The Art of Returning to the Streets: Shoichi Ozawa and the Phantom of the Folk Guerrillas (ca. 1970)

The Art of Returning to the Streets: Shoichi Ozawa and the Phantom of the Folk Guerrillas (ca. 1970)

Around 1970, there were young people singing with guitars in the Shinjuku West Exit Plaza. They were called "folk guerrillas," and they defied the war and the system, confronting society with their own words and melodies. This is where Shoichi Ozawa sees the origin of their art. He says, "I thought I could walk with a gate attached. I thought, "I should walk around with a gate attached.

Kadozuke" is a form of expression similar to the peddling that street performers used to do by going from house to house and earning money by showing their art. Ozawa saw the soul of the art in this form, which was not protected by the system. The passion of nameless performers spilling out from TV and theaters. His longing to see this passion on street corners lies behind his words.

Art is not something that exists within a system, but rather, its true life is found outside of the system, on the streets and in daily life. In the singing of the folk guerrillas, Ozawa saw the rebirth of the art form.

For the art to become popular again, it must be prepared to step on the dust of the pavement rather than on the stage. Shoichi Ozawa's words were filled with a sense of crisis and a prayer for the future of the performing arts. At a plaza where the lights and shadows of the Showa era intersect.