AGAXART
16 Sep 2024
Dancing HOKUSAI MANGA
Butoh performance "So Zo Ro"
8 - 10 November, 2024
The Butoh performance "So Zo Ro" is a unique and captivating stage production that blends the world of "Hokusai Manga" with the cultural essence of Sumida’s town factories, public baths, and tenement house life. This mesmerizing performance, featuring Butoh and live music, marks the grand finale of the Hokusai Manga Butoh Project, which has been actively researching the spirit of Sumida since 2022. Join us for an unforgettable experience where the past, future, and Hokusai’s creative legacy come together on stage to reveal the hidden beauty and strength of Sumida.
【Highlights】
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Talented Butoh dancers expressing the richness of life and the vastness of the world.
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A live performance featuring the traditional Bulgarian instrument, the gaida.
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An original Gohsyu Ondo "Sumidagawa" (Sumida River).
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Stunning stage art design that transforms an old factory into a fantastical realm.
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A powerful group dance performance featuring participants from the Butoh workshop.
Don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to witness "Hokusai Manga" brought to life through dance!
【WEB site】 https://agaxart.com/hokusai-manga-butoh
【日本語】 https://www.agaxart.com/hokusai-manga-butoh/pr-sozoro-jp
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Butoh and ”Hokusai manga”, a fusion of two of Japan's most famous arts!
Why focus on factories, public bathhouses, and tenement houses in "Hokusai Manga"?
Hokusai Katsushika's "Hokusai Manga," which portrays the everyday lives of Edo's common people, continues to fascinate people worldwide. Inspired by Hokusai's ability to capture these ordinary scenes, I wanted to create Butoh dance pieces that also reflect the everyday life of the city. The neighborhoods of Mukojima and Kyoshima in Sumida, where I conducted research for this Butoh project, caught my attention as I wandered the streets. I found a rich, vibrant landscape where factories, public bathhouses, and traditional tenement houses (nagaya) were deeply intertwined with people’s daily lives. These sights, blending old and new, inspired my work.
Yet, alongside this charm, there is a noticeable push toward redevelopment, driven by the pursuit of modern convenience. This is leading to the loss of historical buildings, which threatens to erase the character and individuality of the town. With the Hokusai Manga Butoh Project, we hope to offer people an opportunity to rediscover the unique beauty of Sumida and reflect on its fading uniqueness before it disappears. We also want to create a space for audiences to engage with artists' creative activities and share diverse perspectives. By distributing this work globally through video, we aim to share our efforts and the spirit of Sumida with the world.
【ONTLINE】
Title ｜ Butoh performance "So Zo Ro"
Date ｜ November 8 - 10, 2024
11/8 (Fri) 19:00-20:00
11/9 (Sat) 15:00-16:00 / 19:00-20:00
11/10 (Sun) 15:00-16:00 / 19:00-20:00
Venue ｜ Hohjo Koumuten Tonari (3-22-10 Higashimukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo)
Ticket ｜
General ticket: 3,000 yen
Project support ticket: 5,000 yen
【Discount】Sumida Residents: 2,500 yen
【Discount】Students: 2,000 yen
【Free】 Under 18 years old
【Pay What You Want】 *If you have difficulty paying the ticket price, please contact us. 550 yen or more, you can choose your favorite amount.
Directer ｜Emiko Agatsuma
Butoh ｜ Emiko Agatsuma, Tomoshi Shiotya
Composer ｜ Shin-ya Ohno (KiMiMi)
Music ｜ Gaida: Shin-ya Ohno, Guitar : Prince=Ohji (MIX NUTS HOUSE)
Original Gohsyu Ondo “Sumidagawa”: Song: Uchuken Myojo
Theatre design｜Takayuki Tairyoubune
Lighting design｜Makoto Uemura
Music operation｜Takahiro Yamaguchi
Production manager｜Yuri Miyazaki
Performance｜Butoh workshop participants
11/8(Fri)：
11/9(Sat)：
11/11(Sun)：
HP ｜ https://agaxart.com/hokusai-manga-butoh
Booking ｜ https://bit.ly/sozoro-ticket
Organized by AGAXAT, Sumi-Yume Executive Committee
Co-organized by Sumida City
Supported by TOBU RAILWAY CO., LTD.
Supported by Arts Council Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture
Volunteer Hokusai Manga Butoh Workshop students also will participate
What is BUTOH?
Butoh was born in Japan in the 1960s. As the reaction against the imported modern dance, Butoh dancers focused on their body and mind influenced by rural culture. This attitude established a unique body philosophy and Butoh keeps attracting people all over the world.
What is "Hokusai Manga"?
It is an illustrated instruction book by the ukiyoe artist Katsushika Hokusai. Hokusai's masterpiece "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji"(富嶽三十六景) is one of his most famous works, and his name is widely known throughout the world. Hokusai described his "Hokusai Manga" as a rambling depiction of things as they occur to him. It contains poeple's life, animals, nature, ghost, spirits etc. almost everything in the world. Unlike today's manga, Hokusai's works were drawn without continuity. The first edition was published in 1814 and continued to be published.
