Shirotama Hitsujya – Artistic Director YUBIWA Hotel Performing Arts Company, play writer, producer and actress

I was born in 1967, Hokkaido, North Island, a lot of snow and ice. My father worked for Japan railway, so my family moved a lot, I have one younger brother. For three years we move, my childhood so many moving and travelling.

First memory

I was four or five, Ainu village is my neighbour, I have Ainu friend, her mother, her sister were singing and playing mouth harp, I saw many crows arriving, getting together, crow is god for Ainu also bear is god, salmon is god for Ainu. Many crows get together, I saw the black sky, my friends mother and sister singing a song and playing instrument in a circle and then the crows came. Ritual – Ainu ritual, maybe crow like that sound.

Primitive

Rabbit piece, Lascaux; ah George Bataille I love, French philosopher 20th century, anthropology ‘reading’ his book ‘La Peinture Préhistorique: Lascaux, ou la Naissance de l’Art, he said of Lascaux the picture, first art for human being. Primitive, cave drawing, animals, I like. The picture inside the cave in southwester France, children discover, found the cave and went inside.