We had a celebration for Koichi’s return home
50 days after his death.
~ ~ ~ 2026 January 1st, 8 AM.
3 big fire pits were ready.
Pouring rain seems get harder, , ,
Covered with an umbrella, trying to light a fire.
Buzz of bird, a falcon flies up from earth, flies away to the West.
Dead dove remained on the grass.
The first offering of the day.
We kept the fire bigger’n bigger, , ,
Thank you Rain.
Full of Sake in the cups,
Vanilla cream land, lemon paste Sunrise, gold flakes covered a chocolate cake, layered raspberry jam to share.
8 PM rain got harder.
I wander, , ,
The wild offers a wild!
What happened in the last 50 days?
~ ~ ~ November 13th, 2025.
Big sweat in the morning.
Walk to the kitchen table, no water, no meal.
Pale and sluggish.
Big excretion. Nap.
Up from nap to outside sunny chair.
So sluggish.
Ask our grandson to help him into the house.
A young man tried to get his grandfather to walk to the table.
Voice “de ki na i” (can not make it).
Collapse on the kitchen floor.
4:44 PM.
He wore 2 layers of kimono.
Thin white linen kasuri kimono on skin.
Cotton indigo kasuri kimono with backing wrapped him up.
Pink silk sash. Snow pattern wool leg warmers.
Ricestraw made sandals.
A silver coin in his hands and put them into his sash.
Bandana wrapped his head and said “Uchuu no Dai-Anshin”
(A big peace of mind in the Universe).
Stripped out from a sluggy flesh outfit.
He is an aura itself.
Aura world.
Old house: chairs, table, pots & pans ~ aura.
Outside of the house: pebbles, stones, weeds & trees ~ aura.
The old house itself ~ aura.
Birds & wind, cloud & Sunbeam ~ aura.
All vibrate harmonise to each other, never stop.
Waves of aura Ocean.
Everything is communicating with each other.
Little lives: birds, squirrels, bugs & tiny hiding insects ~ aura sparkling among the waves.
Drift out to the Ocean.
Photo of Koichi Tamano by Masako Akimoto
Koichi born into a family of 11.
9th child, 8th boy.
When he came, 3 brothers were around.
An Artisan family:
Mother, Chiyo, was a spinner of Hamamatsu Boseki.
Father, Yoshimi, was a piano tuner with Kawai Piano factory.
After graduating Junior high school,
Koichi started working at a car factory in Toyota City as a lathe turner of transmission.
1964 Tokyo Olympics:
Koichi visited Tokyo to see a pop singer’s concert with his friend.
Tokyo was full of energy one year before the Olympics.
Tokyo nightclubs!
Koichi decided to stay in Tokyo.
He got hired as a service waiter boy at Rokumei-kan Cabaret. It was a paradise of cash!
Encounter of Mr. & Mrs. Hijikata.
Dance duet on stage, dancer’s long hair keeps whipping the stage iron pole.
Entered Butoh study under Tatsumi Hijikata.
1964 ~ 1972. Graduation from Hijikata’s butoh school called Asbestos-kan.
Flag-raising performance stage:
Nagasu Kujira (Finback whale)
Artistic Director Koichi Tamano & Harupin -Ha * invisible troops.
USA experienced Butoh, first time: 1976
“Japan NOW” exhibition at SFMOMA. Koichi first visited United States.
Homebased in Berkeley, California since 1979.
Koichi’s father’s side grandfather had a barbershop in Little Tokyo in LA before WW2.
He had been missing after the war.
We find his death record several years later.
~ ~ ~
Butoh Works:
Fetus of Nature early 80s.
Maybe, we are not born yet? A traveler’s thought, , ,
Piece on Earth late 80s.
Among many layers of the Universe.
Clash & many many flakes, , ,
Strange vibration in the bright light.
Man da Love early 90s.
Butoh Mandala.
A Man in the Bubble late 90s.
This is an outline of Koichi Tamano’s life.
There are so many things & episodes in before & between.
If you have questions, please contact me.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to share about my long time partner, teacher & lover.
Deep bow,
Hiroko Tamano
