James Iha

Iha in 1996, photo by Prphotos.com

Birth Name: James Yoshinobu Iha

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Date of Birth: March 26, 1968

Ethnicity: Japanese

James Iha is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist for and co-founder of alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. The band’s members also include/have included Melissa Auf der Maur, Jimmy Chamberlin, Billy Corgan, and D’arcy Wretzky.

James is a second-generation Japanese-American, with roots in the southernmost prefecture of Japan, Okinawa. He is able to speak limited Japanese.