I should state straight off that "The Hijokaidan Story" that appeared in the previous issue of G-Modern was written over three years ago (as I write it is now October 1992). At the time I was told that Modern Music were going to publish a magazine and that they would like me to write an inside exposé of Hijokaidan. That was what appeared in the last issue. For various reasons it tool several years for G-Modern to be published. The fact that the manuscript that this author had imagined consigned to the vaults has finally seen the light of day is something that I suppose I should be meekly grateful for. However somehow I am also unable to avoid feelings of regret. "Why oh why didn't I write the whole story?" My acquaintances are well aware that the passing of those three years, and my alcohol consumption over that time, has caused a serious reduction in my writing ability (not to mention my powers of recall). It is sadly true that I no longer have the confidence to describe the events in as much detail as last time, and as such I beg for the readers' tolerance in advance.
To continue from where we left off. In April 1981 an event called "Answer '81 Part Two" took place at Takudaku in Kyoto. The lineup for this performance consisted of JoJo, Oka, Zuke, Kami, Semimaru, Woo, the author, plus a new member called Taniguchi (aka Taniyan - well known in certain quarters for having the biggest Zappa collection in Japan) on guitar. The performance-art aspect of Hijokaidan became more distinct at this show. In addition to the direct violence which they had expressed before, Oka and Zuke decided to convey physical loathing through every possible sensory medium. To this end, before the show they mixed garlic, raw fish and such like with buckets of putrid water. During the performance they started throwing these buckets around the stage. As it happened, I had not been forewarned about their plans and I was thus struck dumb with amazement. I remember being rooted to the spot, unable to move. Finally I drew some strength from the sight of Taniyan in his loincloth, his face shining with a certain type of innocence all the while continuing to wail on his guitar, and I was somehow able to continue with the performance. This show also marked the first time that Semimaru urinated on stage - a routine that at one time became almost synonymous with Hijokaidan. By the end of our performance, the entire venue stank so badly that it took over a week for the stench to fully dissipate. The next day we denied all knowledge of what had taken place.
I should also mention the other bands on the bill that night. There was Hoburakin, Auschwitz and the Kansai band C. Memi and Neo Matisse who gave us that famous "No Chocolate" single. I suppose today you would say that the bill was a mixture of new wave, techno pop and rap. Also on the bill was The Stalin, who were just beginning their meteoric rise to stardom. This was the first time that the members of Hijokaidan and The Stalin had met. In later years we would come to dominate Kansai, while they ruled the Tokyo scene. Members of both bands got to know each other over talk and alcohol in the dressing room, and we soon became very close friends. There was something especially enticing about Michiro's character. At this time The Stalin consisted of Michiro Kato on vocals, Atsushi Kaneko on guitar, Shintaro on bass and Jun Inui on drums. During their set some idiot threw an empty sake bottle at the stage. It turned out to be Igami who sang with Noizunzuri (who were known popularly as Zuri). Hayashi from Auschwitz and some others got really pissed off and started shouting that Zuri were shit and that they were going to kill Igami. It was a pretty explosive situation alright.
During this performance Hijokaidan managed to break a mike and a mikestand, and we were made to pay a fine of 30000 yen (about $250 US). From then on that sort thing started happening on a regular basis. At this time, as is apparent from incidents like the stinking water in buckets routine, there was a real communication gap between those members of the group who favoured the performance-art aspects and those who put more importance on the sound. This gap was also apparent a week later when we played at an extraordinary rock coffeeshop-cum-live space called Mantohihi in Osaka's Tenoji district, and Oka, Zuke and Semimaru didn't participate. The event was titled "The Certain Murder of New Wave Series, Part One," and the ostensible reason for the reduction in Hijokaidan's personnel was that the Mantohihi management didn't want any performance-art.
I should like to say a few words about Mantohihi. I first started going there because it was right next door to Hayashi from Auschwitz's place. The guy who ran it, Keizo Nakajima, drummed for Auschwitz and also played with Annon. It was a very strange place, which as far as I remember wasn't particularly popular. The club was forced to shut down when the whole area around Abaiya Station was redeveloped. Normally Mantohihi was open for business as a rock coffee-shop playing an unrestricted diet of American rock, but Nakajima somehow got caught up in the whole new wave scene and before he knew what had happened all the punk and new-wave kids started hanging out there, along with his old customers. Mantohihi was situated in a shopping street called Abeno Ginza that ran from Tenoji to Janjan Alley. The street had its own unique atmosphere (there was another coffeeshop that was open from six in the morning and had a shop-curtain dyed with the slogan "Asia Coffee"). Mantohihi itself had a psychedelic exterior. Even though there were never that many customers the place still had a unique sense of life. Various mysterious groups started playing live there, and even during the quiet times in the middle of the afternoon, depending on the band, the place would be packed out with an unbelievable number of fans. As far as I remember the band that drew the biggest audience was Hoburakin - there were so many people that some of them had to stand behind the bar. On the other hand, when Screen played as part of their LP release Kansai tour, even hours after the doors had opened there was a grand total of zero paying customers. The show was canceled. The area around Mantohihi had formerly been a licensed quarter and the regular customers used to enjoy going to bars that still preserved some of the old atmosphere. We're getting even further off the track now, but the late Kaoru Abe's mysterious "Winter '72" bootleg LP was a recording of a gig he played at Mantohihi.
I've gone all sentimental remembering Mantohihi, but anyway after that gig in the summer of 1981 Hijokaidan played twice in Tokyo. The first show was in June at Room 310 at the Hiyoshi dormitory of Keio University. The second was part of the week-long "Flight 7 Days" event that took place in August at the Shinjuku Loft.