The Japan Society Review 99
Book, Stage, Film, Arts and Events Review

Issue 99 Volume 17 Number 3 (June 2022)

The June issue of The Japan Society Review reaches
you more eclectic than ever, featuring reviews of books
on Japanese design and mythology, literary fiction, andcontemporary dance.
Sarah Teasley’s academic monograph Designing
Modern Japan takes us on a revealing journey exploring
the history of design in Japan from the middle of the 19th
century to the present day. Weaving together the stories
of people who shaped Japan’s design industries withsocial history, economic conditions, and geopolitics, thebook offers an engaging and fascinating understandingof this important aspect of Japanese society.
The second review of this issue is dedicated to The
Japanese Myths by Joshua Frydman, a book examining
the rich tradition of Japanese mythology, from theearliest written myths in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, tomedieval tales of vengeful ghosts, through to modern-day
reincarnation of ancient deities as the heroes of manga,anime or J-horror films.

This issue also includes reviews of two Japanesenovels recently translated into English, All the Lovers in
the Night by Kawakami Mieko and The Hole by Oyamada
Hiroko. Both writers are well-known authors in the UK
due to the success of previous works, Kawakami’s Breastsand Eggs and Oyamada’s The Factory. According to ourreviewers, both of these new novels continue to explore
similar topics and writing styles affirming their authorialsignatures.
We close the June issue with a review of acontemporary dance show performed by Japanesechoreographer and dancer Teshigawara Saburo at
the festival Electric Japan 2022 celebrated in London.
Reimagining the story of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde,
Teshigawara presents a technically and visually compelling
one hour performance depicting the tragedy of romancefrom the original work.
Alejandra Armendáriz-Hernández

Contents
1)

Designing Modern Japan by Sarah Teasley

2)

The Japanese Myths: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, andSpirits by Joshua Frydman

3)

All the Lovers in the Night by Kawakami Mieko

4)

The Hole by Oyamada Hiroko

5)

Tristan and Isolde coreographed by Teshigawara
SaburoEditorAlejandra Armendáriz-Hernández
Reviewers
Alice Baldock, Cameron Bassindale, Renae Lucas-Hall, Alex
Russell and David Tonge.
Image: detail from the cover of Designing Modern Japan by Sarah
TeasleyDesigning Modern Japanby Sarah Teasley
Reaktion Books (2022)
ISBN-13: 978-1780232027
Review by David Tonge
Sarah Teasley introduces Designing Modern Japan
with a recollection:‘Early in the autumn of 1991, I walked into a bookshop
in Osaka and my world changed forever. I had been in
Japan for a few weeks. I had only meant to browse but
found myself transfixed by a metres wide expanse ofmagazines, all to do with architecture and design.’ (p.9)

This opener brought a smile to my face andtriggered a memory of finding myself in Aoyama booksin Tokyo for the first time in the mid-90’s, only to be
confronted with rows of hefty and, as Teasley puts it,‘achingly beautifully’ architecture and design journals,
alongside magazines on every topic imaginable
servicing the Japanese desire for information andconsumption.
Let me say upfront, if you are looking for a coffee
table book with photographs of the latest trends inJapanese design and architecture to impress yourvisitors, this is not the book for you. While considering
Japanese design from an aesthetic viewpoint, Teasley’s
focus is to explain design’s role and influence on
Japanese culture, business, education and government
policy. It’s a ‘under the hood’ look at an industry which
had become one of Japan’s globally recognised soft
powers and is to my knowledge the ONLY book of its
kind.
Designing Modern Japan is jargon free, easy toread and a thoroughly researched book, packed full ofgreat illustrations that take us on a journey from the
middle of the 19th century to present day. Organised
chronologically into five chapters, through humanstories, Teasley paints a picture of the relationship ofdesign to people, their lives and their community’ssurvival.
While this book can certainly be read frombeginning to end, I have been dipping into the topics
and time periods which have personal interest. And
in that sense, for me, this book is a perfect – random
access – companion to other reading you might
engage in to further your interest in Japanese design.
For example, I was immediately drawn to chapter
two – ‘100 yen cultured living’ from page 77. Perhaps
this is because of the popularity of 100 yen stores in
2

