Siam Shade was formed in Tokyo in 1991 by vocalist Hideki Imamura, bassist Yasushi "Natchin" Nakagawa, guitarist Kazuma Endo, lead guitarist Daita Ito, and drummer Jun-ji Sakuma. Hideki and Natchin had earlier played together in the band Power. The band released the album Siam Shade in 1994, which sold 10,000 copies and reached number 2 on the independent Oricon chart. Signing with Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 1995, they debuted with the single "Rain" on 21 October 1995, followed by the studio album Siam Shade II on 11 November 1995. Their breakthrough came in 1997 when the single "1/3 no Junjō na Kanjō" became the sixth ending theme for the anime Rurouni Kenshin and achieved platinum status; the accompanying album Siam Shade IV – Zero was certified gold. Subsequent releases such as Siam Shade V (1998) and Siam Shade VI (2000) produced hits "Glacial Love" and "Dreams," each selling over 200,000 copies. The band toured extensively, including a 2001 Budokan show and a 2002 final concert Start & Stand Up before officially disbanding on 11 March 2002. After disbanding, members pursued solo projects and occasional reunions, while the band's catalog remained recognized for its melodic hard-rock sound and influence on Japan's mainstream rock scene.
