AisaHayashi
22
【研究報告】
TheLocalnessandAsian-nessinIshin-ha's"Jan-JanOpera" AisaHayashi
以下に掲載するのは、2008年 7月 14日から18日にかけてソウルで開催された国際
演劇学会(IFTR:InternationalFederationforTheatreResearch)の年次大会において、林
愛沙さんが、大阪をベースとする演劇/パフォーマンス集団「維新派」について行った発
表原稿の全文である。ただし実際の発表では参考資料として維新派のDVDの一部も上映
したのだが、もちろんこれは紙面では再現することができない。IFTRのこの大会は、Re-
ConstructingAsian-ness(es)intheGlobalAgeをテーマとし、約200件の発表が行われた。
当時林さんは、表現文化学専修前期博士課程(修士課程)2年だったのだが、IFTRで日
本の大学院生が発表したのは林さんが初めてだったはずである。
林さんが発表したパネルは、テーマこそ日本演劇であったが、そこで発表したのはすべ
て(日本人からみた)外国人であり、その中に混じって、林さんは初めての国際学会で健
闘したと思う。
特に司会を務めたキャサリン・ミーザーという、筆者と旧知の研究者が「発表後のディ
スカッションを充実させるために各自の発表時間を20分以内にする」と突然宣言した時
にはどうなるかと思ったのだが(事前のリハーサルでは与えられた発表時間を25分とし、
余裕を見て23分で終わらせるという想定だった)、林さんはその場で発表原稿の冒頭の一
部を思いきって削除し、制限時間内に終わらせることができた。
発表の態度も落ちついて堂々としており、内容もたいへん好評であった。残念ながら、
と言うべきかどうかはわからないが、林さんは修士課程を終えた段階で一般企業に就職す
る道を選んだ。ただ、こうした経験を積んだことが今後何かの役に立ってくれることを願っ
ている。
また林さんに続いて、大学院の表現文化学専修で学ぶ学生が、今後どんどん国際学会で
活躍することを期待している。(小田中章浩)
TheLocalnessandAsia-ness
2�
1.
TheaimofthepresentstudyistointroducetheworksofIshin-hain
termsof"Asian-ness", that is, theethnicdiversityofOsaka, thesecond
biggestcityinJapan.
Firstofall,whatisIshin-ha?Itisthenameofatheatercompany
whichmeansrenovationband,foundedin1970byaformerartschool
studentnamedMatsumotoYukichi.
ThemodernJapanesetheaterscenefromthelate60'stothemid
70'swas,likeinWesterncountries,inaturmoilofprotestandrevolution
againsttheestablishedtheaters,asisseeninWasedaShogeki-joofSuzuki
TadashiorTenjoSajikiofTerayamaShuji.Itisnodoubtthattheoriginal
ideaofformingIshin-haderivedfromthiscounter-culturalmovementas
itsname"renovationband"suggests.
Ishin-ha'sactivitiesfromthe70'suptothemid80'sarelessknown.At
thattimethecompanywascalledNihonIshin-ha,(literallytranslatedasJapan
RenovationBand).AccordingtoMatsumoto,NihonIshin-hawascomposedof
artistsofvariousbackgroundssuchasengraver,writer,andactors.Matsumoto
himself,havingmajoredinfineartsatOsakaUniversityofEducation,appeared
onstageasamainactor,alsotakingchargeofstagedesign.
Duringthisearlyperiodthecompanywasundertheinfluenceofvarious
artistssuchasKaraJuro,famousforhisAkaTent(theRedtenttheater
company),TerayamaandHijikataTatsumi(AnkokuButo).However,itseems
thatNihonIshin-hacouldnotestablishitsownstyle,searchingforextremely
radicalexpressions.Itissaidthattheyevenateexcrementorvomitedonstage.
In1986,Nihon Ishin-ha changed itsname simplyas Ishin-ha,
andMatsumotobegan towrite scripts for theproduction.Theplay
producednextyearwasentitled"JugoShonenTanteidan:Doga-jagaDon-
AisaHayashi
2�
don" (FifteenBoyDetectives:Doga-jagaDon-don isa transcriptionof
soundeffectproducedbyChindon-ya,Japanesestreetentertainers for
advertisementwhoseexistencewasquitecommonaround1920's).
