The Witch Concert and Women's Liberation: The Intersection of Social Movements and Culture in the 1970s

The Witch Concert and Women's Liberation: The Intersection of Social Movements and Culture in the 1970s

In 1970s Japan, the strains of rapid economic growth cast a shadow over society, causing pollution, disparities, and questions about gender roles to erupt. The "Witch Concert" held amidst this situation, an event called for by Tokiko Kato, Chinatsu Nakayama, and others, was more than just a music concert; it was a venue that embodied the idea of women's liberation.

The word "witch," historically a symbol of oppression against women, was reinterpreted during this period as a symbol of independent women, and became a banner for women to affirm their own existence and show that they were not subordinate to existing male society. The women who participated in the festival were proud of themselves as "witches" and took the opportunity to confirm their solidarity with other women.

In the background was the second wave of feminism that spread from Europe and the United States, in which "the right to self-determination of the body" and "sexual liberation" were placed at the center of discussions. In Japan, too, there were growing calls for liberation from the image of the "good wife and wise mother," and the Witch Concert became a symbolic stage for this movement.

The "Witch Concert" in the Japanese society of the 1970s will be remembered as a crossroads of culture and thought, a symbolic practice where women connected with each other and chose their own way of life. It is remembered as a symbolic practice in which women connected with each other and chose their own way of life.