was a Japanese dancer and choreographer who was a leading inheritor of Tatsumi Hijikata's original vision of Butoh.
Born in Tokyo, Japan, Murobushi studied under Tatsumi Hijikata starting in 1969, and after a short experience with Yamabushi mountain monks, he became a co-founder of the Butoh company "Dairakudakan" together with Akaji Maro and several others.
In 1974, he was the editor-publisher of the Butoh newspaper Hageshii Kisetsu (La saison violente) and became a producer for the all-female Butoh company "Ariadone-no-Kai," for which he then continued to produce and choreograph.
In 1976, he founded the Butoh studio "Hokuryukyo" in the mountains and founded his own Butoh group "Sebi." He brought Sebi and Ariadone to Europe and contributed to the recognition of Butoh in Europe. Le Dernier Eden - Porte de l’au – delá proved a success in Paris in 1978.
His choreographies Zarathustra and Lotus Cabaret also proved to be a success in 1981, and his Utt for Ariadone and his solo En in 1981 and 1983 were followed by a large tour through Europe. It was at this time that Ko Murobushi settled down in Paris and made Paris the European capital of the Butoh movement.
From 1985 onwards, he concentrated on duo productions for several years. In 2003, he established his own unit "Ko & Edge Co." in Japan.
For his choreographies as well as his solo performances, he was invited to numerous international dance festivals such as the ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival, the Montpellier Dance Festival, the Dance Festival London Dance Umbrella, Biennale di Venezia, and many others.
Murobushi's last solo performances are called Ritournelle and Faux pas. His last duo performance with Bartabas is titled Le centaure et l'animal, and his last choreograph is Enthusiastic Dance on the Grave.
On June 18, 2015, Ko Murobushi died while in transit at the Mexico City International Airport from a heart attack at the age of 68.
Biography 1967–1969 1967 Started the event group "Mandoragora." Experimentally ran a variety of event performances in the street and indoors, such as A funeral procession for Marilyn Monroe, Chrysanthemum, Sacred flag – A solar eclipse, CAN, etc.
1968 First encounter with Hijikata through Hijikata's solo, Hijikata Tatsumi and Japanese People: Revolt of the Body (Nippon Seinen-kan, Tokyo, Japan)
1969 Studied with Tatsumi Hijikata and spent 18 months living at Asbestos Studio
1970–1979 1970 Researched on Shugendo that he had long been interested in as the theme of his university thesis, and practiced "Yamabushi" (practices asceticism) twice, in the spring course and in the autumn course. Attained the first grade.
1972 Co-founder of the Butoh company Dairakudakan (with Maro Akaji) Dance Anzu Machine, the debut performance of Dairakudakan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Japan)
1973 Kinkondoria Reshiantoyata, Dairakudakan (Tokyo, Japan) Myth of the Phallus, Dairakudakan (Tokyo, Japan)
1974 Established Kaiou Planning ("The king of ocean planning") Editor-Publisher of the first Butoh Newspaper Hageshii Kisetsu (la Saison Violente) Producer and Choreographer of the female Butoh Company ARriadone. (1974–1985) Sumera Daikougan, Dairakudakan, Tama River (Tokyo, Japan) Danniku Monogatari, Dairakudakan, Nihon Seinenkan (Tokyo, Japan)
1975 Mesukazan, Ariadone no Kai debut performance. Producer: Kaiou Planning, Director: Maro Akaji, Choreography: Maro Akaji, Ko Murobushi, Ushio Amagatsu, several members of Dairakudakan (Tokyo, Japan) Ranchujingi, Dairakudakan, Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan)
1976 Founded the all-male Butoh company "Butoh-Ha Sebi" and founded the Butoh Studio Hokuryukyo (Fukui, Japan) performed the opening performance KOMUSO (Wandering Monk) Arashi, Dairakudakan, Toranomon Hall (Tokyo, Japan) Mesukazan Vol.II Le Blue du Ciel (Ariadone no Kai), Direction, Choreography: Members of Dairakudakan (Tokyo, Japan)
1977 Hinagata as the debut performance of Sebi, Hokuryukyo (Fukui, Japan) Zougerei, Dairakudakan (Nagoya, Kyoto, Japan). Mesukazan Vol. III SHISEI, Ariadone no Kai (Tokyo, Japan) Performed at the cabaret 'Jardin' (Paris, France)
1978 The first Butoh creation in Europe. Choreographed and directed Le Dernier Eden: porte de l’au-dela for Sebi and Ariadone (Mesukazan), Nouveau carré Silvia Monfort (Paris, France) Kaze Sakashima, Dairakudakan (Tokyo, Japan). Hinagata II: Jour sans jours, Nuit sans nuits, Hokuryukyo (Fukui, Japan)
1979 Hinagata III: Die Welt its in Cabarett—Saint Duke Cabaret or Spasm Toward the Other Shore (Ishikawa, Toyama, Fukui, Japan) Binbou na Hito, Dairakudakan, Toyotama Garan (Tokyo, Japan)
1980–1989 1980 Hinagata IV: Organ and Vitriol "Lotus Cabaret '80s" (Fukui, Japan) Choreographed Z/A 1980☆Zarathoustra for AriadoneE, Sogetsu Hall (Tokyo, Japan) La Mome [Solo], Sogetsu Hall (Tokyo, Japan) Hinagata V: Tarahumara Trans "Lotus Summer Cabaret '80s, in Hokuryukyo" (Fukui, Japan) Choreographed A Choreograph of Chorea for Ariadone and Sebi, (Tokyo, Japan) Anin no Hikari, Dairakudakan, Toyotama Garan (Tokyo, Japan)
1981 Artistic Director of SebiI and the company Ariadone. (1981–84) Hinagata VI: Mummy–Hierophany (Tokyo, Japan) Choreographed Utt as Carlotta Ikeda's solo performance, Sogetsu Hall (Tokyo, Japan) Opened the live underground cabaret "Shy." Opening solo performance Hinagata VII: Neon ou Neant, Minami Aoyama (Tokyo, Japan) Zarathustra, toured France and Belgium. Lotus-Cabaret for Sebi and Ariadone, Georges Pompidou Center (Paris, France).
