Avant-Gardes in Japan. Anniversary of Futurism and Butō: Performing Arts and Cultural Practices between Contemporariness and Tradition

This collection of essays examines Japanese avant-garde expressions, the socio-cultural interrelations in the encounter with Europe in the pre- and post-war twentieth century. The first section focuses on the introduction of Futurism and Japan’s pre-war avant-garde phenomena in literature, art, cinema and journalism. Part two is centred on several analyses of butō, the post-war avant-garde dance. The third section considers various approaches to Japan’s traditional performing arts in their twentieth and twenty-first century transformations. Issues of hermeneutics, methodologies, aesthetics, cultural reception and exchange are individually examined in this volume from a wide range of perspectives. Furthermore, relations between corporeality and cultural practice are addressed in the interplay between tradition and contemporary culture feeding into the radical attitude forged in the 1960s turmoil which involved Japan’s society, politics and artistic-cultural productions. This book offers a thorough reflection on avant-garde in general, as exemplified by the Japanese phenomena. Thanks to the generosity of Hosoe Eikō, his precious photographical contribution is included.