Japan! or because I have a passion for design which
impacts real people and their lives rather than the kindof design which is only for those in the know, and withthe means to afford (of which we sadly see a lot thesedays).
But more than these, it was the engaging
photograph of a young married couple which caught
my attention. In 1934, photographer Kageyama Koyo
decided to capture himself, his wife, Shizuko, and theirpossessions while seated for breakfast. The photo
beautifully documents the ubiquitous influence ofdesign on life in Japan at that moment in time, andsurely was a precursor to our modern-day obsessionof sharing the minutiae of our daily lives via Instagram
etc. Teasley deftly describes the significance of thephoto, the objects captured and the social context
within which it fits –‘...breakfast was buttered toast and black tea, theformer toasted on a portable electric grill, the latter
brewed in a large ceramic teapot, strained and drunkfrom Art Deco patterned porcelain teacups withhandles. A jaunty lamp sits above the desk. Someone
has taken care to distinguish these particular brands ofbutter and tea from their competitors through logos
and packaging design.’ (p.77)

In this short excerpt we learn much about where
Japan was at its capture, including the growing
influence of the west and the recognition of designs
ability to differentiate and sell commodity items. She
goes on to explain how the Kageyamas life exemplified
the growing influence of the social reformer’s use ofdesign, to change how people lived –‘...In their work and everyday habits, the Kageyamas
were participants in a self-consciously urban, planned
life and its promotion to others, produced largely
through design.’ (p.78)

And it was in this context that ‘100-yen cultured
living’ meant a carefully planned life, produced largely
through design. Not the kind of life, achieved throughexcessive consumption at 100 yen stores which we
can see in modern day Japan!
Joking aside, what I find fascinating about
this chapter, as a designer working with Japanesecompanies, is that the early 20th century was aturning point for people’s interest in everyday items
such as aprons, bookshelves, lamps and toast. Allof which would have been, hitherto, overlooked
and undesigned. As this interest grew, retailers andmanufacturers recognised a business opportunity andIssue 99 Volume 17 Number 3 (June 2022)

focused more attention on product development,
branding and advertising. And particularly interestingaccording to Teasley is the Japanese Governmentsinterest in promoting design‘...Politicians and civil servants too continued theircampaign to strengthen manufacturing firms earning
power by teaching design, particularly for export
markets but also for the growing domestic market.’(p.78)

This government involvement in design in Japanis interesting to compare with the UK or US where
design is by and large left to the private manufacturer
to educate themselves about how and what to design
for where. But this ‘long arm’ of government can still
be seen to promote Japanese culture and design
overseas today, through collaborations with foreign
professionals and exhibitions overseas. And at theregional level where local manufacturers of ceramics,
lacquerware and so on collaborate with overseas andlocal designers to both promote their products andeducate their teams.

