Kamaitachi #16

Centered on the Japanese myth of Kamaitatchi, these works primarily depict the choreographer Tatsumi Hijikata (1928-86) as the Kamaitatchi. The famed choreographer who championed the abstract dance style of Butoh, performed in front of Hosoe’s camera embodying this mythical creature. Kamaitachi is a mythical folkloric monster, often thought to be a weasel, who appears in a whirlwind to cut its victims with a sickle, his cuts neither bleed nor cause pain. In some instances, Kamaitachi is meant as a cut caused by a mysterious whirlwind. Kamaitachi was a widespread myth in rural areas of central and northeast Japan, particularly in farming villages, and was often a subject of pre-modern literature, haiku poetry, and art. The collaborating dancer Hijikata was born in Akita in northern Japan, while Hosoe was born in Yamagata in the same region.