Yoshiho Takeda, known professionally as Hannya, was born on October 18, 1978, in Ōdate, Japan. As a rapper, he began his career in the late 1990s under the pseudonym YOSHI. He formed part of the group Hannya with DJ Baku and Rumi in 1996; after their disbandment in 1998, he adopted the name Hannya for his solo endeavours. Hannya's breakthrough came as a member of the rap group Mōsōzoku, who he joined in 1998. Between 1999 and 2004, the group released five albums. In 2002, Hannya achieved significant recognition by securing second place at an annual freestyle battle event. His solo career commenced with the release of his debut album Ohayou Nippon in February 2004, which included the music video for "Chotto Matte". The following year saw the release of Nekosogi, featuring videos for "Yacchatta" and "My Home". In December 2005, Hannya released the single "Oretachi no Yamato", inspired by the film Yamato – The Last Battle. His third studio album, Naibu Kokuhatsu, followed in 2006. In 2008, he released Doctor Tōkyō, featuring the video for "Yume no Ato" and his self-titled album Hannya (2009). In 2011, he released Black Rain, which included a music video for the title track. His subsequent albums include Concert (2013) and #Birthday (2014), Shin Ohayo Nippon (2023) and Last Answer (2025).