The Japanese Myths: A
Guide to Gods, Heroes, andSpirits
by Joshua Frydman
Thames and Hudson (2022)
ISBN-13: 978-0500252314
Review by Renae Lucas-Hall
This illustrated book by Joshua Frydman is wellwritten, thought-provoking, and visually engaging.
Flicking through the pages, the text may seem dense
and difficult to understand but it’s actually grippingand captivating to read.
The first page begins with a tribute to the writer,
teacher and translator Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)
who travelled to Japan in 1890. He wrote several books,
including a short story collection Kwaidan: Stories
and Studies of Strange Things, introducing Japanese
mythology to the West.
The order in which Frydman chooses to introduce
each subject is clever. It starts all the way back during
the Age of the Gods and works its way through time,making it easier for one to understand each religion,
myth, deity and spirit. He opens with a definition ofJapan and the predominant Japanese faiths, Shinto
and Buddhism. But he also explains there are elements
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As mentioned, my own connection with Japanesedesign started in the mid-90s and has more to do with
the names, brands and activities highlighted in theepilogue than the chapters proceeding it. But reading
this book has uncovered, corrected and clarified somuch of what I thought I knew about the historyof design in Japan and how modern-day Japanesedesign and society relate to it. It’s done nothing lessthan given me a foundation on which to place myown experiences.
They say context is everything don’t they?
Throughout every chapter of Designing Modern
Japan Sarah Teasley describes the complex jigsaw ofJapanese design in the context of society, business,government and real people in a way that, for thisreader, is engaging and fascinating. As I said at the
beginning, if you want a coffee table book of thelatest Japanese design trends this is not for you. But
if you really want to understand why design matters
to Japan, this is a great place to start and is highly
recommended.§of Confucianism, based on morality and philosophy,
and Daoism which is another school of thought
centred on harmony with the universe and Chinese
astrology.
Frydman’s exoteric explanations provide a clear
understanding of Japanese myths which can be traced
back as far as the 7th century CE. He elaborates on thetwo oldest historical chronicles which are the Kojiki(The Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihonshoki(The Chronicles of Japan). These accounts are the bestinterpretations of early beliefs. Frydman explains the
Kojiki is the story of how the imperial family came tobe, why they came to be, and it stresses their rule overthe court is natural (p. 28). The Nihonshoki is made up
of 30 books covering the reign of the first 46 emperors,
but these days scholars think both chronicles werepolitical propaganda used to prove everything isrelated back to the emperor.
Frydman goes on to introduce the last generationof the gods of creation, Izanagi and Izanami. Followedby Amaterasu, the sun goddess who ruled heaven,
Tsukuyomi, the moon god who ruled night andSusanowo who was associated with the sea. The author
points out they’re all mythical ancestors of the imperialline and important representations of natural forces inearly Japan. We then come to Jinmu, the first of fifteen
legendary emperors, who dominated the land and the3sea. Jinmu is a mortal man, but his existence is often
questioned as he has no tomb.
Anyone with an interest in manga will appreciate
the chapter on ‘Living Kami and Divine Humans’
which looks at humans who have transitioned into
kami to become gods who are worshipped. They’rehistorical people who actually existed. For example,
Prince Shotoku was the first Japanese defender of the
Buddhist faith. He still makes a significant contribution
to modern culture and appears in several popularmanga such as Hi izuru tokoro no tenshi (Prince of
the Land of the Rising Sun, 1980-1984). Sugawara no
Michizane, or Tenjin, also gets a mention. Michizane ispopular with young students who pray for help with
their exams. Minamoto no Yoshiie, or Hachiman, thepatron god of warriors, is also touched upon. Even
today, there are a lot of shrines dedicated to Hachimanin Japan.
Fans of Japanese horror films will be captivatedby the chapters on evil onryo or goryo. These are spiritsof humans who have been betrayed or have a grudge
with the living. They were prolific during the Heianperiod (794-1185), and they’re mentioned in the classic
work of Japanese literature The Tale of Genji. They cancause natural disasters like floods and earthquakes orpossess a human being. They’re also called shiryo ordead spirits if they have been unfairly condemned todeath. The 1998 film Ring and the 2002 movies Dark
Water and Ju-On: The Grudge are well-known flicks
involving vengeful spirits and yurei or ghosts.
Japanese literature buffs and romanticists will
enjoy the chapter on ‘Angelic Beings and Astral
Romances’. Frydman tells the story of The Cowherd
and the Weaver Girl which is associated with the
Tanabata holiday celebrated in Japan on the 7th of July.
He also recounts The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Theyboth have moral implications which are still relevant
today.
The Seven Gods of Luck are mentioned in thechapter on ‘Household, Epidemic and Directional
Deities’. They are common subjects for netsuke which
are small decorative toggles, usually made of wood orivory, worn by Japanese men during the Edo period tohang swords, tobacco, or other items on their kimonos.
There are over 2,300 netsuke at the British Museum in
London and a collection of 75 netsuke are currently on
display until September at the Bristol Museum & Art
Gallery.
A lot of tourists or foreigners who live in Japan
have attended the world-famous Gion Matsuri Festival
in Kyoto. Frydman says this may have originally started
4

