Shuji Terayama

Shuji Terayama (Japanese: 寺山修司, Terayama Shūji) (1935–1983) was an avant-garde Japanese dramatist, writer, and director. He was born January 10, 1935, the first-born son to a family in the northern Japanese prefecture of Aomori. He entered Aomori Prefectural High School in 1951, and in 1954 went on to prestigious Waseda University's Faculty of Education to study Japanese language and literature education. At this time he was also involved in poetry and at 18 was the second winner of the Tanka Studies Award.

In 1967, Terayama started an experimental cinema and gallery called 'Universal Gravitation,' which is in fact still in existence at Misawa as a resource center. He often worked with composer J.A. Seazer.

Terayama died December 10, 1983 from cirrhosis of the liver.

Works

His directorial oeuvre is well-known for its experimental quality and includes:

• Throw Away Your Books, Let's Hit the Streets! (1971)
• Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1972)
• Death in the Country (1974)
• Boxer (1977)
• Fruits of Passion (1981)
• Grass Maze (1983)
• Farewell Ark (1984)