Tower Records will be holding the hugely popular talk event “Masanobu’s 10 Battles” by Masanori Ito for a total of 10 days from Friday, August 30th to Tuesday, September 3rd and from Friday, September 13th to Tuesday, September 17th at the CUTUP STUDIO on the first basement floor of the Shibuya store.
Tower Records Shibuya Store Homepage
“Masanobu Juppan Shobu” is a 10-day talk event where Masanori Ito, a leading figure in hard rock/heavy metal, invites famous guests from various fields. Every year, he has been engaged in heated discussions with each performer and sharing various anecdotes. This year’s “Masanobu Juppan Shobu 2024”, which marks the sixth year, will feature talks by guests from a wide range of industries, including musicians and people in the music industry, as well as actors, novelists, and sake brewers.
Comment from Masanori Ito
“Literature, theater, fermentation, jazz, subculture, rock and roll, Mr. Big, all roads lead to the Ten-Battle!”
Tickets for the venue will be available for purchase at play guides from Saturday, June 15th in two types: a 5-day pass for the first and second half of the festival, and a one-day pass. The 5-day pass comes with a laminated pass autographed by Masanori Ito. Tickets for the video stream will be announced at a later date.
Overview of “Political Rule Ten Battles 2024”
Venue: Tower Records Shibuya Store 1-22-14 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0041 TEL 03-3496-3661 (main office)
Organized by Tower Records Shibuya
Production cooperation: Shinko Music Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Cooperation: Udo Music Office / Supported by BURRN!
Sponsor: BAYFM78/tvk
Event dates and guest performers (titles omitted)
*Masanori Ito will appear on all dates.
<Part 1>
・Friday, August 30th, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Jun Miura (illustrator, etc.) / Tomorowo Taguchi (actor, etc.)
・Saturday, August 31st, 18:00 start “Fermentation and Heavy Metal”
Yusuke Sato (8th generation head of Aramasa Sake Brewery) / Yusuke Mikata (Sanshu Mikawa Mirin Kakutani Bunjiro Shoten) / Takuya Fujimura (5th generation head of Kikumori Sake Brewery – CEO)
・Starting at 18:00 on Sunday, September 1st
Takeda Sunaetsu (writer)
・Monday, September 2nd, starting at 7:30pm
Hidenori Inoue (Director and founder of the theater company Shinkansen) / Arata Furuta (Actor)
・Tuesday, September 3rd, starting at 7:30pm
Naozumi Masuko (Douhatsuten) / Tomoyasu Uehara (Douhatsuten)
<Part 2>
・Friday, September 13th, starting at 7:30pm
Hitomi Nishiyama (jazz pianist)
・Saturday, September 14th, starting at 18:00
Shinji Wajima (Ningen Isu guitar) / Kenichi Suzuki (Ningen Isu bass) / Nobu Nakajima (Ningen Isu drums)
・Sunday, September 15th, starting at 18:00 “Everything about MR. BIG”
Osamu Nagashima (former director of the Western music department at Warner Music) / Jun Fukami (former director of MR.BIG)
・Monday, September 16th (National Holiday) Start time: 18:00
Go Yoshida (professional interviewer) / Porsche Okite (musician)
・Tuesday, September 17th, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Keiichiro Hirano (Novelist)
Ticket sales
Sales start: Saturday, June 15th, 10:00 AM
Purchase page:https://udo.jp/event/SeisokuJyubanShobu2024
①Daily tickets
3,500 yen (tax included)
②Part 1-5DAYS ticket * Entry for all 5 days from August 30th (Friday) to September 3rd (Tuesday)
17,500 yen (tax included) Includes a laminated pass autographed by Masanori Ito
③Part 2-5DAYS ticket * Entry for all 5 days from September 13th (Friday) to September 17th (Tuesday)
17,500 yen (tax included) Includes a laminated pass autographed by Masanori Ito
*Tickets for the venue are available on a first-come, first-served basis and will end when all tickets are sold out. *All seats are reserved. *5DAYS tickets will be sold in advance on the bayfm program “POWER ROCK TODAY” broadcast on Saturday, June 8th. *The laminated pass attached to the 5DAYS ticket has different designs for Part 1 and Part 2. Laminated pass exchanges will also be available at the venue reception from Friday, August 30th, 30 minutes before the event opens. *Tickets can be purchased through Ticket Pia, ePlus, and Lawson Ticket. There are no plans for in-store sales at Tower Records Shibuya. *Ticket purchases are limited to a maximum of four tickets per person. *Preschool children are not permitted to enter.
Details will be announced at a later date.
Masanori Ito Profile
Music critic and disc jockey. From the 70s to the present, he has been disseminating the latest information on radio, TV and magazines, and has had a huge influence, especially in the heavy metal/hard rock scene. Due to his extensive experience covering overseas, he has established friendships with many musicians and is highly trusted by them.
His major works include “Eyewitness Testimony: Portrait of Heavy Metal,” “Eyewitness Testimony 2: Heavy Metal: Journey of the Soul,” “Heavy Metal Strikes Back,” “Cozy Powell’s Endless Challenge,” “Affirmation,” “Affirmation No. 2,” “Affirmation 1998-2008,” “Masanori Ito’s ‘Testament’,” “Monthly Masanori Ito (tentative title),” and “BURRN! PRESENTS THE Masanori Ito.”
What is “The Ten Political Battles”?
