Description

Charmed by African-American music and jazz, a young man watched the movie West Side Story and was a“ttracted by George Chakiris and Rita Moreno” (“ ” quoted from Murobushi). He was enrolled in Waseda University during the golden age of the student movement and in the middle of the hippie movement, and while he wrote poems, on the other hand, he also “loved to exercise and played rugby.” But since “theatre involved the concept of words,” he “thought it to be unsuitable” for himself. And “perhaps a form of artistic expression or whatnot, the concept associated with the body was left caught. This means the concept of dance existed as a notion.” From there, he devoted his mind to politial campaigning and, distancing himself from the sect, he, “thinking to do something close to street performances or happenings, made a group. Doing things like memorials for Marilyn Monroe, streaking in front of the imperial palace, self-multilating within the room of an apartment, and doing other strange things. Unable to settle in a particular direction in the midst of everything.” At that time, “there was Hijikata’s ‘Revolution of the Body’ (Note: Hijikata’s stage performance ‘Hijikata Tatsumi to Nihonjin–Revolution of the Body,’October 9-10, 1968, Nippon Seinenkan) … [omitted] … He was so cool.” For Murobushi, “(Note: ‘Dog’s Vein’ remniscent of Tatsumi Hijikata’s ‘Bijutsu Techo,’ and Eiko Hosoe’s photo collection ‘Kamaitachi Toga’ with Hijikata as its photographic subject) he experienced ‘Revolution of the Body’ almost at the same time. Reading ‘Dog’s Vein’ and touched in a special way, it felt as if the text and photo collection came chasing and covered the stage. It had a literary style that no literary person would be able to achieve in the end, and Hijikatas’ short text/voice was what gave a definite direction to [his own] progress after. Then, in the year after ‘Revolution of the Body,’ [he] finally went to see Hijikata with Bishop Yamada (Note: his classmate from high school). When asked ‘How can I become your apprentice?’ the reply It’s because both of you are looking for nikutai (carnal bodies) for promiscuious parties’ came.” By the way, Murobushi orally performed “Revolution of the Body” in detail from the beginning for him.
(Y.O)

translation

Vinci Ting