This panel examines various male appropriations of the feminine voice in Japanese theatre, both classical and modern. They also consider why these fictional male creations were accepted by the audience as representations of women. Born in the remote northeastern prefecture of Aomori, Terayama identified with outsiders and outcasts. Criminals, gamblers, prostitutes, dwarfs, hunchbacks, transvestites, magicians, rebellious students, and itinerant actors were characters in his life and his work. Both outrage and acclaim were heaped on Terayama's intensely poetic, highly theatrical, often shocking plays.
Female representation is informed by fear and longing.
Seductive females torment innocent boys, driving them to violence or madness. Loving mothers become suffocating old hags clinging to their son's backs. Gender confusion intensifies the dilemma. Analyzed in detailed are Inugami , The Hunchback of Aomori , La Marie Vison , and Jashumon . References to kabuki, noh, and traditional literature demonstrate cultural continuity.