Juro Kara, a rebellious and playful man who transformed the essence of Kabuki aesthetics into modern storytelling and helped shape Japan's postwar avant-garde theater, has died. He was 84 years old.
The playwright, director and troupe leader collapsed at home on May 1st, died late Saturday from a blood clot in his brain, and was rushed to a Tokyo hospital on May 1st, his statement said. The Karagumi theater company made the announcement in a statement on Sunday.
Tang (real name Yoshihide Ohtsuru) rose to stardom in the so-called Japanese underground movement of the 1960s known as “Angra,” characterized by a kitschy, rebellious style also seen in contemporaries Shuji Terayama and Tadashi Suzuki. It has risen.
Carla's colorful shows were often staged in makeshift tents reminiscent of traveling circuses, and were performed by the Western, middle-class, well-mannered establishment that dominated modernizing Japan at the time. rejected the traditional theatrical style.
His plays, such as Loincloth Osen, were characterized by a physicality full of raw energy, blatantly lacking any pretense of naturalism.
Carla once compared her approach to a “bloody womb”. His theater became known as the “Red Tent”. The wandering group performed shows wherever tents were pitched, but the most famous was in downtown Tokyo, near a Shinjuku shrine.
Audiences found themselves immersed in an otherworldly, dream-like setting. The flashy posters that artist Tadanori Yokoo often created for Kara's work embody its signature pop-surrealist style.
Carla's group is still active today, performing shows that continue his legacy. His theater also served as a training ground for Japan's top actors, including Kaoru Kobayashi and the late Jinpachi Nezu.
Born in Tokyo, Tang majored in theater at Meiji University in Tokyo, which has a rich archive of Tang's work.
In 1983, Tang won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for New Writers for his novel “Letter from Sagawa.'' He also appeared in various films, including Masahiro Shinoda's Oni no Ike, often playing bit roles.
Funeral arrangements have not been finalized, but will be for family and friends, Karagumi said. Kara is survived by his wife Michiko, sons Gitan Otsuru and Sasuke Ootsuru, and his daughter Ootsuru Minion, all of whom are actors.
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Yuri Kageyama is in X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama