The Story of Kurozuka (The Black Mound)

by Judith Kajiwara

Kurozuka (The Black Mound) is said to be a 1,000-year-old Japanese ghost tale. The tale is about Iwate, an elderly woman known to be a "man-eating hag." For many years, she has been living alone in the cold, remote mountains of Northern Japan. Once young and beautiful, Iwate's life drastically changed when she, her fiance, and father were banished to the distant mountains because of her father's wrongdoing. Eventually her father dies and her fiance abandons her. Iwate is left alone, bitter, hateful, and cursing life. Her life takes an unlikely twist when a group of lost Buddhist priests arrive at her cabin in need of food and shelter.

Kurozuka premiered in November 1939 in Tokyo as a Kabuki dance-drama. It has since been interpreted many times, including as a Noh play. This version of the famous legend is perhaps the first Butoh interpretation.

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Judith Kajiwara - Iwate

PJ Hirabayashi & Lipton Mah - Buddhist priests

Roy Hirabayash - fue & percussion

Tomohiro Tanaka - koto