7. My predecessors
Michel Foucault (1966)
The death of God and the Disappearance
of Man
I would like to introduce the most important philosophical discoveries in the 20th century.
The most important philosophical event in the 19th century was "God has died" by Nietzsche.
And in the 20 century, Foucault predicted "Disappearance of Man".
It happened in France in 1966.
And, surprisingly, in Japan at the same time beyond the sea, Tatsumi Hijikata was created Butoh that abandons all human conditions.
It was surprising synchronicity!
We knew the fact that Life is connected to one in the Abyss, through it.
Only my generation has experienced the amazing synchronicity of Life in 1968 world revolt by world youth.
However, someday again the day when the world Life will resonate to Rhizome will come.
Tree-like hierarchical order confines the creativity of Life.
Someday the Life in the world will notice it.
I believe it.
"I believe that the human has been If not a bad dream, a specter, at least a very particular figure, very historically determined and situated in our culture. It’s an invention.
In the 19th century and also the first of the 20th century, it is believed that the human was the fundamental reality of our interests.
But, we can’t find the term ‘humanism’ earlier because humanism is an invention of the late 19th century.
Before the 19th century, it can be said the human didn’t exist.
The human is a figure constituted near the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century. which gave rise to what has been and still are called the human sciences.
If the man is dead, all is possible, or more precisely, we’ll be told that all is necessary.
What is discovered in the death of God, what was discovered in the great absence of a supreme being, was a space for freedom.
What is now discovered in the disappearance of man is a thin space left by man which must arise in the frame of a kind of necessity, the large network of a system to which we belong and is to be necessary”. (from Lectures by Michel Foucault 1961 and 1983)
We can start from here to the future.
What will happen after the disappearance of man?
"Order of the things" Michelle Foucault
Words that have changed my life
This word of Foucault that I met at the end of my twenties changed my life fundamentally. We can take off the "human" that is imprinted by the modern society, it turns on the light of the huge hope. This word has become the guidance that I was able to reincarnate as a Butoh dancer in my 40's. Because the Butoh, created by Tatsumi Hijikata also pursues to take off "human", and it opened up a practical way to become Life. In those days in my twenties, what should we do exactly after the death of "human", I had no idea about it.
I was wandered with searching in the darkness of body, it's no way to be the "Superhuman" as if in Nietzsche.
However, after 20 years of retreat in the Himalayas, the practical enlightenment that we take off "human" and at the same time, the way of "De-self" to take off the "Ego", "Self-identity" and "Personality" become transparent gradually yet slowly.
Hijikata also had pursued the way of "Butoh of Life" that "Sinking down to the relationship before the differentiation of self and others".
The way to be Life was becoming transparent.
Also, those resonate with the "Rhizome" that overcome the hierarchical Tree orders of Deleuze's thought who was Foucault's ally.
To take off Human, to become Life and to become Rhizome is Oneness. Because Life is Rhizome, neither the center nor the upper and lower. Foucault, Deleuze, and Hijikata are deeply connected to one and are an eternal forerunner for us to become Life.
Take off the modern "human illusion" and become Life!
Now, I can say that with confidence.
Friend, it is not yet late.
Let's become Life desperately!
The amazing synchronicity of Hijikata and Deleuze
We could find so many amazing synchronicities between Hijikata and Deleuze.
1. First synchronicity about the ego
Hijikata said,
“We have to go to the place before the differentiation of self and others.”
Deleuze said,
“To reach, not the point where one no longer says I, but the point where it is no longer of any importance whether one says I. We are no longer ourselves.”
Both are the way to release from the modern bondage of ego.
2. Second synchronicity of the transformation method to overcome the ego bind
Hijikata invented <Reduction by X and regeneration>,
Deleuze invented <Deterrtorialization and reterritorialization>.
Both are the transformation methods to release from all kind of binds; ego, self-identity, humanity, sexuality, nationality and so on.
X and the territory can be anything. Then both method is completely the same. You can replace “territorialization” into X, then Hijikata method becomes "Reduce the territorialization" as the same as deterritorialization. You can replace “self-identity” into X, then your any part of the body can travel anywhere and transform anything, it means your part become nomad beyond the border between you and others.
You can reduce “the restraint by ego’s territorialization to the body” then each part of the body can connect others and separate freely.
