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Shiokubi aftershow

 
In 1975, Shiokubi opened as the first performance of Hoppo Butoh-ha in Yamagata Prefecture, led by Bishop Yamada. This film footage was taken at the performance’s aftershow party. Sat around Bishop Yamada and sharing their opinions of the performance are Tatsumi Hijikata, the core members of Dairakudakan, Koichi Tamano and Mori Shigeya etc, as well as Minoru Yoshioka, and Shuntarō Matsuyama. This precious footage gives us a taste of the atmosphere among creatives of the time.
 
 

 
Tsurezure Diary
Semimaru (co-founder of Sankai Juku)
 
Sankai Juku was established on 5 November 1975. At the time I was 19. I was in my second year studying Japanese literature at university in Tokyo. I’d originally wanted to become a writer, but I became interested in theatre during high school through studying plays, and it was this that led me to going onstage. Although it was through a part-time job that I met my mentor Mori Kyoumaru, he got me helping out and performing on all kinds of stages.
I first encountered Butoh when I went to see a Butoh film on my mentor’s recommendation. It was a shocking experience, and I thought “I must see this in person!”. I took a flyer that was being handed out for Hoppo Butoh-ha’s first performance Shiokubi, and decided to see it. This was October 1975. I worked as a labourer for 3 days to save money for the return ticket, 1,500yen admission fee, a bag of crackers, a camping stove and instant coffee and went on my way. I was sure I could do without eating for 3 days, but I took the crackers because I was going to the mountains, and thought it would be good to climb the Three Mountains of Dewa. After many transfers on local trains, camping out near the station and being questioned by the police, I arrived as planned at Gran Camerio, home of Hoppo Butoh-ha. 
The performance shocked me in ways that far exceeded my expectations. While staring out at the pouring rain from under the eaves, one of the performers came and spoke to me. On learning I was a student, and thinking about climbing the mountains, they told me the rain was unlikely to stop for the next three days and that I should stay. I said I had no money, to which they responded “just sneak in”. The price for 3 onigiri, some miso soup and a futon to sleep in the space that until moments ago had been a theatre was 500yen. But since it was a performer telling me this, I figured it would be ok to sneak in. There were about 20 other guests who had paid, so I was politely refraining from eating. Despite this, I kept being given onigiri, miso soup, dried fish and more, on the basis that there was too much. It had been 2 days since I had eaten, and I was starving. I was feeling happy about not having to open the crackers, when a bottle of sake came out of nowhere and began being passed round. Most of the performers were there too. From upstairs came the sound of loud voices arguing. Even as I was thinking “I’ve found myself in a terrifying place”, I succumbed to a deep drowsiness and fell asleep.
When I awoke the following morning, more miso soup and onigiri had been prepared. Everyone who had stayed the night before was saying they would see the performance again that day. According to the senior members, Butoh performances change a little every day, and are never the same twice. Apparently it is this change that is interesting. The run was 3 days long, and in exchange for food and a place to sleep, it was decided that I would help backstage. It was here I first met the founder of Butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata, the Dairakudakan members and Yamagata resident Mori Shigeya, but for the most part I didn’t really know who was who. To the 18 year old me, the nightly drinking parties with audience members came as a series of shocks.
After the end of the final performance, it turned out that no-one was able to drive the 4 ton truck, so I agreed to and ended up stayed a third night. The audience had left straight away, and even the Hoppo Butoh-ha members had left to go to work, so that last night there was only three of us: Hoppo Butoh-ha leader Bishop Yamada, Yukiko and myself. We got a sushi takeout and drank sake. I was urged to stay there, but since I still had my apartment in Tokyo, and knew I could study Butoh there as well, I returned to the city.
After returning to Tokyo I continued helping out with Dairakudakan performances, and had conversations with the directors of theatre groups as they came and went. On the advice of the Kamatas, husband and wife co-directors that I discovered had previously been members of Dairakudakan, I took 2 bottles of sake to my interview for Sankai Juku and told them “I have no money, but please accept these”. This was the day that Sankai Juku was established, and about 30 people attended. I had only just turned 19 then but it felt like a very long year. Soon after I dropped out of university, moved out of my apartment and into the Dairakudakan dormitory. Although Sankai Juku performed its first successful performance two years later in 1977, there were at that time only four members.
It’s been twenty-five years since then, and before I knew it, Butoh has become my profession. From May we had 6 consecutive performances in celebration of our 25th anniversary (really 26th), and we had a great many guests. I didn’t even have time to get deeply emotional about this we were so busy, but I endeavour to take the next step forward.
 
 
First published under “25th Anniversary of Sankai Juku” [山海塾創立25周年] in COLARE TIMES, September 2001.
http://www.colare.jp/rareko/semimaru/vol13.html
 
 

 

Unable to get an actual flyer, I copied down the details by hand. I depended on these notes on my search for Butoh. (From Semimaru’s notebook)
 

 
Semimaru
Took part in the establishment of Sankai Juku in 1975, and participated in all of their worked ever since. Began doing solo works in 1985. Began his own group Kokutoh-in in 1990. Many of his works are outdoors in open spaces, and he is a Butoh dancer he observes the connection between mind and body, finding images through this process of analysis. 
 

Shiokubi Aftershow
© VIC
Video provided by Keio University Art Center
With thanks to Bishop Yamada and Shigeya Mori
Special thanks to DAIRAKUDAKAN / Camel Arts Co., Asbestos-kan, Keio University Art Center / NPO Butoh Sozo Shigen