7. Weakened Body

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrcxkyAwyXw

7. Weakened Body

              Weakened Body is the last stage of the butoh-body of Tatsumi Hijikata.In 1968, he performed "Revolt of the Body (Nikutai no Hanran)" as his solo Butoh dance. He performed with changing so many aggressive dance styles. He attacked the audience with surprising at, with changing from a dance style to another style; finally, he flied away in the space with hanged by strings. Some of his students imitated this performing style.

But he stopped this style at all after this year, and he shifted into the investigation in the weakened body. it was the last stage of his creation of Butoh. He performed this weakened body at the early half of the 1970s in several Butoh pieces as his solo, and 1973 he stopped to perform by himself at the last performance; "The Quiet House".
              He could not teach this weakened body to any students at all. Of course, he had tried to teach at least to his best student; Yoko Ashikawa, but at that time she was so young that she could not understand. She confessed a long time after that she could not have an interest in the death at that time at all, though the weakened body was swaying between death and life. Then the weakened body has been disappeared from this world.
              There were only two videos of his weakened body performance because he hated shooting by a movie camera. He performed a lot, but only two cameramen were allowed to shoot it.　One of them was 'Hoso-tan' shot by Ohuchida Kenya. Another one was 'Summer Storm' shot by Toru Nakajima.
              We can learn what has weakened the body only through watching these videos and reading his few words about a weakened body. I had some film meetings to watch Hijikata's movie of 'Hoso-tan' in Kyoto, 1990's. I continued to investigate in the weakened body through these few films and his words... But the weakened body had so deep secret. I could not get it for long years. After moving to Himalaya, slowly I understand it steps by step.
              This year I could have a chance to teach the weakened body method at the Subbody Butoh School because some earnest long term students hope to learn it strongly. Now I can open the method of the weakened body to the world through this website. When we solved an important secret, we have to open it to the world immediately. This is the principle of creation. We must not hide it as private property. If someone did so, it means he has not created the real new thing at all.

             

                Transformation for a weakened body

At first, learn these general methods until you get what is the swaying between death and life through the body, not by the head. One-step and next step, step down to the dead land. When you continue this practice for long years, one day your darkness of body starts dreaming of a weakened body. Just wait for the timing without thinking about a weakened body. It is a long process. Hijikata needed for ten years to get it, he wore his dead sister's clothes; Japanese kimono in every morning with keeping long hair like a woman and tried to become her every day.

Swaying between this world and another unknown dimension
Each part of the body sways into different directions with different timings. This is the basis of physical technique to transform into a weakened body. You transform into a thin membrane swaying between nowhere world and nowhere dimension. Try to control every part of your body to sway into every direction with different timing with very subtle various Qualia.

You have twenty-seven small bones in your foot. Each bone sway, twist and shake into different dimensions. The sensations transfer to other parts of your body with passing through unknown tunnels in your darkness of body. In each part of your body, different kinds of the sway of Qualia seem to appear and disappear. You catch a strange feeling which is completely different from daily living body passing through your body.
Every subtle event appears and disappears immediately. And change Qualia in the darkness of the body. Then nobody can catch what is happening by conscious watching.An unexpected part of the body is moved by an unknown power, the whole body has to change position and place without using normal human walking way. Whole-body transforms from nowhere world to nowhere dimension, fade out and fade in with becoming a quiet dead body.

Find your own hidden weakened body

After practice the general method enough, one day your subbody gives you subtle signs that the subbody wants to come out with your own the most miserable Qualia of life.

The most miserable or ugliest Qualia of life open the mouth. They were not allowed to live in this world, then they hided themselves into a tiny hole of the darkness of your body. They, who are dying or almost dead already, come out and transform into strange creatures like monsters or goblins.

They are called 'not-me', 'dissociated ego',' lower characters', 'unconsciousness', 'trauma', inferiority complex', 'shadow' and so on, by different psychologist. Also, they are bound by so many kinds of archetypes that C.G. Jung investigated. Release them through your weakest subbody movement, just follow them and amplify them with riding by your whole body/mind/brain. They may want to possess your body, just let them freely, 'Please use my body freely as you like.’ When your consciousness becomes the weakest level, they can possess your body freely. These phenomena are just life resonance. No need to afraid.

Hide these processes from others. If some eyes catch the scene, the transformation becomes different. In the investigation process, you need to guard the whole process against others including your life partner. You need to be completely alone.