Ko Murobushi (1947-2015) – Butoh-Magier, Tänzer, Choreograph, Magier der Performance.
Im März 1992 tanzte er eine Improvisation am Flaucher, dem Münchner Isarufer. Eine unvergessliche Dreiviertelstunde, festgehalten auf drei Rollen Schwarzweißfilm.

YAMABUSHI

Ko Murobushi, Butoh Shaman
1947 – 2015

A series of pictures by Werner Siebert

Vernissage of the original series of 85 pictures on October 8, 1995 in the Isarauen, Flaucher, Munich.

From the accompanying text of the first exhibition:

“A man digs himself into the land, a lime-white naked being moves in a river landscape of water, pebbles, trees. In March 1992, the Japanese Butoh dancer Ko Murobushi dances a performance in Munich’s Isar meadows on the Flaucher. The photo series documents the dancer as he approaches the landscape, makes the surface his own, and finally immerses himself in the elements of the river: Water and stone.

85 photos are exhibited at the site of the event.

I have known the dancer Ko Murobushi for years; and when he was in Munich in spring 1992 for the dance production Kinderkreuzzug, I began to meet and photograph him more often. Our meetings eventually amounted to (at least I thought so) photographing him once in performance in a public place, recording and showing moments of his dance creation of time and space. Ko is not exactly thrilled at first with my idea of spending a cold March afternoon outdoors. We sit in his Munich flat. Ko: „No. I don’t do this.“ Me: „Please, Ko. It’s necessary.“ Ko: „No. I do not like this.“ It’s three o’clock. I have to resort to the last resort: „I will sit here until you agree!“ Ko laughs at first, but time passes. Finally, at half past nine, he agrees.

I pick him up – he is already made up in the Butoh style: his whole body is covered with white paint, his head is shaved, and he is dressed in a winter coat over a white thong. Ko is silent on the journey, on the spot; there is an atmosphere of tense expectation, of absolute concentration. I have scouted out the location of the event beforehand: it is a headland on the Isar in the Flaucher, a microscopic landscape of bushes, trees, pebbles and water.

When he was still living in Japan, Ko Murobushi spent two years in a mountain monastery, hiking and meditating in the mountains. He acquired his surname there. Murobushi means something like „man lying face down on the rocks“. After his time as a Yamabushi, a wandering mountain monk, he became interested in Butoh and incorporated the experience of those two years into his dance vocabulary. Face down on the stones – a typical image for Butoh, almost an icon for the search for the dark side of being human, also an image for Murobushi’s categorical imperative of constantly pushing the boundaries. It is not for nothing that one of his solos shown in Munich was called „En“, which means edge, abyss.

One last look in the mirror he brought with him, a sly glance at his life companion Urara Kusanagi. Then Ko lies motionless on the floor, on the line that separates the light pebble background from the dark forest background.

Ko Murobushi is passionate about music. A week earlier, he warms up to Marvin Gaye, then we talk about common, sometimes bizarre musical preferences, such as certain heroes of 60s spirit music. Albert Ayler, or Sun Ra, Coltrane anyway, “You know, I had a lot of records, especially Albert Ayler.“ „You had?“ „Yeah. My collection went up in fire. Twice.“ „Twice?“ „Twice. Once in Japan, next time in Paris. I slept with a cigarette on.“

Ko has stood up, half-closed eyes feeling his way around the room. At some point he takes off his coat. Throws himself into the water. Digs himself into the shore pebbles. The sun comes out a little when he is back on land.

After 45 minutes it is already over. Everything is different. Ko pulls on a jumper and grins. „Guess I’m a good improviser.“