibition tour. In January 2014, he again held his “Sakki 殺気” exhibition, this time at Wakanoura Art Cube in Wakayama. From February to March of 2015, he held his “Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi Shiga Exhibition 2015, Kure - Yamato Museum” at the Postwar 70 Years / Yamato Museum 10th Anniversary event. From July to August, he held a similar exhibition titled “Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi Shiga Exhibition 2015” at Setouchi Museum, which was marking its 5th anniversary. It can be said that Nagabuchi’s ongoing popularity and appeal, particularly among the younger generation, stems not only from his talents in music, but also from his sincere interest and creativity in the visual arts.