Ethics (Upd: Jun 18, ’25)

“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster.” – Friedrich Nietzsche¹

As with any artistic field, ethical issues are bound to surface. Within the butoh world, the topics can range from (1) separating the art/material from the artist/teacher; (2) consent within both participants and audience; and (3) cultural appropriation; (4) animal cruelty.

Separating Art & Artist

There are cases when the personal lives of butoh artists or teachers are found to be ethically questionable. If the case then turns into the sole justification against an artwork or teaching, then it is an example of a logical fallacy known as an ad hominem. This an argument based off on attack of character instead of the subject or topic at hand.²

Despite the seemingly baseless ground of attacking the art or material, once the secret is revealed, it cannot be unrevealed. The art is affected, but the degrees will vary. If the art or teaching material is not completely denounced, it may create an extra dimension of caution or reflection.

If an instructor is discovered to have a history of abuse, this can considered a direct conflict of interest because guiding assumes the opening of a safe environment.

We must also be careful not to blame the whole art for the actions of one or a few individuals. Doing so would fall into another logical fallacy known as a hasty generalization, which means generating a conclusion from a small sample size.

Consent

Consent is grounded on the modern trauma-informed pedagogical ideal of foremost facilitating a safe environment to practice in or observe.³ This involves developing communication skills within the space.

Consider the following:

As a guide, for new participants, first ask or communicate before engaging in a bodily correction. Because a correction may provoke a trauma, caution is advised.

During performance, it is not recommended to invade the audience’s body-space (touching, etc.), unless they have agreed prior to it via an announcement or through signed consents. For more information, see this Dance Magazine article.

Cultural Appropriation

Hijikata and Ohno’s creation of butoh was a conglomeration of varying cultural influences which were non-Japanese such as Genet, Sartre, deSade, Artaud, Bacon, Greek tragedy, Christianity, Argentinian tango, etc.⁴

However, borrowing a specific culture’s identity marker (e.g. kimono, traditional mask) can be problematic to some.

Animal Cruelty

Unfortunately, the very roots of butoh have been associated with animal cruelty.

In Tatsumi Hijikata’s first performance Forbidden Colors, a chicken was killed* between Yoshito Ohno’s legs.⁵ Also, in the Navel and A-Bomb butoh art film by Eikoh Hosoe and Hijikata, there was a long scene of a struggling chicken with its head cut off at the beach.

Shadowbody is firmly against animal cruelty.

Controversial Butoh Artists

There are two butoh artists in the world that I know of who have struck much controversy throughout the years. They are: (1) Rhizome Lee and (2) Katsura Kan.

Note: Although I have a conflict of interest, having personally known and studied under Rhizome Lee, I will present the information as neutrally and honestly as possible, adhering strictly to what has occurred to me even if some of the things cannot be proven.

Rhizome Lee

In August of 2019 during the Sesalac Butoh Festival in Sesalac, Serbia (also called Serbia Butoh Festival), one Subbody peer (anonymity kept), gathered all the other Subbody peers at the festival to claim that Rhizome Lee (real name Ryuji Oka) had been sexually inappropriate not only to her but to other Subbody peers.

The reaction was met with both shock and skepticism. The following month, I returned to Dharamsala (India), and on September 18 with Turkish butoh artist Özerk Sonat Pamir as witness, I had the opportunity to confront Rhizome Lee directly concerning these accusations. His response was more severe than we possibly could have expected.

He had confessed to having a problem with pedophilia, specifically saying “Lolita Syndrome.” He mentioned that throughout his years in Dharamsala (span of around 15 years), he had sexually touched inappropriately 3 underage girls.

Reaction

Needless to say, Ozerk and I were in shock. Julie Becton Gillum, a multiple butoh festival curator from Asheville, North Carolina, was with us during this whole ordeal. We had reached out and received council from a Dharamsala therapist Rajita Ramachandram regarding what we are to do in our situation since there were also 2 children currently living with Lee.

At the time, it was the beginning of the Autumn semester at Subbody. We had spoken to Lee that it would be best to share what he told us but to the whole class, which he agreed to. Hence, there were several witnesses to Lee’s confession regarding his problem with pedophilia. Outside of Julie Becton Gillum, the witnesses seek to remain anonymous.

Because I also acted as a facilitator to Subbody, I got all the money refunded back to the participants. For whoever wished to continue training, butoh resumed in another space in Dharamsala with guides Julie and Ozerk. I was too shocked to continue teaching, and had considered ending my butoh career.

During this time, we also contacted the Dharamsala police, who visited Lee’s residence but were unable to take action due to a lack of evidence. We additionally reached out to the former mayor of Dharamsala through two in-person visits to the Dharamsala Jagori NGO, but unfortunately, no resolution was achieved.

Since this event and the impact of the pandemic, Rhizome Lee’s Himalaya Subbody Butoh has not regained its former status as an international butoh academy. During the pandemic period, the school was primarily attended by Indian students, many of whom may not have been aware of Lee’s background.