as a festival to appease Gozu Tenno in order to protect
their city. Gozu Tenno or Ox-Headed Emperor is a deity
who threatens urban citizens. He can bring epidemics
in the form of diseases like smallpox and measles.
Fans of Japanese novels, live-action films,
television shows, anime and manga will be captivatedby the section on Onmyoji or imperial diviners who
were officially government workers assigned to the
Bureau of Onmyodo or Yin-Yang Magic. Frydman tells
us they’re the Japanese equivalent of wizards from
Western Fantasy and the cause of legends. One of themost famous being Onmyoji by Yumemakura Baku,
a novel series which began in 1986 that continues tothis day.
Yokai or spirits found in the Japanese countryside
also feature heavily in Japanese film and novels. These
spirits often take the form of oni or ogres, tengu or
goblins, kappa or water imps, ningyo or Japanesemermaids, and yamanba or mountain witches.
Modern and historical Japanese stories and films
are also full of animals and objects that can transform
into supernatural creatures. Frydman goes into detailon this subject explaining how foxes are famous forbeing evil shapeshifters, sometimes turning into
beautiful women who swindle men. The tanuki or
raccoon dog can also shapeshift, but they usuallymean well.
Dragons and snakes feature in both the Kojiki
and the Nihonshoki. Dragons can be destructive andrepresent floods or volcanoes. Cats have featured as
far back as Sei Shonagon’s famous tale The Pillow
Book. These creatures can be a form of good luck inJapan. The maneki-neko or inviting cat figurine is often
seen in Japanese restaurants as a talisman of good
fortune. There are also sections in this book dedicatedto turtles, cranes, rabbits and catfish. Frydman explains
how some people believed catfish were the cause ofearthquakes in the Heian and early Kamakura (1185–1333) period!
The final section on ‘The New Mythologies
of Modern Japan’ propels the reader into the 20th
century. It emphasizes the way State Shinto was usedas propaganda until it was demolished during theAmerican Occupation from 1945 to 1952. Frydman
also explains how the 1950s was considered theGolden Age of Japanese cinema after censorship was
stopped and there’s a section on the rise of the mangaindustry at this time. Frydman also dedicates a small
section to kaiju or strange beasts such as the 1954
film Godzilla, Tezuka Osamu’s Atom the Mighty, andGigantor. PlayStation gamers will recognize the video
Issue 99 Volume 17 Number 3 (June 2022)

game Okami or Great God. It engages with the Kojiki
and Nihonshoki myth cycles and Amaterasu, the sun
goddess.
Overall, this book is a wonderful guide to an
enduring fascination with stories and the supernaturalin Japan. Frydman’s explanations prove mythology
acts as a compass to guide past, present and future
generations.
Japanese myths offer an allegorical narrativethat gives so much hope to humans. It shows a‘transformative power of storytelling. Legends, when
set free, can transform a prince into a saint, and an
exiled criminal into a prophet of the wilderness’. (p.
118)
Having read Frydman’s book it’s wonderful toknow we’re preserving these spellbinding mythologies
and allowing them to evolve within our modern
realm of creativity and understanding. This gives theJapanese culture even more layers to unwrap andappreciate.§