1982 Hinagata VIII Sebi, Theatre Gestuel Paris (Paris, France). Zarathoustra, toured Europe. Zarathoustra, toured across Theatre Municipal (Paris, France), Theater 11 (Zürich, Switzerland), Maison de la Danse (Lyon, France), Nouveau carré Silvia Monfort (Paris, France), * The Round House Theater (London, UK), etc.
1983 iki-1 [Solo], Maison des Cultures du Monde (Paris, France) Choreographed Utt for Carlotta Ikeda [Solo], Festival Klap-stuk (Bergium) Choreographed La Nuit for Michel Bruel Ballet, (Paris, France) Zarathoustra, Plus la peine de frimer (France), C. A. C. Théâtre (Angoulême, France) and Teatro Principal (Valencia, Spain), etc.
1984 iki-2 [Solo], Maison des Cultures du Monde (Paris, France) Improvisation for Natsuyuki Nakanishi, "Private Exhibition of Narsuyuki Nakanishi," (Tokyo, Japan) Zarathusra, Utt, toured Israel, Austria, Spain, Swiss, Holland
1985 IKI 2, Chapter Arts Centre (Cardiff, UK) Dehors [Solo], "Avignon Février de Danse" (Avignon, France) 9creations with Wim Mertens and Carlotta Ikeda, Original tape music Takehisa Kosugi and Osamu Goto, Festival "Buto '85," Espace Kiron (Paris, France) Choreographed Hime for Ariadone, Festival "Montpellier Danse" (Montpellier, France) Monsieur Kafka [Trio], Serapions Theater (Vienna, Austria)
1986 Corps Nomade: Hommage a la memoire de Tatsumi Hijikata, Studio 200 (Tokyo, Japan) Performed in Glenn Branca Orchestra Concert, Iikura Hall (Tokyo, Japan) Founded KO Murobishi Company. Directed and choreographed Pantha Rhei with 50 European Dancers for UNESCO's 40s Anniversary, UNESCO (Paris, France) Choreographed and performed Les Larmes D'Eros [Ko Murobushi Company], Rovereto Festival (Italy) Choreographed Hime for the company Ariadone (Zürich, Swiss)
1987 Les Larmes D'Eros, Théâtre de Corbeil-Essonnes, Amiens and Théâtre de l'Olivier à Istres (France)
1988 HOH, "Butoh Trans media III," Chofu Green Hall (Tokyo, Japan) Ephemere with Urara Kusanagi [Duet], "Festival 'Danse à Aix" (Aix-en-Provence, France) Les Larmes D'Eros, Ko Murobushi Company, toured France.
