Akiyo
Butoh dancer, artist
Almost self-taught in drawing since childhood
Started making moving drawings of Butoh dancers dancing in 2016
She has performed and exhibited as a drawing artist at Otaru Museum of Art, Cross Hotel Sapporo, Theater ZOO, etc.
Her works so far exceed 4000 pieces at this point
From 2017 she started to study Butoh under Hal Tanaka and started to study Butoh herself
Participated in the Hokkaido Butoh Festival from 2018 to present.
2019 International Darkness Dance Festival, Taiwan, Inheritance and Innovation – New Era of Butoh (Kyoto)
2021 Butoh memorial dance at Tsukigata prisoners’ cemetery
2022 Begins solo activities as a butoh dancer on the street
2123 Solo performance “Utsurofune” 4 consecutive performances in each week in April.
Junkyard Shaman x Akiyo “Ghosts of the North Howl in Kansai” 5-venue Kansai tour in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto
●March: Solo performance “I who was not born” (5 performances a day), self-written and self-directed with stage curtain art that changes with the natural light, costumes, and composition.
●May: 「MOKURAI」“Silent Thunder” by Junkyard Shaman and Akiyo
（Two-person exhibition at Gallery Mahou no Seikatsu (Magic Life).
During the exhibition, two live junk music and butoh performances were held, as well as a sudden performance.
August: At the Otaru City Otaru Museum of Art “Brain Movement Art Festival,” she participated in a contemporary art exhibition (exhibiting her own body in the artwork) and a butoh performance for three full days.
She has also appeared in many fashion shows and events as a butoh dancer, and has given butoh performances in show windows and on the streets of shopping arcades on an irregular basis.
She says
Butoh for me is…
I search for the fragments of consciousness and unconsciousness that exist inside of me, which may be considered insignificant and abandoned by society, but which are important for living and maintaining mental activity, as if excavating my inner self through my body, art, and sound.
Butoh is the perfect place for this.
I feel that the world of butoh is a place where silent communication with others who share the same space as spectators and passersby in theaters and on the streets is possible, and I cherish this very much.