Thisplay(orweshouldrathercallitperformance)couldbeseenas
aprototypeoflaterIshin-ha'sworksknownasJan-Janopera.
Inthefirstplace, itwasacompleteoutdoorperformancemaking
useofstagesettingsaswellasthesurroundingenvironment.Secondly,it
wasamixtureofchoreography,music,andscenography(stagedesign),
eachoftheelementsconstitutingtheessentialpartsoftheproduction.As
fortheworldrepresentedintheperformance,therealreadyexistseveral
motifsor themespreferred inMatsumoto'sscenarios:boysandgirls,
imageofthelosttown,andanostalgiaderivingfromit.
Thisviewcouldbeconfirmedsimplybyenumeratingthetitlesof
Jan-Janoperaproduced in the followingyears: "ShonenOpera" (Boy's
Opera)performedin1988,ScrapOperaperformedin1989,and"Shonen-
gai"(Boy'sTown)performedin1991.
In1999, thebandwas invitedto theAdelaideFestivalofArts in
Australia, andperformed "Mizumachi" (WaterCity). Since then they
performedRyusei (TheShootingStar) inHamburg(Germany),Rubiera
(Italy), andBelfast (theUK) in2001.Natsu-no-Tobira (TheDoorof
Summer)wasperformedinGuanajuato(Mexico)andSantos(Brazil) in
2007.TodayIshin-ha'sperformancehasreceivedfantasticreviewsnot
onlyinJapanbutworldwide.
2.
SofarwehaveseenabriefhistoryofIshin-ha.NowIamgoingto
analyze"A
TheLocalnessandAsia-ness
2�
sian-ness" of Ishin-ha takingonlyoneperformance, "Oukoku" (the
Kingdom)produced in1998,duetothe limitof time.However,before
discussingtheproduction,weshouldalsoshedlightonthe locationof
Ishin-ha'sactivities,thecityofOsaka.
Asmentioned,OsakaisthesecondlargestcityinJapan.However,
during theEdoEra, inotherwords, from the17th to themid19th
century,Osakaenjoyedthestatusofcommercialaswellasculturalcenter
ofthecountry,manymerchantstradingriceaffordedtoBushi(samurai)
aswage.ItwasinOsakafamousplaywrightChikamatsuworkedfromthe
late17thtotheearly18thcenturies.
AftertheMeijiRestorationin1868,thecitytransformeditselfrapidly
fromamercantiletocapitalisttown,producingproblemssuchaspoverty,
discrimination,andsocialdisorder.
Evennow,Osaka,especially inthesoutherndistrictof thecity, is
associatedwith theremainsof thepast;problemsofZainichi (Korean
originpeople),peopleofBurakuorigin(akindofpariahoruntouchables
discriminatedintheEdoEraoreventodayfortheirprofessionofkilling
cattle)andtheleastpaiddayworkers(theirnumbersareincreasingdue
totherecentglobalcapitalism).
ItispreciselyinthesesurroundingsthattheJan-JanoperaofIshin-
hawasborn,becauseJan-JanisthenameofquarternearTennoji,southern
commercialcenterofOsaka.
The Jan-Jandistrict is found in the areawhere thename is
announcedastheplacebuiltbynew-comers;Shinsekai (theNewWorld).
ThereisalsoafamoustouristattractioncalledtheTsutenkakuTower(the
TowertoReachtheHeaven).Around1900,thisareawasconceivedasa
commercialcenterforentertainmentinmodernizingOsaka.In1903,the
5thNational IndustrialExhibitionwasheldthere,anditwasasuccess.
AisaHayashi
2�
Afterthat,Shinsekaigrewmore,aspiringtobecomecities likeParisor
ConeyIslandintheUSA.Asitssymbol,anobservatorywaserectedand
peopletouteditastheEiffelTowerofJapan.ItwasthefirstTsutenkaku
Towerbuilt in1912(ItwasdemolishedduringtheWorldWarII.The
onewesee today is thesecondtowerrebuiltafter thewar).TheJan-
Jandistrictanditssurroundingsthusbearastrongatmosphereoffake
culturewithmake-believepompousness.
