SHUNTO

## Kubo Shunto 久(く)保(ぼ)舜(しゅん)斗(と)

SHUNTO promoting BE:FIRST's 4th single

**SHUNTO** (シュント), birth name **Kubo Shunto** (久保舜斗), is a Japanese singer and dancer under Japanese management company BMSG as a member of BE:FIRST, a boy group selected by SKY-HI at the end of the audition show THE FIRST. He made his debut with the group in November 2021.

Before joining BMSG, Shunto trained at Avex Artist Academy Nagoya and was a member of training units **HIGH-FIVE** and **GEMSTONE**, as well as a member of temporary Avex group **a-genic**.

### Early Life

Shunto attended the Avex Artist Academy in Nagoya for singing and dancing lessons since he was in the first grade of elementary school, mainly just for fun. However, when he was in fifth grade, he got to see AAA live, and their way of embodying the music made him want to pursue music seriously.

While they were not in the same class, he knew RYUHEI and took part in the same events as him.

### 2017-2018

In April 2017, Shunto was chosen to be part of the Avex training unit HIGH-FIVE.  The group disbanded on March 31, 2018.

In March 2018, Shunto was chosen to be a part of special performing team called GEMSTONE alongside RYUHEI.

### 2019

In 2019, Shunto auditioned for Avex's "a-genic PROJECT", aimed to form a new co-ed group. Shunto was selected as one of the finalists alongside TEN, and thus got to be a part of the temporary group a-genic. They were active from June to August and were disbanded once the final lineup was decided. Shunto was not chosen to be part of the final group, GENIC.

### 2021

In February 2021, Shunto auditioned for SKY-HI's THE FIRST and passed the Quality screening round in Nagoya with "Kanden" by Kenshi Yonezu (vocal performance). He ranked 17th out of 30 contestants.
Shunto sang an original song "Fuyu" in THE FIRST Artisism screening, and was placed in Team B (with Watanabe Shota, Shimao Sota, Miyama Ryoki, Handa Yusuke) to perform "Sexual Healing" by SKY-HI. At the end of the 3rd round, he ranked 3rd, successfully continuing on to THE FIRST training camp.

In THE FIRST training camp, Creativity screening, Shunto was placed in Team C with Shota, Reiko, Rui, and Taiki. The song they created in this round is titled, "YOLO". Shunto ranked 4th after this round.

In THE FIRST training camp, Mock Professional screening, Shunto was placed in Team "Move On" with Shota, Ryoki, Ten, Ran, and Ryuhei and performed Move On. Shunto ranked 8th after this round.

In THE FIRST training camp VS. Pro Artist screening, Shunto performed To The First together with the remaining 10 THE FIRST members. He ranked 2nd after this round and was confirmed as one of the 10 finalists of the show.

After a one month break from THE FIRST training camp, Shunto and the other finalists returned to the same location to prepare for the final round. Shunto was placed in Team One, and performed Shining One with Leo, Ryoki, Ran, and Reiko.

In THE FIRST Creative NEO screening, he chose to team up with Ryuhei to form the duo "96BLACK". The song they created for this round is "addictive Art", with "Blame It On Me" by SKY-HI working as the instrumentals.

On August 13, Shunto was chosen to be the second member of BE:FIRST.

On August 16, BE:FIRST released its pre-debut single, Shining One.

On November 3, BE:FIRST released its debut single, Gifted..

### 2022

On September 18 he released New Chapter as a part of BMSG ALLSTARS.

### 2023

On July 19, he appeared on his favorite band, UVERworld's, new album, *ENIGMASIS*, as a featured artist on the song *ENCORE AGAIN* - the lyrics of which he co-wrote with the band.

On September 18, he released The Moon in the WEST as part of BMSG WEST.

On October 2, he released MF, a unit song written with Novel Core and RYOKI, which they premiered at BMSG FES '23.

## Personal Life

* Family
* Education
* Friendships
* Nicknames
* Name Meaning

Shunto's mother passed away in 2018.

He has two younger brothers,  and possibly a younger sister.

When he auditioned for BE:FIRST, Shunto was a 2nd year high school student.

In March 2022 Shunto graduated from high school.

It is uncertain whether he intends to pursue higher education now that he is active as a member of BE:FIRST.

* **TEN**: Shunto is good friends with fellow THE FIRST contestant TEN, since their a-genic days.
* **RYOKI**: Shunto is close with fellow BE:FIRST member RYOKI since THE FIRST Training Camp. He would get nervous before a screening and go to Ryoki's room to sleep.
* **NAOYA**: Shunto became close with fellow MAZZEL member NAOYA since they're the same age. He has invited Naoya to his house for a meal recently.