During co-research of <Reduction by X and regeneration> and <Deterritorrialization and reterritorialization>, gradually we could find the amazing synchronicity of both methods.
3. Third synchronicity of "Becoming"
It is a miraculous coincidence because they are completely the same.
Becoming is the most fundamental technique of Hijikata Butoh. Butoh is not human expression, but becoming as the Life, the inevitable becoming to survive.
Deleuze said, “Become wolf, become a woman, become a child, become molecular, become an unrecognizable secret, become a Rhizome!"
Becoming unrecognizable one is exactly the same with “Clouding (obscuring) method of the body” in “Sick Dancing Princess “ by Hijikata.
Hijikata guided to become the chimera. Chimera is a being that various Qualia merged into a body and becoming something that
we cannot grab what is it.
<Becoming> and <Reduction by X and regeneration>
<Becoming> in Hijikata Butoh
<Becoming> is a fundamental of Butoh.
<Reduction by X and regeneration> is the most universal method for <Becoming>. Tatsumi Hijikata wrote it a lot in his last solo Butoh score "Quiet House".
“Becoming a girl.
Becoming a stuffed spring.
Becoming a behind world.
Becoming a Shisha(Dead) that is able to transform to everything infinitely.
Becoming a mad man=child=beast.
Becoming a vaporized body.
Becoming a chimera.
...and so on.”
Each sentence of the score is the variation of becoming.
And he uses the technique of <Reduction by X> in each becoming.
Reduction by X means to reduce an element from the normal human body.
X can be anything, then it is the universal transformation method to become everything in the Universe.
For example...
“Becoming a girl means to reduce sexuality and age from his human body.
Becoming a stuffed spring means to reduce Life from every living being.
Becoming a behind world means to reduce all visible physicality from the daily being.
Becoming a Shisha means to reduce Life from a living being.
Becoming mad man=child=east means to reduce sanity, age, humanity from your body.
Becoming a vaporized body means to reduce all physicality from the human physical body.
Becoming a chimera means to reduce your identity and totality of your body, and each part of the body transform to various beings.”
I can continue this till the last sentence, but the other parts, you can do it by yourself.
<Becoming> in "Thousand Plateaus"
Also in this book, there are full of Becoming.
The main thing is Becoming Rhizome which is able to connect freely and separate flexibly at any part of it.
The rhizome is also multiple transformation state of us.
We are bound by so many restrictions as a modern human being. To release from all of them and become a completely free being is the Rhizome.
A rhizome is a sprouting form of future of human being.
Let's see the many becoming in the book.
For becoming Rhizome, it needs so many examples.
Because Rhizome is a manifold, and manifold has so many entrances.
“Becoming a Rhizome.
Becoming a wolf.
Becoming a herd.
Becoming an anomaly.
Becoming an animal.
Becoming a child.
Becoming a woman.
Becoming a manifold.
Becoming a molecule.
Becoming something that is not able to recognize.”
You can see the surprising similarity with Hijikata Butoh. And also we can understand that they use the same method as <Reduction by X> to become those being.
Becoming Rhizome means to reduce Tree(=dualistic thinking and hierarchical order of human society) from daily human being which is bound by those restrictions.
Becoming a wolf means to reduce your humanistic personality from you and remind your wildness. A wolf is a herd itself, they can be alone and a herd flexibly.
Becoming a herd means to reduce the illusion of modern individuality from your being, and remind that we are a cobody as Life.
All of them are to becoming a minority, not becoming a majority.
It is a common characteristic of both of Hijikata and Deleuze=Guattri.
We do not become a man, not becoming a General.
Because it is to back to the Tree based on the hierarchical order.
We do not become a teacher, not become a fixed leader.
Because it supports the Tree system that is out of date.
Becoming manifold is the same as <Becoming Chimera> in Hijikata.
Becoming something that is not able to recognize is also the same as <Becoming Behind world> and <Becoming Shisha> in Hijikata.
They had never contact, but the universal Life Resonance around 1968, brought them to the same horizon.
This was the miracle of Life Resonance.
A similar Life Resonance must occur again in the near future.
Because everyone living in modern times is influenced by the rapid inflation of higher information technology, and Life is eroded on the first scale in human history.
Read more "Sinking into the darkness"
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