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BUTOH:ASEETHINGCAULDRON.
LesleyEleanoraBoyceWilkinson

TheseminalformofButoh,AnkokuButoh,wasbirthedduringthelate1950sinthechaotic
vacuumofpostwar,postcapitalist,AmericanoccupiedJapaninresonancewiththeglobal
artisticclimateofthetime.Thecatastrophiceffectsofwarnaturallyplayedtheirpartinthe
directionanddevelopmentsoftheartsinJapan,astheydidonaworldwidescale.Themoodwas
reactionaryandnotdissimilartothatafterWorldWarIinPariswhichhadgivenrisetothe
DadaistandSurrealistmovements.Manyartistsrearedupagainstboththestrictconservatismof
JapanesesocietyandtheenforcedWesternvaluesandideologies.Shingeki,initiallyformulated
intheprewarperiod,hadbecomethemostpopularanddesiredtheatreform.Itadoptedmuch
Westernclassicalliterature,methodologyandstyletocreateproductionswiththeaimofbeing
'thoroughlymodern'andeducativeinvalue,producingtextuallybasednaturalisticdramas
dealingwithsociopoliticalcurrentissues.ToHijikataTatsumi(19281986),thefoundingfather
ofButoh,however,itwassimplyanotherWesterncuckooakintotheimporteddanceshehad
growntoabhor,yetanotherconstrictionthatneededtobethrownuponthescrapheapalong
withthefossilizedconventionsoftraditionalJapanesetheatricalmodes.Hijikata'srevolutionary
spiritandfierycreativityincineratedallthatwasstaleandmediocre,andthatwhichheconjured
fromtheashesheraldshimasoneoftheforemostfigureswhogaveartisticformtoaculture
caughtinthedilemmaofidentity,postWesternisedandneonostalgic.

TheinfluencesinvolvedintheformulationofButohareacomplexandeclecticmix.Hijikata,in
thespiritofamagpie,collectedinspirationsfrommanyvariedsources.Fromthearenasof
performancehedrewfromphlebianformsofentertainment:Mimosa,Yoseandcarnival,along
withthetheatricalformsofKarugaandearlyKabuki(beforeitssanitisation),andfromthe
contemporaneousHappeningsandActionArt.HefeduponAntoninArtaud'sferociousdemands
forperformance/theatrereformsandcherishedatapeofhislastscream.Hijikatawasanavid
readerandsoakedupliteratureandpoetry,particularlybyDecadentFrenchauthors,Lautremont,
Baudelaire,Sade,andbythenovelists/playrights,MishimaandGenet.Theimpactofthefirst
generationSurrealistsandhisinvolvementwithpostwarartistsassociatedwiththeYomiuri
Independent,collaborationswiththeHiRedCenterandhisworkwithEikoHosoeinthe
productionofKamaitachi(photographbook)evidencetheintrinsiclinkagebetweenButohand
thevisualarts.Indeed,throughouthiscareercontemporaryartistssupportedtheperformances
withstageset,posterdesignsandphotographicimage.Allthesefragmentedtreasures,together
withhisownexperientialexistenceandmemoriesencasedinabodyofflesh,bloodandbone,
Hijikatabrewedinthecauldronofhisowncreativity.Whatemergedwasapotent,intoxicating
andpowerfullyinnovativeconcoction.

WhenAnkokuButohmadeitsfirstinceptionontotheboardsofthestageonMay24,1959as
partofthe6thAnnualNewcomer'sPerformancebytheAllJapanDanceAssociation(Tokyo)it
causedashudderofrevulsion.Itssubjectshocked.BaseduponMishima'shomoerotic
novelForbiddenColoursandstagedwithasuffusionofGenet'sinvertedaesthetic,Hijikata
exposedthebodyasitis:false,dislocated,suffering.Theanarchicrejectionoftheconsensual
ideasofbeautyandtheviolentthrustingasideofallpreviouslyhelddanceconventionscaused
anuproarandmanyAssociationmembersthreatenedtoresignshouldanythingofsuchnaturebe
evershownagain.PerformancesofAnkokuButoh,thereafter,tookplaceinsmall'underground'
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venuesformembersoftheartisticavantgardeelite,inruralsettingsoronthestreets.Hijikata,
asanunprecedentedcreativeperformer,thoughadmonishedbythemainstreamandlookedupon
asadangerousrebel,washighlyrespectedintheseothercircles.

