Ami Monyama

**Ami Monyama** [询山・あみ, December 10, 1935 – May 4, 1983] was a Kantonese poet, writer, film director and photographer. His works range from fiction novels, countercultural essays, and underground theatre to radio drama and New Wave cinema. Many critics view him as one of the most provocative creative artists to come out of Kanton. He has been cited as an influence on various Kantonese filmmakers from the 1970s onwards.

## Biography

Monyama was born December 10, 1935 in Kojū, Aoma Prefecture. When he was nine, Monyama's mother moved to the larger city of Usamae further north to work at the local military base, while he himself went to live with relatives in the same area. His father died at some point during 1949, when Monyama was 14, from lung cancer.

Soon after turning 16 in 1951, Monyama entered Beirashi High School in the prefectural capital. In 1954, he enrolled in Antan University to study Kantonese language and literature, moving to Meikai. He supplemented his education through working in bars, occasionally submitting short stories and poems to local writing magazines. By the age of 23, he had achieved various literature-related awards, including the prestigious Ukibi Writer's Cup. During the late 1950s Monyama continued to hone his skills in painting, writing, and photography.

He married fellow poet and artist Chio Togi [戸臥・親] on April 2, 1965; Chio later began an extramartial affair with an art student, which resulted in the couple's divorce in 1970. They continued to work together until Monyama's death in 1983. Chio died in 2016.

## Career

Monyama wrote a number of early essays concerning the fallacies of academia, particularly the idea that studying and engaging in the academic rat-race did not teach young people anything useful. Accordingly, he was one of the central figures of the late 1960s "skipper" movement in Kanton, during which students were encouraged to place less importance on school and more on enjoying their lives to the fullest, even to a degree of immorality. Monyama's 1966 book, play and film *Book-Burning Festival* [氾燃り萦, *Ennekuri Machi*], focused on these themes.

In 1967, Monyama formed the Chōkimeki theatre troupe, the name of which literally translates to 'lost peas', but refers to the idea of those who do not fit into a certain group or ideology such as peas that don't fit in a pod. The troupe was dedicated to both shocking and expanding the minds of audiences, and staged a number of controversial plays tackling social issues in unconventional venues, such as on the streets of Meikai or in private homes. Some major plays include *Drop of Blood* [賛滴, *Sakka*], *Street Urchin* [片坊子, *Taibōko*] and *Tōji's Blunder* [とうじの元賎く, *Tōji no Keshigaku*], which shared common themes of youth, coming-of-age hardships, and satirical observations of modern society.

In 1969, Monyama started an experimental cinema and gallery called 'Irresistible', which is still functioning in Kojū as a resource centre. The Monyama Ami Museum in Kojū has a large collection of his plays, novels, poetry, photography and a great number of his personal effects and relics from his theatre productions.

## Notable works

* Book-Burning Festival [氾燃り萦, *Ennekuri Machi*] (1966, book, film, play)
* Drop of Blood [賛滴, *Sakka*] (1967, play)
* Street Urchin [片坊子, *Taibōko*] (1967, book, play)
* Tōji's Blunder [とうじの元賎く, *Tōji no Keshigaku*] (1968, book, film, play)
* Miss Hayama's Smile [坤山嬢の半笑, *Hayama-jō no Hangii*] (1968, poem)
* Diary of No-One [しぶんの沒調, *Shibun no Yahaki*] (1970, book)
* Long Way to Shore [代に睿量, *Dai ni Senryo*] (1972, book, radio play)
* Glass or Crystal? [兵やら晶？, *Bin yara Kien?*] (1973, radio play)