Butoh Performance "Dancing SENTO" (2023)
Butoh dance based on the motif of Sumida's public baths
The performance will be based on the Edo period bathhouses depicted in the Hokusai Manga, the people relaxing in the bathhouses in Sumida today, and a look back at the history of the Great Kanto Earthquake in 2024 (100 years after the Great Kanto Earthquake). The live performance of an ethnic instrument called “gaida” and the original Gohsyu Ondo “Sumida-gawa” were added to create a stage with steam rising from the air.
It is not common in other countries to soak in a bathtub with others, and there is a sense of wonder at this custom of nudity. In addition, Tokyo's public bathhouses have undergone their own aesthetic evolution, with sento paintings and miya-zukuri roofs, and the washing area is an interesting space where the tacit understanding of a community, like reading the air, appears. It is said that the number of sento has been decreasing in recent years, but Sumida Ward has many unique sento, from those with a long history founded in the year of the Great Kanto Earthquake to modern buildings, and they are crowded with men and women of all ages. When I went to these bathhouses, I felt not only nostalgia but also freshness, and I wondered what kind of manga Hokusai would have left if he had lived in the present age.
Feedbacks from audiences
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It was wonderful! I felt as warm as if I was after taking a hot bath. I would definitely like to see it again. I am looking forward to next year's performance.
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A very enjoyable production, different from last year! Everyone was great! It was wonderful! Butoh is really nice, I enjoyed it! Interesting that the same place as last year for music and costumes is now a bath house! It would be interesting to have a whitewashing experience. The kimonos were beautiful.
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It was wonderful! I was moved emotionally. It made me proud to live in Sumida.
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I hadn't seen Butoh dance in a long time. I was glad that the performance was enjoyable and relaxing while retaining a unique atmosphere. The hats and thin kimono were cute. The song at the end was powerful and made me want to dance.
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It was my first time to see butoh. It was really amazing! I almost cried.
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I have seen a lot of theater and dance, but this was definitely one of the best 3 dances of the year. It was also very good to see so many different people.
Butoh performance "HOKUSAI MANGA BUTOH" (2022)
A dance work inspired by the “Hokusai Manga” and featuring artisans in the town of Sumida.
The Butoh dance depicts the working people of Edo as depicted in the Hokusai Manga, as well as the working of the artisans of Sumida today. A live performance of a folk instrument called “gaida” and the projection of machines of a town factory on the entire wall surface created a fantastical stage. This video work was officially nominated for the 2023 Barcelona Dance Film Festival.
LEARN MORE:
北斎漫画の墨の囁き、街の響き（2022）
Feedbacks from audiences
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The whole thing was very interesting, not only the dancing, but also the stage set, the place itself, the live music, the collaboration with the video, etc.
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We were shown something very wonderful. The music, the space, the dancing, the light, the shadows, the direction, every single thing seemed to mesh together beautifully and clumsily, and it was very interesting. The location of the construction store was also interesting, and I wish more people could have seen this work.
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It was the first time for me to experience this form of art, so it was very stimulating. Thank you very much.
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I experienced a mysterious world of dance, music and images. The fusion of the Hokusai manga and the Mukojima-Kyoshima factory also seemed like something out of a dream.
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My heart trembled even if it was not in a big hall, much less in this wonderful space.
I can't put it into words, but I loved it very much, and I hope to see you again.
What is AGAXART?
AGAXART is an art collective dedicated to enhancing people's creativity through exploration of the body, mind and soul. We organize and manage workshops, performances, and events. With the body manipulation techniques of Butoh as its main focus, AGAXART provides a place to face the inner world, which is difficult to express through language, and to discover diverse forms of expression. We actively engage in exchanges with different cultures and work to increase interest in local resources.
【WEB site】 https://agaxart.wixsite.com/agart
Emiko AGATSUMA
Emiko Agatsuma is a director, dancer and choreographer specializing in Butoh, a dance genre that emerged in Japan in the 1960s as a reaction to Western modern dance. She heads the AGAXART production company for Butoh dancers and artists in Japan. Emiko is a recipient of the prestigious Best Young Artist 2015 Award by the Japan Dance Critics Association and she represented Japan in 2020 at the 39th annual Battery Dance Festival in New York City, USA.
Other events of HOKUSAI MANGA BUTOH "So Zo Ro"
Public Open Working in Progress "So Zo Ro"
You can see the creation process of “Sosoro” including art production and choreography rehearsals, will be open to the public free of charge.
Schedule ： 2024/11/1（Fri）～5（Tue）13:00~18:00
Venue ： Hohjo Koumuten Tonari (3-22-10 Higashimukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo)
No reservation necessary
ONLINE Streaming "So Zo Ro"
You can enjoy Butoh perfromance "So Zo Ro", anytime and anywhere!
Schedule ： 2024/11/22（Fri）～12/22（Sun）
Price ： 550JPY
Videographer ： Nobu Takahashi
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「隅田川 森羅万象 墨に夢」（通称：すみゆめ）とは
すみゆめプロジェクト
葛飾北斎が 90 年の生涯を過ごした隅田川流域で、墨で描いた小さな夢をさまざまな人たちの手で 色付けしていくように、芸術文化に限らず、森羅万象あらゆる表現を行っている人たちがつながり ながら、この地を賑やかに彩っていくことを目指していくアートプロジェクトです。「北斎」と「隅田川」を主なテーマに、すみだの地域資源を活用する多彩な企画を約 4 カ月にわたって展開していきます。
【WEBサイト】 https://sumiyume.jp/
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