Komori-uta (Lullaby)

February 15 – 17, 2002
On The Boards
100 W Roy Street
Seattle, Washington

April 13 - 15, 2000
Northwest New Works Festival
On The Boards

Komori-uta (Lullaby), a multi-media performance work about the experiences of a Japanese war bride and her son in America, premiered at On The Boards on March 23, 2000 and was performed later in February 2002.

Komori-uta is an intimate story of loss and survival set against an epic landscape shaped by history and memory.  Focusing on the experiences of a Japanese war bride and her son, this multi-media work is an innovative blend of dance, theatre, film, sound, and music.  Komori-uta draws upon a variety of sources including Japanese folklore, Hollywood musicals, modern dance, post-butoh expressionism, early animé, and home movies and newsreels to bring to life a post-World War II-era Japan in flux, a post-war America of infinite promise, and a limbo world where dream and reality intertwine.

In the aftermath of World War II, there were many marriages between native Japanese women and American military men stationed in Japan.  Against the odds, these interracial marriages took place in a climate of lingering war resentment and open racial prejudice.  Between 1946 and 1960, a number of these women, dubbed "war brides," came with their husbands to the United States.  While many of these interracial families were initially segregated to remote military posts, some ended up isolated elsewhere.  Having left behind everything they knew, these women found themselves virtually alone in a strange and sometimes hostile environment.  While most were able to adapt to their new life, some did not.

Many traditional Japanese lullabies came from the experience of young girls forced to leave their impoverished families and work as nursemaids.  These girls sang not only to lull the children in their care to sleep but also to comfort themselves in an unfamiliar situation far from home.  With limited avenues of expression, these girls sang of longing and heartache, even disillusionment and anger to the gentlest of melodies.  If they were lucky, they were able to visit home during Obon, the late summer festival honoring dead ancestors.  These young girls' songs eventually became part of popular culture and have been sung by mother to child for generations.