Matsumoto says thatunlike traditionalEuropeancities,Osaka,
especially in the southernhalf, spreadsout in chaoticdisorder.He
considersOsaka,connectedtothesea,asasettlementwherepeoplereach
afterlongjourneyandinwhichthenotionsoffluidityandwanderingare
born.
These imagescome from the fact thatmanypeoplecoming to
Osakamigratedfromtheircountriesorthecoloniesat thetime inthe
processofcapitalistindustrialization.Osakawasnotautopia.Matsumoto
seesOsakaasahuge livingorganismcalled "city"suckingpeopleup
fromcountryside.Matsumotohimselfwasborn inKyusyu, the third
biggest island inJapansurroundedbytheEastChinaSea,andmoved
toOsakaattheageofeight.Hesaysthathewasoverwhelmedwhenhe
sawindustrializedOsakaforthefirsttime.Osakaisnotonlyamixture
ofpeoplesandculturesofvariousorigins just likemanybigcities in
Asia,butalso it iscovered withsuperficial joy,cheapnessaswellas
resentmentagainstauthorities.TheJan-Janoperawasconceivedtogive
aforminthisMatsumoto'sviewofthecityandpeoplelivingthere.And
oneofhispersistingmotifs is the imageofChindon-ya,oncepopular
streetentertainers inJapan.Chindon-ya isreferred invariousways in
theperformanceofIshin-haanditremindsusthatthecityofOsakawith
itshigh-techskyscrapers,highwaysandbusinesspersonsisnotsomuch
TheLocalnessandAsia-ness
2�
modernas itseemstobe,morechaotic, junkyandfrivolous,ethnically
diverseanduprooted.It'sa"floatingworld" ifweborrowanexpression
fromSaikaku,famousnovelistintheendof17thcenturyOsaka.
Wenow seehow this visionof theworldwas realized in the
productionofIshi-ha,intheperformancetitled"Oukoku"(theKingdom).
3.
"Oukoku"(theKingdom)seemsakindofcheapspaceopera ifwe
focusonthepathof"supposed"maincharacter;Takeru,orphanboy, is
borninimaginaryOsakainthenearfutureandlivesinthefights.When
TakerurobsChinese,hestabsoneofthemwithaknifeandheispursued.
HebarelyescapesfromtheChineseattackhidinghimselfinsewage(drain
pipes)whichcoverundergroundOsakalikeaweborplexus,andthere
hehearsthevoiceofboysinthepast.Theyappearfollowingthewater
flow.CommunicationbetweenTakeruandtheboysbeginsandwiththem
hedriftsthroughthecity.Aftertheiradventures,theboysdisappearand
Takeruisleftalone.Theirvoicesnevercomebackagain.
However, this rather sentimental storyonly serves as aouter
frameworkfortheaudiencetogointoamulti-layeredworldrepresented
byIshin-ha;becauseastheplayunfolds,itbecomesclearthatthisworld
isconstructedontheimagesof"flow";waterflow,cleanorrotten,flowof
blood,flowofpeopleandtheaudienceevenseeaflowofrealcarspassing
throughbehindtheopenstage,aswellasaflowof illuminationofreal
buildingsifyouglancebehindthetheaterspacefromlefttorightorright
toleft.Iwillshowyoutheopeningsceneof"Oukoku"(theKingdom);here
youseenotonlytheaudienceandthestagesettinginfront,butalsocars
andbuildingsoftherealcityofOsakabehind.
AisaHayashi
2�
WeaddinpassingthatcommercialactivitiesinOsaka,fromthe17th
centuryon,havebeensupportedbyriversandcanalsgoing through
it. "Oukoku" (theKingdom) is subtitledas "Goalonga river"and if
yougoalongariver inOsaka,youcouldreachNanko-portwherethe
performancetookplace.
ForMatsumoto"flow"issoimportantanimageas itwastakenup
inthenextwork"Mizu-machi"(WaterTown),constitutingatrilogywith
anotherperformance"Ryusei" (ShootingStar),allofwhichreflect the
imageofflow.
