Asian American theater, including Japanese-Americans, began in 1965 when Japanese-born actor Mako Iwamatsu founded the theater company East-West Players (EWP) in Los Angeles. Eight years later, in 1973, the Asian American Theatre Company (AATC) was launched in San Francisco, and Philip Gotanda, a third-generation Japanese-American from San Francisco, became deeply involved in these two theater companies that were established on the West Coast.
From music to the stage
Gotanda's grandparents were from Hiroshima Prefecture. His maternal grandfather came to the United States and worked for the railroad in the Midwest before settling in Stockton, California. His paternal grandfather emigrated to Hawaii, and Philip's father, Wilfred Itsuta Gotanda, was also born and raised in Hawaii with his 13 siblings, but after studying medicine on the mainland he opened a practice in Stockton. Wilfred met and married Katherine Matsumoto, who was a teacher there. They had just begun their married life when World War II broke out and the couple was sent to the Lower Internment Camp in Arkansas. After the war, they returned to Stockton, where Philip was born in 1951.
Philip grew up in an overwhelmingly white neighborhood in the 50s and 60s. It was a time and environment where it was unthinkable to see things from a Japanese American perspective. From the time he was old enough to understand, he recognized the artistic and serious parts of himself. In the "fluctuation" between these two sides, he picked up a guitar at the age of 13, wrote songs, formed a band, and became obsessed with music.
In the late 1960s, anti-Vietnam War movements and the black civil rights movement took hold in the United States. The concept of "Asian Americans" was created, and the circumstances surrounding them changed dramatically in conjunction with these social conditions. Gotanda, who was caught up in this vortex as a university student, was unable to keep up with ideas such as Yellow Power and racism. Student strikes made it difficult for him to attend classes. Then, talk of an exchange program to Japan came up, and he decided to participate in it and go to Japan to rediscover himself. This was in 1970.
Although he had difficulty adjusting to Japan at first, he soon became interested in Japanese culture, especially pottery, and studied pottery in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture. He realized how comfortable it was to live among Japanese people who looked the same as him, and how stress-free it was. However, he also realized that he was an American, and returned to the United States with a new vision. This experience in Japan had a great impact on Gotanda, and it is reflected in his plays from time to time.
Returning to the United States and enrolled at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he became interested in the cultural aspects of the Asian American movement and was inspired by Japanese-American poet Lawson Inada, Filipino poet Jessica Hagedorn, Japanese-American musicians Chris Iijima and Nobuko Miyamoto, and the jazz band Hiroshima. Gotanda had been interested in music since high school, and even after graduating from college in 1973, he continued to work as a singer-songwriter, singing at various venues, incorporating his own identity into his songs. He even auditioned for Hiroshima as a singer. Although he did not end up joining Hiroshima, this was the beginning of his friendship with the band's leader, Dan Kuramoto.
Despite these creative endeavors, Gotanda maintained another "steady side." He entered law school in 1975 and obtained his law degree in 1978. The "unstable" side he had been experiencing since childhood had continued up until this point. This may have been due in part to the influence of his father, who was a doctor. However, after this, he boldly turned to the arts. Not through singing, but through the stage, seeking a place for expression. To borrow his own words, he was no longer satisfied with just singing his own songs.
He wrote a rock musical based on the Japanese tale of Momotaro called "The Avocado Kid," which opened at the EWP in Los Angeles to rave reviews in 1979. It was a time when Asian American theater companies were looking for new plays written by Asian Americans, and Gotanda's arrival fit the bill.
So far, Gotanda has presented about 20 plays, and his works are currently being performed not only in small Asian theaters, but also in large theaters such as the Huntington Theatre in Boston and the Mark Taper Forum in New York, as well as in the UK and Japan. In Japan, three of his plays have been performed under the titles "The Wash," "A Song for a Nisei Fisherman," and "Sisters Matsumoto," respectively. First, I would like to introduce these three plays.
*This article is a reprint of the fifth installment of the column series "From the Perspectives of Two Countries" in Renso Publishing 's online magazine "Kaze," which features information about new books, such as articles linking new books to current issues and daily topics, as well as monthly bestsellers and review columns of new books.
© 2009 Association Press and Tatsuya Sudo
