The band was initially started as a side-project by
Yuya Uchida when he returned to Japan after visiting his friend
John Lennon in England in the mid-1960s, where he was introduced to various upcoming artists such as
Cream and
Jimi Hendrix. Yuya wanted to introduce a similar sound to the Japanese, and formed the "Flowers" as a cover band with various
group sounds musicians, and two vocalists; male singer Hiroshi Chiba and female singer Remi Aso. They released the album
Challenge! in 1968, featuring covers of songs by Jimi Hendrix, Cream,
Jefferson Airplane and
Big Brother and the Holding Company, in addition to an original song. The cover caused a stir in the Japanese media as it depicted each member posing naked. In 1969, after the release of the album, Remi Aso and guitarist Katsuhiko Kobayashi relocated to the United States. Yuya dropped all the remaining members, except drummer George Wada, recruited guitarist
Hideki Ishima and vocalist
Joe Yamanaka from the
blues group Mystic Morning and bassist Jun Kobayashi, and formed the Flower Travellin' Band as a band that would appeal to international audiences. Their first releases were backing
jazz trumpeter
Terumasa Hino on the single "Crash" followed by the mini-album
Anywhere in 1970, made to emulate the Flowers' release by means of cover songs and a nude photo on the album's front. The Flower Travellin' Band performed prior to Lighthouse, and drew a standing ovation for their set, plus a call for an encore. That year, they had several other concerts, for example, one in Toronto's Stanley Park Stadium, and another in
Hamilton, Ontario, While in Toronto they recorded their second original album
Made in Japan and were approached by
GRT Records. Hideki Ishima continued his studies of the
sitar, which he began around 1968, under Indian classical musician
Manilal Nag and his Japanese apprentice in 1998. In 2000, he invented the
sitarla, which combines the qualities of a solid-body
electric guitar and the sitar. Yuya Uchida died from
pneumonia in a Tokyo hospital on March 17, 2019, aged 79. ==Members==