AnkokuButohisalsoknownas'thedanceofutterdarkness'andmuchmaybegleanedastothe
natureofButohingeneralbytranslationandetymologicalbreakdown.'Ankoku'translatesasan,
'darkness',andkoku,as'black',hence'utterdarkness'.Darkness,here,referstothesubconscious
andtheinstinctual,theterritoryofsocialtaboo,tothehiddensideofhumannature,theshadow
sideofthings.Additionally,thedarknessbearsassociationwiththecoldnessanddesolationof
thedarkenedworldintheabsenceofthesungoddess,AmateratsuoMiKami,inthefamous
Japanesemyth,therebyforginglinkswithshamanicpractice,ritualandwiththe'kami',spiritsof
theancestraldead.Theterm'butoh',translatingasbu,'danceandtoh,'stamp'or'stomp',isa
derivationofthewordsbutohkaiandbuyoh.DuringJapan'sMeijiera(18681912)butohkaiwas
usedtodescribeWesternstyleballroomdancing.Buyohisaneutralwordfordancethatwas
employedlongbeforeitscurrentusuage.Boththesetermshadfallenintodisusebythemid
20thcenturyuntiltheywererevived,adoptedandadulteratedbyHijikata.
Bothbutohkaiandbuyohhad,inmeaning,asenseofleapingandascending,whereasButoh
possessesadefinatesuggestionofdescent.Hijikatasaid:"Iwouldneverleaporleavethe
grounditisonthegroundIdance."

FromHijikata'sinitialAnkokuButohmanyvariantshavespawned,manyotherButoh's.
WhereasmostdonotsharethesamedegreeofviolenceanderoticismasevidencedinAnkoku
Butoh,allretainthisemphasisupontheexteriorisationofthesubconsciouscontentsandthe
gravitationalpulloftheearth.Indeed,theearthboundstateofthehumanbodyisoneofthe
quintessentialelementsoftheButohgenre.Assuchitistheantithesisofthehighflying
movementsofballet.InthisattentiontotheconnectednesstotheearthButohsharesalittle
somethingwiththeclassicalNoh(thesolesofthefeetinNohalwaysremainincontactwiththe
ground).UnlikeNoh,however,withitssophisticated,rigidlypreciseandfirmlyfixedsymbolical
movements,Butohdisregardsallnotionsofsophisticationandthesymbologicalreferencing.It
doesnotseekidealisedformorharmonicallychoreographedpatterning,butratherembracesthe
grotesque,theungainly,theraw,nonaestheticallyencodedbody.Butohgropesbeneaththe
overlayofsocialisationandculturalauthoritarianismforwhatthecriticIchikawamiyabicalled
"thebodythathasbeenrobbed"andattemptstorestoreawildinnerflameintheheartof
darkness.Itoftenplayswiththecrossculturaltrappingsandthesurfaceofsocialitywithanair
ofsagaciousmockeryandspeaksto,andfrom,aprelinguisticalpartofthemindabjectedby
patriarchalsocieties.IntheverybestofButohperformancesthereisgeneratedadeep
communionofperformerandspectatorthatexudessomethingincommonwiththeessenceofan
ancientrite.Theperformermetaphoricallydismembersthesocialbody,plungesintothe
darknessofChaos,returnstobleedingnature,undergoescatharsisandrebirthsduringthe
processthespectatorbecomesparticipant.Themesveryoftenandquiteunambiguouslyrevolve
aroundthisbasisofdeath/birth/life/decay/deathincyclicalmotion.Inotherinstancesthis
thematicismoresubtlyindicated.YetButohisNotareligion,Notaformofhealing,buta
dance/theatreformbasedinadistinctapproachtothebodyandawayofmovingthatis'outof
theordinary',thatspringsforthfromtherealmsoftheimaginal.

