Futurism in Japan: F.T. Marinetti's Perspective

A survey of F.T. Marinetti's perception of the reception of Futurism in Japan and of the 'futurist' nature of the Japanese people focused on primary sources ranging from Marinetti's own creative works (with a particular focus on "Firenze biondazzurra sposerebbe futurista morigerato", 1944), collections of clippings (so-called "Libroni"), and other Italian and Japanese archival sources. Far from being a general survey on Marinetti's Orientalism or Japonism, this paper focuses on the specific tropes of "Japan as a Futurist country" and "the success of Futurism in Japan", as articulated in Marinetti's writings.