All the Lovers in the Nightso bereft of what I think to be natural, well-adjusted
emotional logic, it genuinely made me laugh out loudat points. This is a testament to Kawakami’s characterbuilding prowess. The same is not true when (tries)
to speak to the limited cast of characters around her,however. At times I got the very real urge to reachthrough the pages, grab her by the shoulders and ask
her firmly to spit it out. Truly it is totally frustrating towitness Fuyuko fumble, mumble and nod her way
through conversations which seem so easily navigable.
However, this is clearly by design. Fuyuko’s inability totalk meaningfully with those around her is indicative ofa major motif in Kawakami’s work; atomized characters
leading atomized lives, yearning for connection andbeing wholly unable to do so.
Inspired by her only friend, Hijiri, a glamorous,
self-obsessed manager who keeps Fuyuko around to
make herself seem better in comparison, she turns toalcohol. This comes as a real surprise. Normally, when
one thinks of alcoholics in literature, characters like
Marmeladov of Crime and Punishment come to mind;
vicious, unrefined and loudly suffering. Timid, meek
and unloathsome, Fuyuko doesn’t quite seem likethe type. This is what gives this novel, in my view, its
greatest selling point. Her descent into alcoholism is
rapid, and total. In the space of a chapter, she begins
to work beer and sake into her routine with unnerving
ease, having had only one drink before this chapter in
her life she seems to be making up for lost time.
The first major warning sign is when she visits acommunity centre in hopes of signing up for some
adult education classes. Armed with her flask of sake,she waits to be called and gradually gets drunk to thepoint of vomiting all over the ladies bathroom. She
then promptly falls asleep for 3 hours. Amongst thispitiful scene is where, fittingly, she meets her loveinterest. Mitsutsuka is an unassuming, polite physics
teacher in his late fifties. Although he doesn’t let on
and she doesn’t seem to notice, you get the sense thatby Kawakami Mieko
translated by Sam Bett and David
Boyd
Picador (2022)
ISBN-13: 978-1509898268
Review by Cameron Bassindale
There was a great deal to like in Kawakami Mieko’s
debut English translation, Breasts and Eggs. Chiefly,
her razor-sharp precision in dissecting what it means
to be a woman in modern Japan, and the multitudes
of differences within the female experience. There isa reason why literary great Murukami Haruki names
her as Japan’s most important contemporary novelist.
That being said, Breasts and Eggs was not without
its flaws. For one, at times the tempo of the narrative
was too slow, and you got the sense that Kawakami
was getting wrapped up in her own (admittedly
intoxicating) prose. In All the Lovers in the Night,
English speakers can enjoy a novel which is tighter,more focussed with the same indelible Kawakami styleof surgical introspection.
As is often the case with Kawakami novels, theprotagonist Irie Fuyuko is a reclusive, fundamentally
unhappy woman approaching her forties. Her only
pastime, if it can be called that, is taking a walk aroundthe city at night on her birthday every year. Working
as a proof-reader, initially in a typically Japanese
workplace, Fuyuko wastes no time in telling thereader about how inept she is at dealing with social
situations, a temperament she has had since school.
She describes how she was ostracized from her office,bullied for what she perceives as being too diligent
and hard-working. This she cannot understand.
Throughout the novel, Fuyuko is basically unable
to understand others; what motivates them, what
their intentions are. This misunderstanding applies
to herself, ten-fold. Her internal monologue is often
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5

Fuyuko’s drunkenness is immediately apparent to him.
From this point onwards Fuyuko’s life, to this point
solely revolving around her work as a proofreader,
adopts a new preoccupation; meeting Mitsutsuka
every week for coffee.
It could almost be labelled “charming”, if she
didn’t feel the need to get totally intoxicated every timethey meet up. It is through this drinking that she hopes
to be able to verbalise what she feels inside. The only
problem is, of course, she doesn’t know what she feels
inside. She spends most evenings, drunk, pining for a
man whose first name she doesn’t even know. When
she tries to speak truthfully to him, between hiccups,
nothing comes out. And so a cruel cycle of meetups, empty sake bottles and endless proofreadingof manuscripts plays out, with Fuyuko achievinging
nothing from any of these. Clearly, this novel is not afrothy, light read.
It reaches a nadir in tone when Kawakami
produces a chapter detailing sexual violence which isso visceral and believable it will leave those weak oftemperament wondering why they ever picked up
this book. That is to say Kawakami has truly outdone
herself, surpassing even her own lofty expectations ofcreating a narrative which is immediate and realistic;

this English translation is a gift to anyone wishing tounderstand life for the modern Japanese woman, andthe perils and hardships many women face. Of course,no two human experiences are the same, and thatpoint is apparent in the contrast between the female
characters in the novel; however, the space between
men and women in the book tells the state of gender
relations in Japan. It is up to the reader to draw theirown conclusions.
On the whole, All the Lovers in the Night is a
novel which will draw you in with its poetry andprose, and make you dissect it line by line in much thesame way as its protagonist does in her work. English
translations of contemporary Japanese authors arethankfully becoming more and more common, andthey bring with them a heightened understanding of
the Japanese literary zeitgeist. With this of course itcomes the danger that readers will grow over familiar
with them, spotting cliche a mile off. Thankfully, this is
not the case with All the Lovers in the Night. Kawakami
offers a novel which is fresh and unique, albeit
imperfect. This is not a great Japanese novel about
womanhood, nor is it just a great Japanese novel. It issimply a great novel.§

