Koichi Tamano

Koichi Tamano (玉野黄市) is one of the masters of the Japanese dance form Butoh. He performed individually or with his wife Hiroko Tamano and their performance group Harupin-Ha. He has also performed with other artists including Kitaro. They introduced the dance form to the west coast of America. His first butoh performance was in 1965 in Tokyo in a work of Tatsumi Barairo Dansu (Rose-Colored Dance). In 1968, he performed in "Tatsumi Hijikata and the Japanese-Nikutai no Hanran". Both he and his wife, Hiroko Tamano, performed with Tatsumi. or "starting place of a journey". Their first performance was titled "Nagasu Kujira" or "Finback whale". He acted as artistic director for Harupin-Ha, choreographing works such as Swamp, Fetus of Nature (1988), Piece on Earth (1989), Wings of a Century - Life (1990), Wings of a Century - Death (1991), and MANDALOVE (1992).

In the '70s, in addition to Hangi Daitokan and Harupin-Ha, Koichi performed in "Shiki no tame no Nijyuu Nana Ban" or "27 Nights for Four Seasons" and "Hosotan" or "Story of Smallpox". Both of these pieces would later be revived during the Tamano's time in San Francisco.

Career in America Tamano first visited United States in 1976 to perform at the "Japan Now" SFMOMA exhibition. With this visit, he also had the goal of seeking out his grandfather who had moved to the United States in 1907. They taught Butoh in California and continued to perform around the world.

The Tamanos were honored with an Izzie Sustained Achievement Award in 2005.

Artistic collaborations After Tatsumi Hijikata's death in 1986, Tamano spent the next years in Japan, performing in memorial of Hijikata. These performances included an appearance at the 1986 "Hijikata Tatsumi Photo Exhibition", "Rashomon" in 1987 in Kyoto with Akaji Maro and DaiRakuda Kan, and "Romanov's Sea" in 1987 in Tokyo with Akiko Motofuji and M. Ishii.

In 2000, the couple performed in the world tour of Kitaro.