Masanori Ito’s memorabilia exhibition was held at Tower Records Shibuya in November 2016 and Tower Records Namba in July 2017. An overwhelming number of memorabilia owned by Ito (the history of heavy metal/hard rock) was displayed there. In September 2018, as a culmination of the exhibition, “MASA ITO Memorabilia Fest -THE FINAL- “Metal Holy Land Pilgrimage”” was held at Tower Records Shibuya for four days only. A talk event was also held at that time and was a great success. The “Masanobu Ten Battles” began when the talk event held during those four days was expanded to a total of 10 days/10 groups of famous guests from various fields. In September 2020 and 2021, the event was held only as a paid video distribution (online) without an audience as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but in 2022 and 2023, it will be a hybrid event with an audience and paid video distribution (online).
Past performers
※Appearance order
<2018>“MASA ITO Memorabilia Fest – THE FINAL – Metal Pilgrimage” *Only for 4 days
Norio Nonaka (formerly of CBS Sony), Takashi Kitazawa (formerly of Nippon Phonogram), Go Yoshida (professional interviewer), William Haymes (photographer), Noriaki Onuki (music critic/DJ)
<2019>“Masanobu’s Ten-Match Series – Memorabilia Fest 1st Anniversary”
Makoto Wada (music critic), LOVEBITES (heavy metal band), Sumire Uesaka (voice actress/singer), Noriaki Ohnuki (music critic/DJ), Keiko Imaizumi (radio DJ), Marty Friedman (guitarist), Akinobu Kamebuchi (former president of Nippon Broadcasting System), Hidenori Inoue (head of Gekidan Shinkansen/director), Terumi Yoshida (freelance announcer), Hiroyuki Kishi (professor at Keio University/economic commentator), Sesoku Children (music industry personnel)
<2020>“Masanobu Juban Shobu 2020” *Paid video streaming only
ANTHEM Naoto Shibata, Yukio Morikawa, Eizo Sakamoto, Ningen Isu: Kenichi Suzuki, Jun Ito (author), OUTRAGE Shinya Tange, Yosuke Abe, Chris Peppler (TV and radio personality), Jun Miura (illustrator, etc.), LOUDNESS Minoru Niihara, Masayoshi Yamashita, Reiko Yukawa (music critic and lyricist), Musashi (former K-1 fighter), LOVEBITES
<2021>“Masanobu Juban Shobu 2021” * Paid video streaming only
Asakusa Kid’s Tamabukuro Kintaro (comedian), Morikubo Shoutarou (voice actor/actor/radio DJ/singer), Otsuki Kenji (rock musician), Furuta Arata (actor), Uesaka Sumire (voice actor/singer), Bibiru Oki (talent), Takahashi Kazuya (actor/musician), Miura Jun (illustrator, etc.), Anzai Hajime (illustrator/art director/Soramimist), Yoshii Kazuya (musician), ANTHEM’s Shibata Naoto, MAD Ouchi
<2022>“Masanobu Ten-Match Battle 2022”
Yoshida Go (professional interviewer), Okite Porsche (musician), ANTHEM Shibata Naoto, Shimizu Akio, Yukawa Reiko (music critic and lyricist), Marty Friedman (guitarist), ROLLY (musician), Onuki Noriaki (music critic and DJ), Wada Makoto (music critic), Ugajin Meg (TBS announcer), Takeda Sunaetsu (writer), Miura Jun (illustrator, etc.), Ito Seiko (author and creator), OUTRAGE Tange Shinya, Yamada Takanori (video director), LOUDNESS Takasaki Akira
<2023>“Masanobu Ten-Match Battle 2023”
Jun Miura (illustrator, etc.) / Goro Yamada (critic), Bibiru Oki (talent) / DJ KOO (TRF, sound creator), Yusuke Sato (Aramasa Sake Brewery, 8th generation brewer), Shigeki Seino (live announcer) / Go Yoshida (professional interviewer), LOVEBITES (heavy metal band), Toru Hashimoto (former president of Zero Corporation), Haruo Konda (musician) / Noriaki Onuki (music critic and DJ), Kenji Otsuki (rock musician) / Nobu Nakajima (Ningen Isu/drums), Yoichi Hirose “HEESEY” (musician) / Mayumi Chiwaki (DJ/occasional musician), Hironobu Kageyama (anime song singer)
Tower Records Japan Inc.
Address: Head office location: 1-22-14 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Heiwajima Office JS Progress Building 7F, 4-1-23 Heiwajima, Ota-ku, Tokyo
Product Center Heiwajima PD Center 6F, 1-2-30 Heiwajima, Ota-ku, Tokyo
Founded: August 1979
Established: December 1981
Capital: 100 million yen
◇Retail distribution related business
・Tower Records, Tower Mini, Tower Records Online sales of music software, video software, books, magazines, miscellaneous goods, tickets, etc.
・Import and wholesale of music and video software
・Purchase and sale of used records
・Planning, manufacturing and sales of miscellaneous goods, clothing, etc.
◇Music production/music management, management related business
・Music label management
・Artist management
・Copyright management for music and other works, and master recording of music
◇Food and beverage business
・Planning and operating the entertainment cafe “TOWER RECORDS CAFE”
◇Other businesses
・Operation of the flat-rate all-you-can-listen-to music service “TOWER RECORDS MUSIC”
President and CEO: Ikuo Minewaki
Representative Director (part-time) Saori Miyahara
Director (COO) Satoshi Takahashi
Director (CFO) Mitsuyuki Sekito
Director (part-time): Hideo Suetsugu
Director (part-time): Nobuhiko Goto
Hiroyuki Watanabe, Auditor
71 stores (60 Tower Records stores, 4 Tower Mini stores, 1 TOWER VINYL store, 6 TOWER RECORDS CAFE stores)
3 online stores (Tower Records Online, Tower Records d Shopping Store, Tower Records Yahoo! Store)
As of May 1, 2024
1,356 (including 558 employees) as of February 15, 2024
Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Mizuho Bank