In 2020, according to Rhizome Lee’s website subbody.net (which is no longer operating), Katsura Kan was interested in guiding there that year despite all the news spreading through social media. The email shared on the website from Katsura Kan can be viewed here. There was even a personal message notifying Kan of what Lee said to me, dated November 19, 2019 of which he replied, “Thanks for the information! Keep in touch.”

Why this might be significant to mention is because Katsura Kan is already viewed as a controversial butoh artist in the world.

For a more detailed account of the Rhizome Lee situation, see the Families Against Cult Teachings organization segment here.

Lee & Subbody Today

Although Lee is legally prohibited from teaching (due to a tourist visa status), he continues to do so, working with both Indian and international students. Subbody also continues to host guest butoh instructors. For example, Korean butoh artist Dust Gio facilitated butoh at the school in November 2024.⁷

Katsura Kan

Katsura Kan is a Japanese butoh dancer and choreographer who gained controversy through the civil wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Tibor Stern, the father of Sharon Stern.

Sharon Stern was a former student of Kan and died by suicide. The lawsuit alleged that Kan’s behavior and influence contributed to her death.

According to the court filings and subsequent media coverage, Stern’s family accused Kan of manipulating and exploiting Sharon.

The civil case Tibor Stern v. Terugoshi Kotoura was filed in Broward County, Florida, where in March 2019, a judge found Katsura Kan civilly liable for Sharon Stern’s death—legally affirming him as a contributing factor in her suicide.⁸ As of this writing, however, no criminal charges have been filed against Kan; the civil ruling remains the only legal determination of his liability.

There were motions to dismiss the case for lack of personal jurisdiction by NYC butoh artist Vangeline (real name Helene Gand), and Thai butoh artist Sonoko Shoji, but these motions were not granted.⁹

See publicly revealed emails of Katsura Kan here.

Professional Standards & Civil Liability

Katsura Kan’s reception within the butoh community is mixed—not only due to the civil court ruling that found him liable in connection with Sharon Stern’s death, but also because of widespread media coverage, which some view as sensationalized or exaggerated. Additionally, Sharon’s parents, Tibor and Hana Stern, have actively shared their perspective, further shaping public opinion.

An angle to consider though is that of professional standards within the field of care and education. While not an absolute measure, it offers a reasonable lens through which to assess the situation. In U.S. and Japan, for instance, civil liability alone has led to serious professional consequences such as losing the ability to practice in their field.^{10 11}

Applying this standard, it is reasonable to question Katsura Kan’s continued public teaching following his civil liability in Sharon Stern’s death. Some might argue, however, that there are individuals who, despite losing civil cases, have managed to keep their licenses and continue practicing in their professions.

It may then come down to the question, does it actually sit right in the conscience?

¹ Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900. Beyond Good and Evil : Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future. London, England ; New York, New York, USA :Penguin Books, 1990.

² “Ad Hominem.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2011. Web. 14 October 2019.

³ Janice Carello & Lisa D. Butler. Practicing What We Teach: Trauma Informed Educational Practice, Journal of Teaching in Social Work. 35:3. 2015. Page 264.

⁴Tanya Calamoneri (2008). Going Native: Ethics and American Cultural Appropriation of Butoh Dance. Congress on Research in Dance Conference Proceedings, 40, pp 36

⁵ Bruce Baird, Hijikata Tatsumi and Butoh: Dancing in a Pool of Gray Grits, New York 2011, p.19.

⁶ Hurley, P. J. (2011). A Concise Introduction to Logic. Cengage Learning. https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/100/Hasty-Generalization. 2019.

⁷ Ju, Gio. Facebook account photo. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=27446414711672192&set=pcb.27446419355005061

⁸ WSFL-TV. (2019, April 8). Father wins civil suit against dance cult leader who drove to daughter’s suicide. Retrieved from https://www.wsfltv.com/2019/04/08/father-wins-civil-suit-against-dance-cult-leader-who-drove-to-daughter-suicide

⁹ Defendant’s Exhibits – Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on Liability (Sharon Stern Wrongful Death Case), Kotoura Terugoshi, filed in Florida Circuit Court. Available at: https://trellis.law/doc/41428712/defendant-s-exhibits-defendant-s-opposition-to-plaintiff-s-motion-for-partial-summary-judgment-on-defendant-s-liabilit-for-wrongful-death-sharon-sterncaceparty-defendant-kotoura-terugoshi

¹⁰ “Maryland Revokes License of Dr. Mark Geier.” The Washington Post, 24 Apr. 2012, www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/maryland-revokes-license-of-dr-mark-geier/2012/04/24/gIQAzJUmfT_story.html. Accessed 18 June 2025.

¹¹“Medical Accident Administrative Measures — Based on Civil Judgments.” Medical Accident Information Center, 1 Apr. 2005, www.mmic-japan.net/2005/04/01/diary/. Accessed 18 June 2025.