* **Shun-chan** (しゅんちゃん): used by fellow BE:FIRST member LEO
* **Shunty** (シュンティ): used by fans and hometown friends
* **Kubo Shun** (くぼしゅん): used by hometown friends and friends at school

Shun (舜) means "under the star of the Son of Heaven". His name is also taken from a legendary emperor in Chinese mythology. Shun was an emperor that stands for integrity and impressive virtue.

## Profile

* Information
* Q&A

* **Birth Name**: Kubo Shunto (久保舜斗)
* **Stage Name**: SHUNTO (シュント)
* **Nicknames**: Shun-chan (しゅんちゃん), Shunty (シュンティ), Kubo-Shun (くぼしゅん)
* **Birth Date**: September 1, 2003 (2003-09-01) (age 20)
* **Birth Place**: Nagoya , Aichi, Japan
* **Blood Type**: O
* **Height**: 175 cm (5 ft 8.8 in)?
* **Western Zodiac**:  Virgo
* **Eastern Zodiac**:  Goat
* **Emoji**: 🧢
* **BMSG Status**:
	+ 2021-08-13: Joined
	+ 2021-08-13: BE:FIRST member
* **BMSG Groups**:
	+ BE:FIRST (2021-present)
* **BMSG Units**:
	+ BMSG ALLSTARS (2022)
	+ BMSG WEST (2023)

* **Special Skills**: dancing, singing, the smile he makes when eating something
* **Hobbies**: skateboarding, gaming, watching anime, reading manga, napping
* **Favorite food**: Negitoro (minced tuna with spring onion sprinkled on top)
* **Food he hates**: watermelon
* **Favorite Artists**: Chris Brown, Charlie Puth, Summer Walker, Dios
* **Favorite Movie(s)**: Now You See Me
* **Favorite Jewelry**: Swarovski earrings that he chose with the help of SOTA and RYOKI
* **His "song of destiny"**: "PRAYING RUN" by UVERworld, because it taught him not to give up.
* **Healing Moment**: taking a bath
* **Source of Energy**: Good food
* **Morning Routine**: Set an alarm 30 minutes before the time he's supposed to get up then goes back to sleep after the alarm.
* **If he could perform a solo song**: A mellow ballad
* **A country he wants to go to right now**: United States
* **Something he would do 800 times**: sleeping
* **Something he doesn't want to do, even if he's asked 800 times**: eat watermelon
* **Something he would buy if he had 800 yen**: rice
* **Somewhere he wants to go to in the summer**: the river, the pool, the beach
* **Role of Jewelry**: it gives him confidence
* **Memorable Christmas Memory**: not getting the card game he wanted
* **If he could spend Christmas with BE:FIRST**: the older members give him and RYUHEI presents
* **2022 was**: a year of working hard

## Discography

*Main article: SHUNTO/Discography*
* BE:FIRST
* Collaborations
* THE FIRST

* **Digital**
	+ [2021.08.16] Shining One
	+ [2022.07.13] Don't Wake Me Up
	+ [2023.02.13] Boom Boom Back
* **CD**
	+ [2021.11.03] Gifted.
	+ [2022.05.18] Bye-Good-Bye
	+ [2022.08.31] BE:1
	+ [2023.04.26] Smile Again
	+ [2023.08.30] Sarracenia / Salvia
	+ [2023.09.13] Mainstream

* [2022.09.18] BMSG ALLSTARS - New Chapter
* [2023.07.19] UVERworld - ENCORE AGAIN feat. SHUNTO
* [2023.09.18] BMSG WEST - The Moon in the WEST
* [2023.10.02] Novel Core, SHUNTO, RYOKI - MF

During the THE FIRST audition SHUNTO participated in each of below performance screenings:

* **Creativity**
	+ Team C
	+ Song: YOLO -You Only Live Once-

* **Professional Trial Stage - Be Free vs Move On**
	+ Team Move On

* **Vs Professional Artist**
	+ Performance of To The First featuring all Top 11

* **Creativity NEO**
	+ Group name: 96BLACK (SHUNTO, RYUHEI)
	+ Song: Addictive Art

* **Final Screening - Team Shining vs Team One**
	+ Team One

## Other Works

* Starring TV Programs
* TV Appearances
* Music Videos
* Modeling

* [2019] a-genic PROJECT
* [2021] THE FIRST
* [2021] Ano Hi no THE FIRST
* [2021] THE FIRST MOMENT
* [2021-2022] Gifted Days
* [2022] BE:FIRST Road to VIVA LA ROCK 2022 / GYAO!
* [2022] ALL ABOUT BMSG / SpaceShower TV
* [2022] BE:FIRST TV

