慶應義塾大学アート・センター　Keio University Art Center

“The 29th Anniversary of Hijikata Tatsumi's Death: Talking Together about Hijikata Tatsumi V” will be coming on 21 January 2015. As usual, everybody who knows him, and even who doesn’t know him, will talk about and commemorate Hijikata Tatsumi together, gathering at the date of the his death.

As the guest speaker, this year we invite Yoshito Ohno. Needless to say, he is an invaluable person for Hijikata, who accompanied him in Kinjiki, that is said to be the Hijikata’s first Butoh work. They met 5 years before the performance. We expect to hear some precious episodes, for example about yet unexplored Butoh in 1950s.

In official newsletter of Art Center ARTLET, Vol.42 (Sep., 2014) ‘Butoh and its internationality’ is featured. Butoh perhaps will be forced to transform or alter its essence in the global society. We hope this event to be an opportunity to reconsider the concept of Butoh and the importance of Hijikata Tatsumi -- the founder of Butoh.

The Art Center will organise the conference PSi 2015 TOHOKU (Performance Studies International) from the end of August to the beginning of September 2015 in Aomori, which focuses on the culture and religious ritual of Tohoku, Tatsumi Hijikata and Terayama Shuji.

2016 is the 30th anniversary of Hijikata’s death. We will start the project “ Hijikata Memorial 30” in 2015. We sincerely wish for your suggestions and cooperation regarding the project.