Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku

Overview

Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku (私立恵比寿中学, literally "Ebisu Private Junior High School"), nicknamed Ebichu (えびちゅう), is a Japanese female idol group formed on August 4, 2009 by talent from Stardust Promotion's 3B Junior division. Now an eight-member act, they belong to STAR PLANET alongside Momoiro Clover Z and Super Tokimeki Sendenbu, and are regarded as a "little sister" group to Momoiro Clover Z. The name comes from Ebisu, the Shibuya, Tokyo neighborhood where Stardust Promotion is based.

The group is built around the fictional school concept of "Forever a Middle-schooler." Members who graduate from real middle school become "4th-year" or "5th-year" students, with a member's grade calculated as her age minus 12, though the concept is deliberately loose. Concerts are called "school plays" (gakugeikai), fans are known as the "Family," and the group runs "club activities" in the form of radio programs. Joining is called "transferring in" and leaving "changing schools."

Career

Formation and indie years (2009–2012)

Ebichu formed on August 4, 2009 as a quintet of Kanon, Mizuki, Narumi Uno, Reina Miyazaki and Rika Mayama. Under the slogan "Unarticulated dance and shaky vocals," they performed free shows at electronics stores and shopping centers, often opening for Momoiro Clover. Ayaka Yasumoto and Natsu Anno joined that October. In February 2010 Kanon left and Hinaki Yano joined; Aika Hirota arrived in April; and in May Mirei Hoshina, Rio Koike, Hirono Suzuki and Rina Matsuno joined, making 12. Hinata Kashiwagi joined in November, briefly bringing the lineup to a peak of 13.

After Kenichi Maeyamada, who also wrote for Momoiro Clover, became the group's music "teacher" and wrote their main songs, their upbeat, quirky material, tissue-throwing stage antics and makeup inspired by jiangshi and Lady Gaga won over subculture fans as well as idol fans, and they billed themselves as a "subculture idol you can meet now." Uno left in January 2011, Yano in April (postponed from March by the Tōhoku earthquake), and Koike in June to focus on school. On April 10, 2011 they appeared at Momoiro Clover's Nakano Sunplaza concert, and on October 8 they held their first solo concert at Shibuya O-East; all three October shows sold out. Reina Miyazaki left on December 26, 2011, leaving nine members.

Major debut (2012–2013)

In February 2012 the group announced a major debut with Defstar Records, and a temporary-contract signing ceremony took place at Lazona Kawasaki on March 4. From March 11 to May 20 they toured on the Spring DefSTAR Tour 2012. On May 5 they debuted with the single "Karikeiyaku no Cinderella," which entered the Oricon daily chart at No. 7 (peaking at No. 2) and debuted at No. 7 weekly. The debut lineup was Mizuki, Rika Mayama, Natsu Anno, Ayaka Yasumoto, Aika Hirota, Mirei Hoshina, Hirono Suzuki, Rina Matsuno and Hinata Kashiwagi.

On June 25 they performed at "Yubi Matsuri," the idol festival produced by Rino Sashihara at Nippon Budokan. On July 1 they held their first concert, "Jā Best Ten," at Nippon Seinenkan, and toured from July 14 to September 16. Their second single, "Go! Go! Here We Go! Rock Lee / Otona wa Wakattekurenai," featuring an ending theme from the anime Naruto SD, was released on August 29 and reached No. 7 weekly. A winter tour ran from November 4 to January 20, the indie best album was released on November 21, and a year-end concert was held at Nakano Sunplaza on December 15. In 2013 they released the single "Ume" on January 16, held the concert "Kuruizaki Ebi Road" on March 31, and began a spring tour in April.

2014 and beyond

Kaho Kobayashi and Riko Nakayama joined on January 4, 2014, bringing the group to 11, but Mizuki, Natsu Anno and Hirono Suzuki left after April 15, leaving eight. From 2015 they released a summer "FAMIEN" EP series and the autumn live-album series "Chuon." By 2016 every member was at least in high school, reflected in the title of their autumn tour, and on December 16 Rika Mayama turned 20, becoming the first "middle-schooler" in her twenties.

Rina Matsuno died suddenly of a fatal arrhythmia on February 8, 2017 at age 18; her member color, blue, has since been used as the color representing the whole group on official merchandise. Aika Hirota left after the Nippon Budokan show on January 3, 2018, leaving six. On October 28, 2020, youngest member Riko Nakayama came of age, making all members adults.

In 2021 the group held a new-member audition with about 7,000 applicants; the final camp was streamed on Niconico to a total of 300,000 viewers. On May 5, Cocona Sakuragi, Yuno Kokubo and Nonoka Kazami were announced as new members, bringing the group to nine and restoring an active middle-school student after five years. That year they also appeared on THE FIRST TAKE, performing "Nanairo" and "Jump" with Hyuee Ishizaki. A second audition in 2022 (concept "Unidentified Middle-schooler X," about 7,000 applicants) led to Ema Sakurai and Yuna Nakamura, both 15, being announced on October 1. Hinata Kashiwagi graduated at the Makuhari Messe concert on December 16, 2022.

From July 2023, with the release of the digital single "Summer Glitter," the group began using "Ebichu" in hiragana alongside the katakana form on social media, and on April 1, 2024 officially switched its nickname to the hiragana "えびちゅう." Their first TV show using the new spelling began on MBS on April 30, 2024, and their MBS Radio program was retitled. Mirei Hoshina's contract ended on November 25, 2024, and Kaho Kobayashi graduated at Makuhari Messe on June 28, 2025, leaving the current eight-member lineup. On January 12, 2026 (Coming of Age Day) they held "New Year Grand School Play 2026 SEIJIN CHUGAKUSEI GT" at K-Arena.

Musical style

Originally promoted for rough singing and dancing, the group has since outgrown that slogan and is now praised for its vocal skills. Kenichi Maeyamada's upbeat, offbeat songs shaped their early identity and appealed to both idol and subculture audiences. They are also known for live-oriented activities, including band-backed concerts and THE FIRST TAKE performances.