Cultural Originality through the Lens of Visual Kei
The following is an essay I wrote for an art history course at University of Michigan Ann Arbor as a bachelor student.
When attempting to analyze the characteristics of a certain facet of a culture, there is often much attention given to its “authenticity” or its “originality” despite it being a member of its respective culture. Although Japan is famous for the hybridity of many of the prominent elements of its culture, it is difficult to determine whether something is truly “Japanese”. This is because its influences can often be argued to come from Japan or from somewhere else, making its “Japaneseness” ambiguous. One can see this clearly in the Chinese influences gained since the early history of the country where architecture, language, and religion have been drastically changed. One can further extend this to more recent times with the cultural influences gained from the west with the ending of its isolation during the Edo period. Needless to say, many of Japan’s current products — anime, manga, art — have indeed have predecessors in the western world as well in Japan’s history, making authenticity objectively difficult to determine if not impossible. In other words, there may not be such a thing as a “pure” or “authentic” expression of a certain culture. This is displayed particularly well in a more modern genre of music in Japan known as Visual Kei.
Visual Kei is a genre of music popularized in Japan that is characterized by more colorful outfits and a more visual appearance that is similar in nature to cosplay or gothic fashion. This can best be seen by looking at the styles of clothing worn by one of the bands considered to be exemplary of the genre; X Japan. The group photograph of X Japan contains five male members in the clothing and makeup associated with their stage personas. One of the most noticeable features is that their natural hair color was abandoned in favor of neon red and brown to complement their long hair. In addition to this fact, their hair is arranged so that they hold more volume. For the two members on the top right, their hair has been arranged so that it stands up in the form of spikes. The other members have either curled their hair, or have used hairspray for greater volume — not unlike many of the hair bands of the 80’s. In regards to the clothing, the color scheme is mainly black with some bright color to complement the black clothing such as red or purple. The material used appears to be leather that is used to form jackets similar to the ones that are used by American biker gangs, but are longer and cover much more of the body, much like biker gangs in Japan. The final distinctive trait that can be seen in this photograph is the usage of makeup. For all five of the members, there is eyeliner and mascara used to darken the eyelids in a decorative manner. All members also use lipstick; which are either purple or red — much like their clothing and hair. Such usage could be suggestive of an emphasis on androgyny where more feminine qualities are meant to be pronounced. Such a possibility wouldn’t be invalid given that the members themselves do not possess masculine builds that would contradict such feminine qualities. According to Miyuki Hashimoto in Visual Kei Otaku Identity — An Intercultural Analysis (pg 12), “…not every Visual-Kei fan has a fetish tendency, but many of them in both Japan and Austria do so. This is obviously because of the influence of the strong visual expression of Visual-Kei artists.” In other words, this characteristic of playing with gender is very much abundant in other areas of Japanese culture, making it “Japanese” at least in the eyes outsiders, but the clothing itself may be derived from western culture.
But is it truly Japanese? There are some parallels in history that possess visual similarities to the world of Visual Kei. This is particularity true of the style of theater that came about in the beginning of the Edo Period known as Kabuki. Upon first glance of Yoshu Chikanobu’s print of a Kabuki scene, one can see the similarities and how they may apply to Visual Kei. In the foreground the artist placed three men in varying poses. Their clothing is traditional Japanese and contains bright colors. At their hips, one can see swords which suggests that they are warriors. However, given their poses one can see that their stances have little practicality in terms of martial arts. These poses seem to be more appropriate for showing off, rather than actual battle due to the lack of a purpose one may have in battle for holding a single shoe in one of their hands or lifting up the bottom of their clothes and showing their legs. If one were to then direct his or her attention to their faces, one would find the usage of makeup, but a short hairstyle that is traditional to men of the era — showing a preservation of masculinity. In contrast, the figures in the background have hairstyles that are traditional for women of the era. One would initially assume those figures to be female geishas. They pose in a way that is reminiscent of the figures of women in other wood block prints and they wear the kimono and makeup that is associated with geishas. However, the sharp angles and shape of their faces suggest that they are truly men — as opposed to traditional portrayal of women in wood block prints where faces are given softer angles and more of an oval-like face. This is typical of the “onnagata” in Kabuki plays. As stated by Gabrovska in Gender and Body Construction in Edo Period Kabuki, “The shoulders droop, knees are bent to reduce height, and most noticeable of all, the walk becomes a tiny, feminine gait with knees held together and toes pointed inward.” (pg 79). As can be seen clearly, there is not a single female figure with a straight posture which indicates an intention to show a more feminine side. In regards to Visual Kei, if there was a Japanese influence — whether direct or indirect — this is a possible historical precedent.
