Yoshi

Yoshi's full name is Kanemoto Yoshinori (金本芳典), and he was born on May 15, 2000, in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. He grew up in Japan before eventually relocating to South Korea to pursue his career under YG Entertainment.

• Yoshi is Japanese but also has Korean ancestry. He has been described as a fourth-generation Korean-Japanese, making his cultural background somewhat more complicated than simply identifying him by the country where he was born and raised.

• He grew up primarily speaking Japanese and later had to become proficient in Korean after pursuing an idol career in South Korea. That meant his trainee experience involved developing language skills at the same time he was learning rap, dance and performance.

• Yoshi lost his father when he was young, leaving his mother to play an especially important role in his upbringing. He has spoken emotionally about his family, and his experiences growing up contributed to the persistence he later needed while pursuing an uncertain career overseas.

• He has older sisters and has spoken warmly about growing up surrounded by his family. His relationship with his mother in particular has appeared in discussions about the sacrifices involved in leaving Japan and pursuing music in South Korea.

• Yoshi trained through YG Japan before appearing on YG Treasure Box. Like Haruto, he entered the survival show as part of the company's Japanese trainee pool rather than beginning his training entirely in South Korea.

• He wasn't initially chosen for the first seven-member TREASURE lineup. Instead, Yoshi was later announced as part of MAGNUM, YG's planned second group formed from YG Treasure Box contestants.

• The original MAGNUM plan never materialized in the form YG first announced. YG eventually combined the planned teams, allowing Yoshi to debut as a member of the larger TREASURE lineup in August 2020.

• Yoshi studied intensely for a Korean language proficiency examination while preparing for his career. His effort to improve his Korean became particularly important because writing rap lyrics requires a much deeper understanding of vocabulary, rhythm and wordplay than simply memorizing conversational phrases.

• He has developed into one of TREASURE's regular lyricists. Yoshi has contributed rap lyrics and songwriting ideas across multiple releases, allowing him to express himself in a language that wasn't his primary childhood language.

• Yoshi, Hyunsuk and Haruto form TREASURE's core rap line. Their different vocal tones make the unit particularly distinctive: Hyunsuk brings an energetic, aggressive delivery, Haruto has an unusually deep register, and Yoshi contributes his own rhythmic and tonal style.

• The three rappers were given their own unit spotlight through "VolKno." The track embraces rock and hard-edged hip-hop much more aggressively than many of TREASURE's brighter singles and gave Yoshi an opportunity to showcase himself outside the structure of a ten-member song.

• Yoshi participated in writing "VolKno" rather than simply performing it. That creative involvement is important because the track represents the musical identity of TREASURE's rap line rather than being an externally created unit song assigned to them.

• His artistic interests extend well beyond music. Yoshi enjoys drawing and painting and has repeatedly shown fans his visual artwork, making him one of TREASURE's members most strongly associated with traditional visual art. • He has been drawing since he was young and uses art as another form of self-expression. His interest isn't limited to casually doodling during broadcasts; fans have seen increasingly elaborate pieces that demonstrate a genuine fascination with visual composition.

• Yoshi is also highly interested in fashion. His outfits frequently incorporate streetwear, accessories and experimental styling, reflecting the overlap between his interests in hip-hop culture, visual art and clothing.

• He has a noticeably gentle offstage personality despite being part of TREASURE's harder-edged rap line. His quieter manner creates a contrast with the intensity he can project during songs such as "VolKno."

• Yoshi is known for being particularly considerate toward the people around him. In TREASURE's unscripted content, he often comes across as calm and observant rather than competing to become the loudest person in the room.

• He has a pet dog named Kerori, and his affection for animals has become another recurring part of the softer personality fans see away from TREASURE's performances.

• Yoshi has cited BIGBANG as an important musical influence, something he shares with several TREASURE members. Growing up in Japan, he encountered YG's music before eventually becoming an artist under the same company.

• He has also drawn inspiration from hip-hop culture more broadly rather than limiting himself to K-pop rappers. That interest is visible in his delivery, fashion and desire to participate directly in writing his verses.

• One of the most impressive parts of Yoshi's songwriting development is that he writes rap material in Korean despite growing up in Japan. Rap depends heavily on pronunciation, rhythm, slang and wordplay, making his ability to contribute Korean lyrics a much more demanding achievement than ordinary conversational fluency.

• Performing in Japan gives Yoshi an opportunity to address audiences in his native language while helping the Korean members communicate with Japanese fans. TREASURE's enormous Japanese touring presence has made the group's Japanese members especially valuable during concerts, interviews and promotions there.

• Yoshi's career combines several identities at once: Japanese artist, Korean-Japanese performer, K-pop idol, rapper, songwriter and visual artist. Rather than fitting neatly into a single category, his background and creative interests have become an important part of what distinguishes him within TREASURE.