1st Anniversary of 'Becoming a Shishi: A Record of Visiting the Otherworld of Tono' - Book Reviews and Summaries

There are worlds that can only be opened by 'doing it with your own body,' rather than just thinking about it in your head. Listen to the voice of the place and dance with all your might as a Shishi. Beyond the door that the author opens 'with his own body,' a nostalgic 'otherworld' spreads out. -- Masao Morita (Independent Researcher)

In Mr. Tomikawa's words, describing the feeling of having taken root in the land of Tono while performing the Shishi-odori, I felt an unknown hope that humans can live beyond the boundaries of being human. -- Dominique Chen (Informatics Researcher)

'The author experiences the collapse of the boundary between human and Shishi while dancing. (Omitted) "At this moment, I was nothing but wild." The costume he wears becomes a part of him, and the Shishi blends into him. The "inner wildness" reveals itself, and the existence of the soul pushes forward. For the soul, it does not matter whether its host is human or animal. In the first place, the distinction between human and animal is a new perception.' 'What is important now is to regain the "wild thinking" where humans and non-humans live intertwined. At that time, the tacit knowledge hidden in traditional rituals has an important power to open up the future.' -- Takeshi Nakajima (Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology / Political Science)

'Someone who started with the idea that "it would be interesting to edit and disseminate content sleeping in the regions" (there are countless such "regional revitalization" types), ends up becoming a successor—of which there are also countless—and even takes on the role of a producer who develops the content while utilizing its essence. It is a theme that could be in a novel or drama, but the authentic interest written by the person who experienced it is incomparable to fiction.' 'A tradition that has continued uninterrupted by entrusting it to those with local ties, even if not blood ties. The author has awakened to "rebooting regional culture as a source of life connected to the modern day." Young people tired of the editing competition with AI in the city, follow in his footsteps one after another!' -- Kosuke Motani (Chief Researcher, Japan Research Institute)

'The author was originally a person who worked at an advertising agency in Tokyo. (Omitted) Even though he is an "outsider," he is warmly welcomed by the local people who "coexist" with yokai and mountain people like Tengu. I often hear stories of people who gave up on moving to the countryside because they couldn't get used to the overly intense human relationships, but he accepted everything without prejudice.' 'The author is fascinated by the "mixture performing arts" that fuse the "performing arts for the repose of souls" born precisely because Tono has a history of hardship, with the harvest dance and the mountain god dance of Kagura. (Omitted) The mythic nature of Tono, the people who live cherishing them, and the author who resonates with that way of life and works hard—the way everyone coexists has a strong persuasiveness, and a deep lingering impression remains after reading.' -- Atsushi Namai (Writer / Book Reviewer)

'There is no "critic/spectator" perspective here observing festivals and folk performing arts from the outside. During the "Female Shishi Madness," where two Shishi fight fiercely over a female while gasping for air, the author's field of vision narrows and his consciousness transforms. Readers will also hold their breath at that overwhelming, player-perspective sense of live performance.'

"I read this as a story that seems like it could be collected as a folktale by Kizen Sasaki anew. The higher the resolution (level of understanding) one has of a region, the more the locals can feel at ease, and they will simply brush off those who pretend to understand only the surface. This book is also a record of a challenge to try and understand."

"A city boy working at an advertising agency in Tokyo longs for a regional revitalization project and moves to Tono, a land he knows nothing about and has never even dreamed of. He meets a good mentor, learns about 'The Legends of Tono,' and gets drawn into its depths. (Omitted) He becomes a Shishi, dances until his physical limits, feels things that cannot be seen, and thinks. I received the answer that the author, Gaku Tomikawa, derived through his own experience, while my heart trembled."

"It was very easy to understand because it introduced by real name how an outsider who didn't know 'The Legends of Tono' met local historians and folk performing arts groups, what he felt, and how he became hooked on Tono. (Omitted) I wanted to go to the Tono Festival in September and see the moment the author becomes a Shishi."

"The first thing I felt was that this might be the first book in my life that has made my soul tremble and my wild side surge to this extent. (Omitted) It has become a book that will have a significant influence on my life from here on out!"

"I don't think there is anything better than this as a currently unfolding reader on how to collide the energy of the realistic life, livelihood, time, and space that have newly appeared before one's eyes with the concrete and unique living people who continue to support them, without denying the 'self' of the past, and how both sides stir each other up. I think this is a book that spells out the realistic way of transforming into a 'co-other-being' that one demonstrates with one's own body."

"Even though I was just turning the pages, I could hear the sound of drums beating 'doko-doko' in my head, and I could see the kannagara (the ornament on the head) shaking violently before my eyes. There are not many books that convey 'sound' and the 'smell of sweat' from the text to this extent."

"Even though he became a Shishi himself in a land of spirits, his soul remains worldly, so this is neither literature nor non-fiction; it is an experience report that skims the surface, unique to a former flashy-type creator. You won't be able to touch the essence or the abyss in this book. The process of 'settling' is probably necessary. It might be a process this author can never do in his life, though."

● Introduction of a new publication: "Becoming a Shishi: A Record of Exploring the Otherworld of Tono"
This book is a record of transformation in which a young man who moved from Tokyo to Tono in Iwate Prefecture literally "becomes a Shishi" through the traditional performing art "Shishi-odori" (Deer Dance) that breathes in that land, written in his own words.
The way it is received varies depending on the reader. It is a story of an outsider taking root in the land of Tono, a story of inheriting a traditional performing art that has continued for 400 years, and also a story of "reading differently" and developing "The Legends of Tono" written by Kunio Yanagita in 1910. Because it can be read in various ways—meaning it is complex—it is difficult to introduce it by narrowing it down to a single perspective.
It is such a story, but a question suddenly arose: "Why was it a book?" Many people have not seen the Shishi-odori. If it were the many stages the author has participated in or the "Tono Meguridoro Taki" (Tono Light Tour Waterfall) he has produced, there should be plenty of unique video and audio sources left. If those were utilized, a fascinating documentary work could have been created. But after finishing it, I think: there was meaning in "writing" it.
This story interweaves the history of Tono, fascinating characters, and academic perspectives. However, the center is undoubtedly one man who uses his body, surrenders himself to unique movements and rhythms, and delves into the flow that has been passed down for generations in that land. He ruminates on and verbalizes the physical sensations and experiences he gained while dancing intently. He approaches the essence in a spiral, moving back and forth between body and language. Precisely because he did not learn it sensuously from a young age, he makes it his own as if confirming it one by one with words. Because words intervene there, room for others to get involved is born. And it leads to new creation. I thought about such things. That is why the vessel called a "book" was necessary for this story.
"Dagago Dantsugo Dandan." The sound of the drum expressed in words strangely remains in the heart. Is the figure of the Shishi I imagined in my head along with that rhythm the truth?
Those who finish reading the story will surely want to visit Tono and see it with their own eyes. And they will witness the continuation of this story. (T)