ABOUT BUTOH

Butoh is an avant-garde art form born in Japan in the 1950’s. Butoh developed at the height of the Japanese Counter Culture Movement and was influenced by surrealism, neo dada, French mime techniques, ballet, flamenco, Neue Tanz (German Expressionist dance) as well as French and European literature. Developed by Tatsumi Hijikata and Ohno Kazuo, in collaboration with other artists such as Yoshito Ohno, Akira Kasai and others, butoh split into two forms of dance, one choreographed, the other, improvised. Under Tatsumi Hijikata’s guidance, in the late 60's early 70's, butoh reached a new stage, marked by the entrance of female dancers on the butoh scene. Female butoh dancers such as Yoko Ashikawa, Natsu Nakajima, Saga Kobayashi profoundly influenced the course of the art form and its development. Hijikata developed a strictly choreographed method, while Kazuo Ohno, who preferred improvisation, performed well into his 90’s all over the world and favored an expansive, spiritual approach to butoh.

Butoh was born at a tumultuous time in Japan’s history. Today, there are numerous butoh expressions, and the art form ranges from a minimalist expression, to the grotesque and theatrical. The most renown Butoh group worldwide is Sankai Juku who is based in Paris. Although butoh is commonly known for its controversial topics, the “choreographed method” devised by Tatsumi Hijikata represents a revolution in the world of dance. Butoh dancers are expected not only to learn movements, but they also work like method actors; each movement is informed by notations (scripted directions). Surrealist techniques are used to generate movements layered with emotions and sensations. Butoh represents a shift from the conscious to the subconscious, and each movement, even when it is choreographed, comes from within and must be authentic.

In the 1970’s, Butoh’s encounter with the Western World (in France between 1976 and 1980) forever changed its course. Encouraged by the positive response from European critics, the vast majority of the second butoh generation settled in Europe. Consequently, a new wave of butoh developed. A third and fourth wave is presently under way, resulting in the cross-cultural exchange between Japanese practitioners and non-Japanese. Butoh is practiced today in Europe, North and South America, Australia and Asia.

Butoh comes from “Ankoku Butoh” and means “Dance of Utter Darkness”. The founder of Butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata, wrote: “The utter darkness exists throughout the world, doesn’t it? To think is the dark”. With this statement, Hijikata pointed out that all human beings carry an unconscious side. Although it is tempting to stereotype butoh, “Darkness” in butoh refers to what is hidden from our awareness, our unconsciousness and does not have Judeo Christian connotations.

Author: Vangeline. February 27, 2020.

Banner image: Hiroaki Tsukamoto. All rights reserved.

Video: Yoko Ashikawa

QUOTES

“I would love to offer you even something as tiny as a grain of sand. If only I could succeed in doing that, then I might fulfill my longing to share a part of my life with you. Isn’t it worth risking one’s life to offer something as microscopic as that tiny single grain of sand chosen from amidst countless millions? Take great care at all times. Even the most infinitesimal detail of the slightest gesture you make should be executed with loving care.
It’s never too late to start”.
-Kazuo Ohno, from Kazuo Ohno’s World: From Without & Within

“A great many people are constantly coming to life in me. Aren’t they reaching out to me in my day-to-day life as their souls permeate my body? That’s not inconceivable. Since each and everyone of us is born in and of this universe, we’re linked to every single thing in it. There’s nothing to stop us from reaching out and touching the entire universe”.
-Kazuo Ohno, from Kazuo Ohno’s World: From Without & Within

“And now, I live in a world where I strum this wooden floor beneath my feet. I live in a world where there are no boundaries between here and the hereafter”.
-Kazuo Ohno, from Kazuo Ohno’s World: From Without & Within

 

TATSUMI HIJIKATA

"Since the Body itself perishes, it has a form. Butoh has another dimension".

"The Body is constantly violated by things like the development of technology”.

"Underground art turns into mere trendiness because of the people practicing it. They create a desert around them, then complain there is no water, Why don't they try drinking from the well of their own bodies? Let them pluck the darkness from their own flesh."

-Tatsumi Hijikata