American Resident Reports Obstacles to Street Performing in Japan

 

But Plimpton and Olivier Dodge Cultural Taboos, Avenging Authorities and Gangsters

 

By Jack Plimpton - Tokyo, Japan

 

Shuji, a 30-year old monkey tamer, set up shop in the pedestrian haven along the Ginza one Sunday afternoon. To the delight of the strollers, his charges performed feats to baffle their imaginations, then passed the hat among them.

 

However, soon the police broke up the festive scene. It was later learned that one young constable who chose to ignore the performance was severely reprimanded back at headquarters. The incident sums up vividly the plight of street entertainers in Japan today.

 

It is curious that the conspicuous phenomenon of takenokozoku has not renewed a wide­spread interest in street performance here. In that current fad, kids dance in the streets in '50s styles clothes and imitate vaudeville routines.

 

It is street performance without the hat.

 

Ei Rokusuke, a TV celebrity and cultural critic active in resuscitating Japan's traditional performing arts, explained the state of street art today. First of all, he said, there are many legal obstacles. Traffic laws prohibit assembling in public places, park and playground laws prohi­bit collecting money and animal protection laws prevent capture and training of wild animals.

 

However, in principal, such laws cannot be directed against performers.

 

Ei proclaimed that anyone is allowed to assemble in the Sunday pedestrian havens. Also, money collected is not solicited, but freely donated. Finally, ostensibly it is the trainer, not the monkey, that gets manipulated into doing things. Perhaps the authorities are concerned with the problem of how to ascertain and tax a monkey's income!

 

Ei concluded, "The reason street performing is banned boils down to the attitude of the police, who are obsessed with regulating citizens' lives in every way possible."

 

Many prohibitive laws in the U.S.A. have been modified due to the increasing popularity of street performing.

 

However, Ei considers it unlikely that Japanese police will similarly relax regulations in this country. He explained that, paradoxically, the same style of performance banned on the street is considered respectable if performed on TV. Ei himself enjoys street performing because of the immediate, lively atmosphere. However, he says that some spectators seem dismayed that he "lowers himself' to such a "vulgar activity. "

 

Ozawa Shoichi, actor and author of many books on Japanese street performers, also agreed that circus and TV have become the only respec­table forums for polished artistry. Ozawa lamented that Japanese streets and roads have become mere conveyer belts, and are no longer a stage for cultural exchange.

 

However, he has tracked down many performers still active in Japan's smaller towns and cities. There, in unpaved parks, such performers as the Kuwana acrobatic troupe (which performed at the National Theatre) find a friendly stage.

 

Traditionally, according to Ozawa, traveling performers celebrated festivals, prayed for crops or exorcised demons. For example, the monkey is the guardian deity of horses.

 

In ancient times, the monkey's dance served to drive evil spirits from horse stables. Even today monkey skulls are hung there as talismans.

 

Another difficulty confronting Japanese street performers, Ozawa suggested, is that even such entertainment as monkey-taming has traditional guilds, tending to discourage amateurs from striking out on their own. Yet, without an organized movement, Ozawa said it is unlikely that a troubadors' renaissance will take place. In short, aside from the Tora-san of the film series and the "frogs' oil" vendors of Asa­kusa, good street artists end up performing abroad.

 

I would like to report one final obstacle over and above those legal and cultural taboos mentioned above. That is the domination or "roping off" of the open street by gangsters. Nothing is so frustrating as having one's hard-earned hat money extorted after an hour of hard unicycling and juggling.

 

Unfortunately for the rebirth of Japanese street entertainment, only foreigners can use the ploy of mutely shrugging their shoulders and pretending ignorance of Japanese customs.