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A revered master is remembered.

from Daily Yomiuri Nov.6, 1998

by Sayaka Yakushiji

The public referred to Enfant Terrible Tatsumi Hijikata as the "Japanese Nizhinskiy." But to those familiar with the inventor of the avant-garde dance form known as butoh, he needs no nickname.
When he died in January 1986, the loss seemed create a vacuum that could not be filled by anyone.
In memory of Hijikata, his widow Motofuji will perform "Hijikata Tatsumi To Tomoni" (Together With Tatsumi Hijikata), a stage adaptation of her book about Hijikata, from Nov.13 to 15. Yoshito Ono, whose father was another butoh pioneer, will also perform Nov.10 and 11.
These shows are the core of Hijikata Tatsumi'98, a year-round event commemorating the 12th anniversary of Hijikata's death.
Buddhist tradition has it that family members grieve and pray for the deceased on the 13th anniversary of his death (Buddhists believe the first anniversary occurs at the time of death). Hijikata's creations had such a profound effect on the dance community that the anniversary of his passing will be acknowledged by artists and aficionados as well.

Born the son of an Akita Prefecture noodle shop owner in 1928, Hijikata began studying dance at age 18. But the late bloomer was a natural, and made a phenomenal, controversial debut with "Kinjiki."
Critics abhorred and spurned "Kinjiki" for its brutality and homosexual ovetones. The taped panting while Hijikata and Ono held each other in the dark was considered a benchmark in Japanese dance history. When Ono placed a chicken between his thighs and wrung its neck, the audience shrieked in fear. About one-third had fled the theater in repulsion before the performance was 16 minutes old.
Infuriated, a dance association forced Hijikata and Ono to give up their memberships. But while throngs were decrying Hijikata's dance as a malicious, sick creation, a few recognized his work as a new, bold art form. Motofuji was among the few.
The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Motofuji studied ballet and dance at a young age. She was happily married and was running a modern dance school when she first encountered Hijikata. Magnetized, she found herself spending time with him at Hibiya Park. She gave up her possessions, and life as she knew it, to be with the ingenious dancer.
In this sense, Motofuji was not alone. Innovative artists of the day, including Masuo Ikeda, Juro Kara, Tadanori Yokoo and Yuko Mishima, were thrilled by his exoticism. He gained their admiration while wearing a golden phallic symbol during "Nikutai no Hanran," one of his masterpieces.
It was Mishima who encouraged Hijikata to create his own form of dance; pure, and free of Western influences.
It was this encouragement and advice that led Hijikata to develop the innovative, controversial movements emphasizing the body's curvature that many would consider strange.
His emphasis on body distortion was so revolutionary that he was hailed as an pioneer in the international community.
"Dance can be defined as a dead body standing with his life at a risk," Hijikata once said.