History of Butoh in Hokkaido
Hokkaido Butoh Festival Artistic Director Hal Tanaka’s Memories
The 2nd episode
ビルの中を覗くと、男がまるで親の仇のようにいつまでもドラムを激しく叩きまくっていた。
後に数々の日本映画の美術家として多くの作品を残すことになる故・斉藤英則氏だった。
When I peeked inside the building, I saw a man beating the drums furiously and endlessly as if he were avenging his parents’ death.
It was the late Hidenori Saito, who would later leave many works as an artist for numerous Japanese films.
そのまま竹之内淳志にビルの中に連れて行かれ、「お前色盲やろ？目を見ればわかんねん」などと言われ、「今夜海猫屋でショーがあんねん、ちょっと手伝え」と言われてその夜のショーを手伝う。
気づいたら学校をサボって何日も北方舞踏派の建物に寝泊りをし、数週間は苫小牧市には戻らなかった。
As it was, Atsushi Takenouchi took me inside the building and said to me, “You are color blind, right? He told me, “There is a show tonight at Uminekoya, and I need to help out a little.
I found myself skipping school and sleeping in the Hoppou butoh ha building for days at a time, and I did not return to Tomakomai for several weeks.
当時は携帯もメールもないので学校ではハルがいなくなったと話題となり、下宿のおばさんは自分の帰りを心配して首を長くして待っていた。
Since there were no cell phones or e-mails in those days, people at school talked about Hal’s disappearance, and the dorm mother of the boarding house was anxiously awaiting his return.
自分は素行が悪く、夜な夜な悪い仲間と悪行に手を染めていたのだが、北方舞踏派から帰ると一切そういうことが馬鹿馬鹿しくなって止めてしまった。
もしかして日々ストイックに己の肉体と向き合う彼らを目の当たりにすることが、非行少年更生育成事業として舞踏は役立ったのかもしれない。
I was a bad boy and spent many nights doing bad things with bad friends, but when I returned from the Hoppou Butoh ha, those bad activities seemed ridiculous and I stopped doing them.
Butoh may have been useful as a rehabilitation program for juvenile delinquents, as I witnessed them stoically dealing with their own bodies on a daily basis.
もちろん当時は、土方巽も大野一雄も知らず、写真を見せられても正直かっこいいとは思えず、おっさんよくやるな程度の印象で、ジョニー・ロットンの方がかっこいいじゃんと思っていたものだった。（もしかしたら今でもそうかもしれない）
Of course, at the time I had never heard of Tatsumi Hijikata or Kazuo Ohno, and I honestly did not think they looked cool when I was shown their pictures.
I was just impressed by how well these old guys were doing, and thought Johnny Rotten was cooler. (Maybe I still think that way)
The Hoppou Butoh ha
photo Masamichi Shisa / 志佐 公道