did Ono Kazuo get national living treasure status?

[Tanya Calamoneri]

Hi all - does anyone know if he ever got the status officially?  I found a few unreliable sources that said yes but there's nothing about it on the Ono website.  I just found this article by Gilles Kennedy from 2000 saying "yet to be granted national living treasure status."

Anyone know?

I know Tamano has it, but I don't think any other buto people do...

thanks for any info!  writing a short article and now fact checking...

best,
Tanya

--
PhD Candidate, Presidential Fellow
Temple University Department of Dance

Artistic Director, Company SoGoNo
www.sogono.org
718-207-3307

[Bruce Baird]

Tanya,

The Japanese wikipedia page on Ningen kokyho lists neither Ono nor Tamano.  The database for Agency for Cultural Affairs also lists neither.

http://www.bunka.go.jp/bsys/index.asp

What is your source for Tamano?

BB

Bruce Baird

Assistant Professor

Asian Languages and Literatures

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Butô, Japanese Theater, Intellectual History

717 Herter Hall

161 Presidents Drive

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, MA 01003-9312

Phone: 413-577-4992

Fax: 413-545-4975

ba...@asianlan.umass.edu

[Zack Fuller]

This is very very interesting. Several (not very reliable) websites say Tamano was "declared a national treasure by the Emperor of Japan." I'm curious to know Tanya's source as well. 

I love the blurb "yet to be granted national living treasure status." I could use that in my own press kit :)

-Z

[Bruce Baird]

I am pretty sure that people who leave Japan for 30 years are not usually declared national treasures by the Emperor.  And I also  think that is going to take a lot longer before butoh becomes sufficiently classical that a butoh artist is in line for that honor.  I think you will see manga and anime artists there long before butoh.  

[Tanya Calamoneri]

Fascinating.  I was confused too when I checked that list on Wikipedia...I have just read it in so many places I assumed it to be true!  I guess that's how people lie about having Harvard degrees too...

I just did a check on Wikipedia for "tamano koichi national living treasure" and every single reference is a theater or review or workshop announcement that they probably gave a bio to, so there's no way to verify that either.  huh.  I stand corrected!

thanks for the quick replies! Tanya

[Tanya Calamoneri]

That's very funny. And probably true...

[Megan Nicely]

I guess this is the costume jewelry version, passes for real in most
circles, and perhaps who's to know the difference! Well, except the
Emperor of course.