Kō Machida

On June 14, 2007, Machida got into an argument with his friend and rock musician Tomoyasu Hotei about a band they planned on forming together. There was a physical altercation and after learning that his injuries would take two weeks to heal, Machida filed a police report on June 18. Hotei was ordered to pay a fine of 300,000 yen on October 1.

He won the 123rd Akutagawa Prize with Kiregire ("Shreds") in 2000 and the Tanizaki Prize with Kokuhaku ("Confession") in 2005.

His first literary work, Kūge, was published in 1992, and included a selection of his poems. His first novel, Gussun Daikoku, was published in 1996. It earned him the Bunkamura Deux Magots Literary Award. His unique style of story-telling marked by non-sense, irreverence, and slapstick is influenced by Kamigata (Kansai) Rakugo and Jidaigeki (samurai dramas). Some critics link him to self-destructive I Novel writers before the World War II such as Kamura Isota and Chikamatsu Shūkō. Oda Sakunosuke is also cited as one of his influences.

Machida formed a punk rock band called Inu (meaning "dog" in Japanese) in 1978, for which he used the stage name Machida Machizō (町田町蔵). Inu released their first album, Meshi Kuuna! (literally "Don't eat!") in 1981. The band split shortly after the album release. He went on to form a number of bands and released several albums. His albums earned reasonable critical acclaims but the commercial success was limited.

Machida Kō (町田 康, Machida Kō, born Machida Yasushi on January 15, 1962 in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture) is a Japanese author, punk rock singer, poet, and actor.