撮影：野田知明
Ko is one of the best known and acclaimed Butoh artists in the world and is recognized in Japan as a leading inheritor of Hijikata's original vision of Butoh. He studied with Hijikata in 1968, briefly 'giving up' dance to become a "Yamabushi" mountain monk, back into society he founded the Butoh-Group DAIRAKUDAKAN together with Ushio Amagatsu, Akaji Maro and others. 1974 he created the Butoh-magazine "Hageshii Kisetsu (Violent Season)" and founded a female Butoh-Company "ARIADONE" with Carlotta Ikeda, and for which he did many choreographs. 2 years later he founded a similar only-male Butoh-group: SEBI.With a co-production of these two groups he brought the Butoh to Europe and makes Europeans to notice Butoh: LE DERNIER EDEN - PORTE DE L'AU - DE LA succeeded in Paris in 1978, and was followed by a big tour through whole Europe with ARIADONE in 1981/82. From 1988 Ko concentrated on duo-productions with Urara Kusanagi, and toured in the following years in Europe and South America.On the one hand he continues to open his dance and the Butoh to the worldwide influences, on the other hand he tries to research his work much deeper into its Japanese roots. His solo production [Edge01], [Edge02] and group production [Edge03] invited by several international dance festival, ImPulsTanz Festival, Montpellier Dance Festival, London Butoh Network Festival, and so on. He has received numerous awards for residencies worldwide, including in Mexico, India and New York. Ko is in great demand as a workshop teacher and an artistic director of the ImPulsTanz Festival in Vienna. In 2003, he settled his unit Ko&Edge Co. with 3 young Japanese dancers, presented [Handsome Blue Sky] in 'JADE2003 Hijikata Memorial' in Japan, and caught frantic applause. In 2004, this unit Ko&Edge Co. present new series titled [Experimental Body] which is to search "edge" in a physical way. In 2005, Ko&Edge presented [Handsome Blue Sky] in US-Canada tour (5 venues). Ko's latest solo performance is [quick silver]. This acclaimed piece has been leading him to world tours. His choreographies as well as his solo performances continue to establish Ko Murobushi as one of the highest reputed representatives of Butoh, and every moment Ko challenges to reach new possibility of Butoh.
