group of people seated on a path between fields; three men and four women seated in an arc, with two standing woman, laughing at a man in a short white kimono at left, making an exaggerated frowning face

Copyright %C2%A9 Hosoe Eikoh

Kamaitachi #13, 1965

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Centered on the Japanese myth of Kamaitatchi, these works primarily depict the choreographer Tatsumi Hijikata (1928-86) as the Kamaitatchi. The famed choreographer who championed the abstract dance style of Butoh, performed in front of Hosoe’s camera embodying this mythical creature. Kamaitachi is a mythical folkloric monster, often thought to be a weasel, who appears in a whirlwind to cut its victims with a sickle, his cuts neither bleed nor cause pain. In some instances, Kamaitachi is meant as a cut caused by a mysterious whirlwind. Kamaitachi was a widespread myth in rural areas of central and northeast Japan, particularly in farming villages, and was often a subject of pre-modern literature, haiku poetry, and art. The collaborating dancer Hijikata was born in Akita in northern Japan, while Hosoe was born in Yamagata in the same region.

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Details
Title
Kamaitachi #13
Artist Life
born 1933
Role
Photographer
Accession Number
2018.26.5
Curator Approved

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group of people seated on a path between fields; three men and four women seated in an arc, with two standing woman, laughing at a man in a short white kimono at left, making an exaggerated frowning face

Copyright © Hosoe Eikoh

Because of © restrictions, we can only show you a small image of this artwork.