Izumi Ashizawa Performance

The Kojiki

Based on the oldest written Japanese Shinto mythology, "The Kojiki" explores the concept of ritual performance mixed with Japanese physical acting (Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki, Butoh), acrobatics, unconventional object animation, shadow puppetry, mime, stage combat, and live chanting. The creation myth of sister-brother pair; the myth of the newly-wed bride's death and her husband's visitation to the Underworld; the myth of eclipse, and the heroic episode of a giant-snake slayer. The audience experience these episodes in ritualistic manner. In the midst of the technological advance in the new millennium, "The Kojiki" makes us reconsider the value of human interconnectedness and reexamine the roots of cultures. “The Kojiki” is written, directed, and designed by Izumi Ashizawa, created collaboratively with the Bulgarian actors in Sofia, Bulgaria. “The Kojiki” symbolizes the cultural marriage of the East and the West through the collaboration of Japanese theatre artist and the Bulgarian physical theatre actors.