* [2022.11.27] Skateboard Japan Championships / NTV
* [2023.05.13] X Games Chiba 2023 / NTV
* [2023.06.24] UVERworld ROOM ~Yake ni Chime ga Naru Yoru~ / TV Asahi
* [2023.07.01] UVERworld ROOM ~Yake ni Chime ga Naru Yoru~ / TV Asahi
* [2023.07.21] Music Station (with UVERworld) / TV Asahi

*Main article: SHUNTO/Music Videos*

**Featured**

* [2021] SKY-HI -  ONE MORE DAY feat. REIKO  (cameo)

Collaborations
* [2022] BMSG ALLSTARS - New Chapter
* [2023] BMSG WEST - The Moon in the WEST

## Publications

*Main article: SHUNTO/Publications*
*See also: BE:FIRST/Publications*
* [2022.10.28] ROCKIN'ON JAPAN - December Issue

## Trivia

* He liked drawing as a child, so he wanted to be a mangaka when he was little.
* He can play a little bit of piano
* Shunto got his ears pierced as a high school graduation gift to himself.
* He likes looking for the real suspect when watching dramas
* He found the seafood in Hokkaido (when BE:FIRST was doing -Hello My BESTY- fan meetings) the most delicious.
* Shunto's in-ear monitors are black and glittery. He chose to have the BE:FIRST logo placed small.
* Something that had a big impact on him was graduating high school, since he got to start growing his hair, which he couldn't do before.
* Something that changed since he debuted is the amount of food he eats.
* Shunto would take SOTA with him to a deserted island. SOTA is the eldest sibling and lives near the sea (SOTA's hometown is Shonan, a coastal city), so he seems the type who can handle physical labor and is good at catching fish.
* Shunto thinks BE:FIRST's strength lies in that the members recognize each other's individuality, treat each other with respect, and talk to each other.
* Sota describes Shunto as a music lover who will try to fit in music in any little time he has, listening to and making music in his spare time. He also thinks he's a man of his word, because what he says and what he does always match.
* SKY-HI thinks Shunto has a very clear idea of who he wants to be .
* The time he enjoyed the most during THE FIRST was relaxing with other members in their rooms after a long day, drinking juice, eating sweets and talking about anything.

## References

1. ↑  https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/be-first-sota-shunto-manato-ryuhei-junon-ryoki-leo-interview-may-2022
2. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BXehOHpBpnD/
3. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg-trRfgEA8/
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/avex\_aaaNAGOYA/status/973758513766780928
5. ↑ https://avex.jp/a-genic/
6. ↑ https://bmsg.tokyo/thefirst/
7. ↑ https://youtu.be/30lDQin6VfI
8. ↑ THE FIRST #16
9. ↑  SPRiNG magazine, January 2022 issue
10. ↑  https://twitter.com/SYUNTO15/status/972480444145922048?s=20
11. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2278595/full/
12. ↑ https://twitter.com/RO6996CK/status/1035836941424451585?s=20
13. ↑ BE:FIRST no BE:TALK 2021.12.24
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3  Yomiuri - 海外に僕らの音楽を　ありがとう言い続けたい…ＢＥ：ＦＩＲＳＴ　視線は世界へ（後編）
15. ↑  Bandwagon
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 *Harper's Bazaar - BE:FIRST、スワロフスキーのきらめきとともに 2022/11/18*
17. ↑ *The Television - BE:FIRSTのチームワークの秘訣は？「年齢を感じさせないグループ」＜インタビュー＞ 2021/10/07*
18. ↑ Yahoo! Japan *初来日のIVEが「会いたかったです！」BE:FIRST、CRAVITYとそれぞれの色見せた「ネクステ」 2022/08/09*
19. ↑ BE:FIRST no BE:TALK 2021.07.22
20. ↑ Shunto's Instagram
21. ↑  *Elle Japan*
22. ↑  https://glitter-official.com/2022/05/befirst-bye-good-bye/
23. ↑  *Glitter Magazine*
24. ↑ BE:FIRST no BE:TALK!! / CBC Radio, 2022.05.13
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1  [Yomiuri -新曲「Ｂｙｅ―Ｇｏｏｄ―Ｂｙｅ」の振り付け練習はみんなで話し合って…ＢＥ：ＦＩＲＳＴ　視線は世界へ（前編)
26. ↑  Nikkei Entertainment - *SKY-HIが語る7人の成長　「彼は完全にBE:FIRSTの『背骨』ですね」 2022/10/20*
27. ↑ *Dwango - BE:FIRST、“頂点”を叶えるべく集まった7人「自分たちがカルチャーを作る 2021/10*