The Holebranch of his company. Not only is it her husband’s
hometown, but they move into a house owned byhis parents, who also happen to live in the house next
door. Asa gives up her temporary job to make themove, given the lack of job opportunities in the newrural location, to the chagrin of her colleague who isenvious of her ability to stop working and become ahousewife. Her move to the country is vividly brought
to life by Oyamada, whose descriptions of the new
setting root it firmly in the physical world; the pouring
rain on the day they move in, which gives way to thesound of cicadas so prevalent in Japanese literatureand so symbolic of summer, the oppressive heat
which further intensifies Asa’s lethargy and boredom.
In contrast to the fantastical and confusing narrative,
Oyamada’s descriptive style is natural and experiential,
taking the reader along on Asa’s move.
Settling into her boredom as a housewife, Asa is
one day tasked with depositing a large sum of moneyin the local convenience store by her mother-in-law,
Tomiko. Setting out on this errand, she is distracted
by an unidentifiable, large black animal, taking adetour down via the river where she accidentally
falls into a hole that she realises is almost perfectly

by Oyamada Hirokotranslated by David Boyd
New Directions (2020)
ISBN-13: 978-0811228879
Review by Alex Russell
When discussing the work of Oyamada Hiroko, it isdifficult to escape the adjective “Kafkaesque”, a word
too often thrown about without much consideration
to describe anything verging on the absurd. Reviewsof Oyamada’s 2013 debut work The Factory are
replete with the term, its bureaucratic setting andunorthodox structure undeniably reminiscent of theworks of Franz Kafka and his literary originalities. The
Hole, Oyamada’s next novella published the following
year, and published in a translation by David Boyd in
2020, further develops this trademark bizarreness,
combining the precision and mundanity of daily life
with the fantastical and incomprehensible to a suitably
confusing effect.
The Hole focuses on Asahi, or Asa, a young
woman who has agreed to a move to her husband’s
hometown after he has been transferred to a local
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Issue 99 Volume 17 Number 3 (June 2022)

her size. When she eventually escapes, it is with thehelp of a neighbour, who identifies her as “the bride”.
This is perhaps the most straightforward exampleof the clear definitions of individuals in the world
Oyamada creates, with each person existing in aclearly distinguished niche. Asa, having forfeited any
self-identification through her move to her husband’s
hometown is defined to others by her marital status,
labelled merely as an extension of her husband. Asa’s
husband and father-in-law are barely present, definedby their work and role as breadwinners, even if they
are almost entirely absent from the households they
supposedly support. Tomiko, even though she isemployed, maintains the stereotypical divisions ofgender through her assumption of the household
responsibilities in addition to her work.
A later encounter with this animal leads only
to more questions, as she meets a man making thestartling claim to be her brother-in-law, self-admittedly
concealed by his family for his refusal to conform withsocietal expectations and engage with the outside
world in the expected ways. Upon hearing about Asa’s
fall into the hole he mockingly asks if she thought she
was Alice in Wonderland, looking for some adventure
to whisk her away from her humdrum life. He assures
her that she is no Alice, and she is not on any adventure,
but the bizarre and surreal sudden turn of events since
encountering the mystery creature raises questions
over what is real and what is imagined.
Despite his challenging temperament andundeniably strange behaviour, Asa’s experience of her
new life has clear parallels with that of this newfoundrelative’s. Asa is isolated, almost imprisoned by herlife as a country housewife, living on the peripheryof a clearly introspective rural community with few
opportunities to socialise. Her brother-in-law bycontrast willingly retreated from the community into
isolation, admitting almost with glee his retreat fromsociety 20 years prior. His isolation conveniently adds
to his mystique, as Asa is unable to verify his existencewith others, having been warned not to tell her
husband or her mother-in-law about their meeting.
Asa’s supposed brother-in-law’s interest in the
animal is in direct contrast to hers; while she followed
it in hope of finding answers as to what it was, tried to
discuss it with her husband, and even searching in vain
on the internet for any further information that could
identify it, he simply accepts that it exists, understands
what it is through his encounters with it, and accepts
that it does not need any further formal definition or
identification.
When confronted by a work such as The Hole,
which simply ends more than it concludes, leaving
many of the reader’s questions entirely unanswered,
we are naturally inclined to respond like Asa, seeking
definitive answers as to what it all means. Frustrating
though it may be, we are left with little option but totake the alternative approach and accept The Holefor what it is; a perplexing, challenging story thatoffers itself up to countless interpretations. However,once we accept this approach, we are free to eventake pleasure in the fact that it is not a work to beunderstood in any definitive sense of the word. When
we exempt ourselves from the expectation of answers,
we can simply enjoy the detail and vibrancy of theever-so-real world that Oyamada creates, and allow
ourselves to react naturally and without inhibition to
the events of the work.§

