“National Dance” under the Rising Sun

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Yukihiko YOSHIDA,"'National Dance' under the Rising Sun, mainly from National Dance, Buyo Geijutsu and the activities of Takaya Eguchi",International Journal of Eastern Sports & Physical Education (ISSN:1738-0855),Oct,2009(Refereed)

“National Dance” under the Rising Sun, mainly from National Dance, Buyo Geijutsu and the activities of Takaya Eguchi

Keio Research Institute at SFC, Senior Visitng Researcher,
Yukihiko Yoshida

Abstract:

In Japan, with the exception of physical education, cultural control and the policy on dance were not discussed or analyzed for years prior to World War II due to political reasons.

However, in Germany, these subjects have been analyzed by Marion Kant and Laure Guilbert. This study aims to analyze these subjects clearly and make a list of Japanese materials and publications for Asian researchers in order to create a common foundation.

During the wartime, literal art such as novels was strongly controlled by the Japanese government, while dance, which was considered nonliteral art, was not so tightly controlled. The entire concept of dance mechanisms has been forgotten and hidden for years. There was a popular dance magazine called Buyo Geijutsu (Dance Art), in which leading artistes, including Takaya Eguchi and Baku Ishii, discussed and included discourses on the total impact of organization on cultural control. These leading artistes attempted to publish a similar magazine, Kokumin Buyo (National Dance), in Japan. Some of them studied dance in Germany and translated and introduced into Japan what they had learned.

In addition, it is important to analyze other dance-related fields in order to learn more about the circumstances of arts during the wartime. In the fields of music, opera, and theater, “National Music,” “National Opera,” and “National Theater” were proposed, and these were associated with “National Dance” in some manner. With regard to colonial policy, the propaganda generated by dance shows, such as Takarazuka Revue, played an important role. “Children Dance” was closely connected to cultural policy and ballroom dancing was prohibited.

In this study, I analyze and discuss the activities of Takaya Eguchi, one of the most renowned artistes. Eguchi was one of the pioneers of Japanese modern dance. In the year 2600 of the Jimmu Era (1940 AD), Eguchi choreographed and danced with Seiko Takada and Ishii in the work “Japan” for the memorial entertainment festival. Both Takada and Ishii were origin of Japanese modern dance. This festival represented “Hakkou Ichiu”—all eight corners of the world under one roof—a slogan used by Japan during World War II. It is said that this festival marked the beginning of great dance works in Japanese dance history.

Moreover, Eguchi and his wife Setsuko Miya went on a comfort tour of Asia Pacific for their performances. Miya published a written discourse before and after World War II. The discourse reveals how much of their true selves remained hidden during the wartime. In analyzing these phenomena and compiling the historical data and materials, the past and future of Japan and Japanese culture were determined.