Tokyo Rising (Part 1)
- On Japanese Pop/Underground Culture in Tokyo after Fukushima
Trailer for the 1971 movie: “Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets” by Shūji Terayama.
Shūji Terayama was a Japanese avant-garde poet, dramatist, writer, film director, and photographer.
In 1967, Terayama formed the Tenjō Sajiki theater troupe. Terayama with his Tenjō troupe was a crucial and highly influential part of the Japanese Avant-Garde at the end 1906s.
Also in 1967, Terayama started an experimental cinema and gallery called ‘Universal Gravitation,’ which is in fact still in existence.
Terayama published almost 200 literary works, and over 20 short and full-length films.
By the way, the photographer Issei Suda worked as cameraman for the theater group, before he became an independent photographer and published his major series “Fûshi Kaden”.
Issei Suda: Yokohama, Sankaien Garden, Plum Blossom Festival(from the series: ‘Fushi Kaden’), 1977
And Daido Moriyama was well connected to Shūji Terayama. Moriyama’s very first book “Japan: A Photo Theater” had a foreword by Terayama. And the book included several images of the troupe.
Daido Moriyama: Japan Theater, 1967
Video of: Hidden Books, Hidden Stories: A Slideshow curated by Lou Reed for The New York Photo Festival
See more details in a previous post
Nobuyoshi Araki talks about his work - Part I.
Part II can be watched here.
From: Contacts, Vol. 2: The Renewal of Contemporary Photography (2005)