1989 Le Cycle Des Stupeurs [Ko Murobushi Company], "Festival de Lille" (Lille, France) Ephemere with Urara Kusanagi [Duet], toured Germany and France. Choreographed Mayu for Urara Kuasanagi, Tanz Project Koeln (Koeln, Germany) Kaiin No Uma, Dairakudkan, (Aichi, Japan)
1990–1999 1990 Station-Event at Strasbourg, Direction and choreograph (Strasbourg, Swiss) Ephemere, Werkstadt Duesseldorf (Duesseldorf, Germany) EN [Solo], toured France, Germany, Italy. Le Cycle des Stupeurs, (Duesseldorf, Germany)
1991 EPHEMERE and EN, toured Mexico, Italy, France, Germany. Quiet Sand in UTOPIA, choreography for Company No-Made (Freiburg, Germany)
1992 Directed and choreographed Mamushi for the opening of "Mamu Festival" (Ko Murobushi, Urara Kusanagi, Tadashi Endo [Trio]), (Göttingen, Germany) Directed and choreographed Chirdren's Crusade [Dance Opera], Awar Tanz Theater, Gasteig (Munich, Germany) Ephemere, toured Caracas (Venezuela) and Bogota (Colombia) En (Bremen, Germany) Nomadic Blue [Solo], ImPulsTanz International Dance Festival (Vienna, Austria) Pie [Solo Improvisation] with Alain Mahe, Allonne Festival (Allonne, France) Dove Siete? Io Sono Qui [Cinema], directed by Liliana Cavani (Rome, Italy)
1993 Ai-Amour with Carlotta Ikeda [Duet], Dansens Hus, Sweden, toured Denmark, Netherlands, Bergium, Italy, Swiss, Auatria, England, France. Choreographed White Presence for Urara Kusanagi, "Tanzprojekte Köln" (Cologne, Germany) Out of ... Ephemere (Ko Murobushi, Urara Kusanagi), Odeon Theater (Vienna, Austria)
1994 Errance with Urara Kusanagi [Duet], Odeon (Vienna, Austria) Dehors, Salle Léo Lagrange (Limoges, France)
1995 WORKING PROCESS with Urara Kusanagi [Duet], (Göttingen, Germany) Sebi with Urara Kusanagi [Duet], La Fonderie (Le Mans, France) Working Process, Festival "Mostra 95" (São Paulo, Brasilia and Curitiba, Brazil) Working Process, Cankarjev Dom (Ljubljana, Slovenia) SebiI, Théâtre National de Bretagne (Rennes, France)
1996 In Chance [Solo], "MAMU Feastival" (Goettinen, Germany) Working Process, Tahfel Halle (Nuernberg, Germany)
1997 In Silence (Music Patrick Molard and Alain Mahé), Le Quartz (Brest, France) Working Process, "Dance Week Festival" (Zagreb, Croatia)
1998 Workshop, Studio T (Xalapa, Mexico) Edge, improvisation with Anna Clementi, "Festival Suoni del Corpo" (Rome, Italy) Improvisations in "Hijikata '98", Dance Hakushu (Yamanashi, Japan), Trpsichole, Gallery Tom, Setagaya Public Theater Tram, (Tokyo, Japan)
1999 Choreographed Haru No Saiten: Un Sacre de Printemps for AriadoneE, Théâtre de la Bastille (Paris, France) Workshop: Pro Series, "Internationale Sommertanzwochen Wien" (Vienna, Austria) Choreographed for Vera [Cinema], Directed Francisco Athié, Dance and Act Urara Kusanagi, Estudios Churubusco (Churubusco, Mexico) Ximprovisation (Graz, Austria)
2000–2009 2000 Dissection d’un homme armé [Choreographed by Bernardo Montetl, Théâtre de la Ville (Paris, France), Théâtre National de Bretagne (Rennes, France) and Le Quartz (Brest, France) Another Human, Another Thing (Soto No Hito, Ta No Mono) [Solo], Torii Hall (Osaka, Japan) Untitled [Solo], Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (Rome, Italy) Coaching Project, ImPulsTanz International Dance Festival (Vienna, Austria) Edge [Solo], die Pratze Kagurazaka (Tokyo, Japan)
2001 Edge 01 [Solo], David Zambrano Invites [Guest improvisation with David Zambrano], Workshop: PRO Series and Supervisor for Akemi Takeya's Black Honey Drops, "ImPulsTanz: Vienna International Dance Festival," (Vienna, Austria) Edge 01: Face with Valentina Castro, Raul Parrao and Rodrigo Angoitia, "Festival Arte 01," Teatro de la Danza (Mexico City, Mexico) Poetry Readings [Improvisation with Ben Shozu], Musashi University (Tokyo, Japan) Kuchinoha Christmas with Koichi Makigami (Voice), Lauren Newton (Voice) and Ko Ishikawa (Sho), Ochanomizu Christian Center (Tokyo, Japan) Ko vs Kota with Kota Yamazaki, De Pratze Kagurazaka (Tokyo, Japan) Edge 01 [Solo and collaboration with V.Castro, R. Angoitia, R.Parrao], Theater Tram, (Tokyo) Edge-Warsaw, Maty Theater (Warsaw, Poland) Edge-ExTra (Sapporo, Japan) Workshops in Warsaw, London, Mexico City, Marseille.
2002 "The U.S.-Japan Choreographers Exchange Residency Project" (Dance Theater Workshop, Japan Society and Japan Contemporary Dance Network), (Philadelphia, New York, USA)