Defyingstandardised'goodtatse',commonlyheldaesthetics,convention,logocentricity,
linearity,compartmentalisationandsoforth,Butohalsodefiesprecisedefinition.Toundertakea
definitioninunequivocalintellectualtermsmustinevitablymeetwithfailureandwouldbeas
futileasanattempttoputafullstoponeternity.BonnieSueSteintalkedofButohasbeing:
"...shocking,provocative,physical,spiritual,erotic,grotesque,violent,cosmic,nihilistic,
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cathartic,mysterious."Anyonebutohperformancemaybeall,afeworoneofthese.Thequiet
sculpturalbeautyofaSankaiJuku'sperformancecouldhardlybedescribedasviolent,eroticor
shocking,forinstance.UshioAmagatsu'sratherslickstagesetdesignsandchoreographiesarea
farcryfromHijikata'sstages,thatwereeithercompletelybareorboresemblancetothechaosof
aSurrealistfleamarket,ortohissavagebodilyconvulsionsandcontortions.Eventhepopular
notionthatButoh'scompulsiveinsigniaofnakedness,baldheadandwhitepaintiseasily
contradictedbytheelaborategownsandlonghairofButohveteranOhnokazuo(andHijikata
himselfattimes).Hijikataalsooftenwentwithoutmakeup,ashasTanakaMin.Toattemptan
overall,catchalldefinitionbynotingaffects,subjectmatterinitiatingisolatedpieces,stage
design,performancesemioticsorthelookofButohperformersis,therefore,impossiblebydint
oftherichdiversification,variablenessofapproachandexpressivenessofindividualsworking
withinthegenre.Butohencouragespersonalinterpretationalfreedomandexperimentation,and
themanifestedresultsmayrangefromabsoluteminimalismtoajumbleofjuxtaposedimages,
simplicitytorichdetailedelaborations.Itisbyveryvirtueofanabsenceofmanifesto,
dogmatismandcodedstricture,byitsrefusaltobeadequatelydefined,thatButohhasflourished
inthelasttwodecadestobecomeaninternationalphenomenawithacontinuingandgrowing
influence.

ThiscrossfertilisationandmultiplicityofinfluencesfromwhichButoharosecontinuestobe
evidenced.Butoh,toagreatextent,grewfromthehumusenrichedbytheentertainer's,writer's,
poet's,filmmaker's,andpainter'ssweatand,byitsverynature,itfreelywatersotherdisciplines
withitsown.Ithasnotonlyprovidedvisuallypoeticalperformancescelebratoryofasacred
primality,butalsoengenderedsomeofthemoststunningphotographicimageseverseenin
relationtotheperformingarts.Ithascastitsshadowyinfluenceoncomputergraphicartists,fine
artists,videomakers,theatrepractionersandrock/jazzmusicians.Itsinspirationalappeal
continuestogrow.Perhapsitisbecause,inthewordsofHijikata:"Butohcanneverbe
finished."

Copyright:L.E.BoyceWilkinson.

N.B.LesleyEleanoraBoyceWilkinsonhasgainedtwoB.A.Hons.DegreesinbothFineArt
andContemporaryTheatreandiscurrentlyworkingtowardsaMasterofArtsDegree,themain
focusbeingButoh.HerpresentworkinvolvespracticalandtheoreticalresearchintoButoh,theoutcome
ofwhichwillincludeanextensivewrittenstudy,aseriesofpaintingsandaninstallation/exhibition.Shewill
behappytohearfromotherresearchersandvisualartists.

CONTACT:Leleanora@btinternet.com

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