Theperformance is thuscloselyconnected to theplacewhere it
wasproduced:Nanko-port. Nankoisareclaimedlandfromtheseafor
commercialand industrialuse,developedduringaso-called "bubble"
periodinlatethe80'stoearly90's.WhenIshin-hafirstproducedtheir
workinNanko-portpracticallytherewasnothingaroundasaresultof
thedepressioncausedbythebubbleeconomy.Soitwasagoodplaceto
introduceanimaginaryOsakainthenearfuture.
Onthestagetheaudienceseesvarious imagesofOsaka,mostof
thembeingfragmentaryordeformed,andthereappearsaminiatureof
ruinedOsakacityinwhicheventheTsutenkauTowerisreproducedina
smallerscale.HereyouhavetheimageofthisminiatureofOsakainruins.
However,themost impressiveaspectoftheperformanceisfound
inthebandsofboysandgirlswho,withtheirpeculiarmovementsand
songs,actlikechorusinGreektragedy.Infact,itisnoexaggerationtosay
thattheperformanceissupportedbythesebandsofboysandgirlswho
constituteeachsceneincooperationwithdifferentstagesetting.Butthe
wordstheysingorchantaresodecomposedonphoneticlevelthatthey
aresometimesincomprehensiblelikeincantation,whileretainingastrong
TheLocalnessandAsia-ness
2�
accentoftheOsakaregion.Asawhole,theirsongsremindusofKecakof
BaliIsland.
As for theirmovements, technically speaking it is very
"undeveloped": it seems that theyabandonambition toachieveany
physicalhighstandard.Buttheirbodiesarealwaysswaying,asiftoshow
thattheystandonnosolidground.
This strangemovement, accompaniedwith their voiceswhich
repeat simplephrasesor fragmentsofwordswithOsaka intonation
almost interminably, invitesspectatorstogointoanotherworld,afake
Osakawhichbelongs,whetherinthefutureorinthepast,tochimerical
imaginationofpeoplelivinginthisjunkcity.
ThenIwillshowyouanotherexert from"Oukoku"(theKingdom)
where thebandofgirls chant in the stage settingwhichevokesan
atmosphereofdowntownOsakaofolddays:
Inthisscenethegirls'chantrepeats"Shobai-hanjo"whichisroughly
translatedas"whole lottadeal",anexpressiontypicallyfoundinOsaka
merchants.Andagainst thisbackground, the festivities like thoseof
Chindon-ya,Japanesestreetentertainersofoldtimes,comeup.Sothe
audience,goingthroughtheperformance,seetheruinsofOsakainthe
nearfutureontheonehandandthepastofthecityevokedbythebands
ofboysandgirlsontheother,aswellastherealcitybehindthestage.
Theboysandgirls,withtheirbodiesswayingasmuchmechanically
aschildishly,givetheaudiencean impressionofdrifting.Theyarethe
symbolofdriftingpeopleinthiscitywhoaredestinedtoberestlessand
wholookfortheirhomeplaceonlybywayofnostalgia.Thisiswhythe
heroTakeruin"Oukoku"ishomeless.Hedriftsinthecityjustlikethese
boysandgirlsfromthepastaredrifting.
AisaHayashi
�0
4.
In conclusionwe could say that "Asian-ness" of Ishin-ha's
performanceisfoundinMatsumo's imageofdriftingpeople inthecity
whichaffordsnosolidgroundtoliveon.Andthissenseofhomeless-ness
isquitecommonnotonlyindevelopingAsianbigcitiesbutinthecityof
Osakawhichistornapartwithcontradictionsbetweenmodernandpre-
modernorethnicdiversityandculturalidentity.
Apartfrom"Oukoku", theperformanceof Ishin-ha isaccompanied
withasenseofcheapness; theworldrepresentedbyIshin-ha is fullof
junkimages.Alsothebodymovementandchantofplayersarefarfrom
refined.But it is clear that thisapproachofMatsumoto is strategic.
Puttingforwardthecheapnessof theperformance,heprotestsagainst
everyauthenticity,whateverculturalorpolitical.Andwemustadmitthat
thisstrategyoftheJan-Janoperahasbeenquiteeffective.