Tristan and Isolde

Rihoko is of two lovers who should not be together,
but who fall recklessly in love after imbibing a love
potion.
The simplicity of the setting, the complexity of thelighting, and condensed character and length of thepiece, all contribute to creating a dance that highlights
the tragedy of romance, as the two lovers end up deadby the end of Wagner’s story. The piece features only
two dancers, Sato and Teshigawara, who have beenworking on dance projects together for 26 years. Theirknowledge of each other’s movements made thecharacters of Tristan and Isolde appear convincingly
infatuated with one another. Their movements – which,in the post-performance talk, Teshigawara and Satorevealed to be part-improvisation, within the frame

coreographed by Teshigawara Saburo
Electric Japan 2022 at the Coronet Theatre
2-10 June 2022
Review by Alice Baldock
In Teshigawara Saburo’s reimagination of Wagner’s
Tristan and Isolde, our lovers are never quite touching.
Near the very beginning of the piece (which isambitiously stripped back from a three-act opera to
one hour dance piece), we see the characters become
increasingly fascinated with each other, drawing closer
and closer as the piece builds. The story behind theduet between KARAS dancers Teshigawara and Sato
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7

Lighting augmented this intensity. At the
beginning of the piece, Sato moves her arms
sinuously, a ripple of movement connecting fromthe tip of one hand, along her arm, across her chestand over to her opposite fingertip. This extended line
is highlighted by Teshigawara’s lighting design andlighting operator Thomas Leblanc, which made herarms look like snakeskin – beautiful and enticing at
once. Use of lighting to highlight individual characterssuspended in darkness highlighted the impossibility of
their connection and made the otherwise empty stage
appear much fuller.

of timings and music – were at some moments slow
and controlled, at others whirling and out-of-control,
at others their limbs and fingers were shaking with thepressure of some immense emotion. The movementsof each dancer always miss each other – in one scene,
dancers rush from one segment of a cross on the floorof the stage, moving into a different section just as theother dancer escapes it.
In another striking scene, Isolde is on the floor,
unable to get up, as Tristan extends her hands towards
here, fingers enticing her and dragging her by hergaze around the little box of light her body is confinedtoo, but never touching her and letting her have what
she is craving. When the two lovers finally touch, andtheir eyes meet just for a second, the abject terror
both their faces portray, which matches the music
perfectly, showed the audience a kind of love that isoverwhelming, and not necessarily happy.

* Production Photos ©KARASThis reimaging was technically and visuallycompelling, with one hour seeming to pass in seconds.
As Teshigawara and Sato explained in their after-show
talk, when you dance you have the power to play withtime. The music, costume, lighting and movement all
coalesced to create an incredibly fervent and intense
piece which should not be missed.§