Ayame (あやめ), thank you very much for this opportunity!
Ayame Kokujuuji Mako (殺女黒十字まこ) is the “Sendai daihyou (仙台代表)” and vocalist of Wedday (ウェンズデー) .
Early on, Wed†Day changed its name to Wedday (ウェンズデー) and you changed your name from Ayame (殺女) to Ayame Kokujuuji Mako (殺女黒十字まこ). What was the reasoning behind these name changes?
Wedday (ウェンズデー)
I wanted to make it easy to understand.
Ayame Kokujuuji Mako (殺女黒十字まこ)
I wanted to make it harder to understand—no, I just needed a phrase that expressed who I was.
Although Wedday is your longest project, you also participated in Sider【Yomigaerushi no Gakudan Sider】 (Sider【蘇る死の楽団サイダー】), Ayame Kokujuji SEMINAR (殺女黒十字セミナぁ), Secret Sign, etc.. How does the concept of each of these differ from Wedday (ウェンズデー)?
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Sider【Yomigaerushi no Gakudan Sider】 (Sider【蘇る死の楽団サイダー】) — The perfect group of villains.
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Ayame Kokujuji SEMINAR (殺女黒十字セミナぁ) — Independent research project.
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Secret Sign — Future/past/present.
Rather than “vocalist,” you are often credited as “Sendai daihyou (仙台代表) {Sendai representative}.” What does this mean and how did it come to be?
I'm not particularly confident in my singing, so I felt uncomfortable calling myself a vocalist. The “representative of Sendai” is the person who has the most passion and energy as a “standalone weapon;” the person who is most engaged in comprehensive artistic activities in Sendai. That kind of meaning.
Wedday (ウェンズデー) is signed to the label Akasic Records, which was active in Sendai for many years.
Please tell us about the formation of Akasic Records.
In 2005, Wedday (ウェンズデー) became the most popular band in the indie visual kei scene of Sendai, so we founded the label to further revitalize the scene, promote passionate and large-scale activities, and to create synergy with the bands signed to the label.
How did the various bands join Akasic Records? Please tell us about your relationship with each band.
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Sider【Yomigaerushi no Gakudan Sider】 (Sider【蘇る死の楽団サイダー】) — It's a secret but... I'm the founder, No.000. One of the reasons for founding Akasic Records.
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La'dior — Unbeatable popularity in Koriyama. The other reason for founding Akasic Records.
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PSYCHIC FORCE (サイキックフォース) — The reason that I met TSUBASA (ツバサ) {former IDOL for Wedday (ウェンズデー), Vo. for PSYCHIC FORCE (サイキックフォース)}.
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idiot — They continuously livened up Iwaki.
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RAFFI (ラフィ) — Regulars of Morioka and Akita.
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JELLY (ジェリー) — The elite of Sendai.
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Secret Sign — It's a secret but... I was actually a member.
What is it like to run your own record label and have control over the creative and promotional process?
It's fun. Especially the shuraba (修羅場) {hellish scene of carnage} that we host. I don't think Wedday (ウェンズデー) would have been able to continue if it weren't for those shuraba. I was prepared for the struggles, so it wasn't a problem at all.
Is there a particularly fond memory you have of the label?
Not the label itself, but the shuraba of each sponsored event... Every “kill” {event} had its own memories, every kill.
In 2020, Ayame began releasing the #SendaiVkeiNenpyou (#仙台V系年表) {Sendai visual kei chronology} on Twitter.
What inspired you to start creating this chart of Sendai's vkei chronology? What was the response?
I saw Visual Doctor Noru's visual kei [genealogy chart](
) and thought it was interesting and intriguing, so I thought I might be able to make one for Sendai・・・ It was my biggest response on X (Twitter) so far.What are some of your favorite Sendai vkei bands, and why?
Jaja. The band that made an impact by drawing the largest audiences to their regular bookings [for a Sendai band]. Even if you ignore the fact that all the members were friends of mine, they were an interesting band. Their songs were also really appealing, and many of them were carried over to Sider【Yomigaerushi no Gakudan Sider】 (Sider【蘇る死の楽団サイダー】).
What was the first time you became aware that there was visual kei in Sendai? Did you participate in the scene prior to forming Wedday (ウェンズデー) ?
I learned about Sendai bands around 1997. My first time seeing one was when I went to a Seiren live.
What made the Sendai visual kei scene different from other areas? What is the strong point of Sendai?
A feeling of fellowship, of strong comradery.
How did you see the Sendai scene change over the years?
Since 2000, from an objective view: 2000~2003 was the peak of enthusiasm. 2009~2010 was the peak of the number of bands.
Since then, the enthusiasm and number of bands have clearly decreased. It was on the verge of collapse... and in the midst of this, Wedday (ウェンズデー) returned after a long hiatus.
To the larger world of visual kei.
How did you first become a fan of visual kei?
My sister bought LUNA SEA's DESIRE by mistake.
How did visual kei bands from outside of Sendai affect your activities?
They made me recognize that it was fine to wear makeup and costumes.
How do you feel Wedday (ウェンズデー) and other Sendai bands were viewed by bands and fans from other areas?
I think it depends on the time so I can't really say... In fact, I would like to know the opposite.
What makes visual kei special?
It leads you into the unreal. Something out of the ordinary. An overwhelming beauty and frenzy.
Finally, what do you think is the future of visual kei?
Hopeless... That's why it's worth doing Wedday (ウェンズデー). This was never a genre that sang about hope—so hopelessness is fine.
“There's nothing wrong with this era... But, I want to be the only one going crazy”
[Ed.: the line Ayame (あやめ) quotes is from the chorus of Daibensha (代弁者).]
Thank you for this interview. We wish you the best of luck!
You can find and support Ayame (あやめ) and Wedday (ウェンズデー) on SNS:
- X wedday_official
- X wedday_ayame
- TikTok wedday_sendai
- YouTube 水曜Tube
Our favorite Wedday (ウェンズデー) mascot, Maro (マロ)!
Thank you to inartistic, Pingu, and vkeijonas for coordination and translation.
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