Conversely, there is also a possible western precedent that could be argued to have held a more direct impact towards the formation of the genre. This would be in the form of the first rock bands that have utilized a stage persona with a similar visual appearance. One such example would be of the band Kiss. Upon first glance of the album cover for the studio album Destroyer, four members of the band can be seen wearing non-traditional clothing. The clothing itself appears to be leather. Unlike the X Japan group photograph, there are slightly demonic features that are visible. One such feature can be found on the rightmost figure whose outstretched arm reveals something resembling the wings of a bat. What can also be seen on the same figure is the face of a monster on his boots. On the gloves that this figure is wearing, one can also see spikes. Although one can see a darker stage persona in this figure, it is difficult to find an indication of a feminine presence among the many traits that can be found on him. There is indeed makeup on his face, but it is not used to exaggerate feminine traits. Rather than makeup on a woman, the makeup seems to be utilized in the same way one might see it being used on a devilish clown — much like the Joker from the Batman comics. In other words, there is indeed a usage of makeup, but it seems more directed for shock value rather than an expression of femininity. This is further supported by the leftmost figure in the cover who clearly appears to have hair on his chest. In other words, there is much to suggest masculinity from the builds of the figures on the cover to the actual content on the cover to the name of the album itself. As a result, there is a similarity in the stage personas in terms of the usage of leather and makeup, but an obvious difference in purpose due to the more demonic imagery that accompanies it.
It is needless to say that Visual Kei is neither American rock, nor is it a modern form of Kabuki. Given that there are clear differences, would associating it with a specific country be appropriate when one considers that it may be the product of many? If that is the case, one must then consider the idea of a work of art or culture that cannot declare itself to belong to one country or another. In the case of the group photograph, there is nothing to suggest that the genre of music that the member play is specifically Japanese from the image itself. Likewise, with the album cover for the band Kiss, one can’t necessarily find anything that suggests that the band is American. Conversely, one could suggest that there is some Japanese influence that was involved in the making of Kiss’ appearance. As stated by Gene Simmons in Kiss and Makeup, “Later on in our career, when we went to Japan, the reporters there wondered if our makeup was indebted to the Japanese Kabuki style. Actually mine was taken from the Bat Wings of Black Bolt, a character in the Marvel comic The Inhumans. The boots were vaguely Japanese, though — taken from Gorgo or Godzilla — and the rest of the getup was borrowed from Batman and Phantom of the Opera…” (pg 74). In other words, only the boots could have had some Japanese influence, which would not make the band’s entire appearance Japanese. However, it would not necessarily be entirely American either — if one were to judge authenticity strictly. The same could be applied to the case of Visual Kei; the leather could be from western influence, the makeup could be from the Japanese Kabuki, the androgyny could be European or Japanese. This does not change the fact, though, that there is no clear culture it subscribes to — it is not pure.
The same is true of many other works, and in the case of more modern works like the various images associated with Visual Kei, the assignment of choosing a specific culture can become even more convoluted when one realizes that different bands may not only be a Frankenstein of many cultures, but that those cultures vary from band to band. This is indicative of a truth that not all works can be assigned a culture and can further be representative of a possibility that there is no such thing as an “original” culture — meaning that authenticity is a subjective term that is determined by those who are given the task of categorization rather than something that is objectively clear cut. The reason for this is because all works will require something to serve as inspiration — something to serve as the spark of motivation to move the artist to construct their work in the first place. In other words, a culture assigned to a work may simply be a representation of the perspective of the viewer who categorized the work and deemed it “authentic”. As stated by Napier stated in Japonisme from Monet to Van Gogh: “Above all to make you see” in regards to western views of Japan, “Japan itself would become a phenomenon that was both real and unreal; its representation would be subject to an enormous variety of approaches, as Westerners discovered and developed their own versions of the country…” (pg 26). This means that for some people, a work may be authentic, while for others it may not.
Given that authenticity varies, it would be difficult to prove that there truly is a “pure” or “authentic” representation of a culture when such purity has little consistency in the way it is evaluated. One can see this clearly in the way Visual Kei may be thought to be derived from both the west and Japan, making it impossible to determine which of the two it is a product of. “Authenticity”, is, in other words, a human creation that has been given value precisely because purity has a positive connotation. Because of this, it is an abstract concept that has little standing in concrete terms when applied in an objective format and thus, does not exist.
Rockin F Magazine, Jan 1990 Color
Rocking F; We Rock 1. 1990. Print.
Yoshu Chikanobu/Toyohara Chikanobu, Kabuki Scene, 1885
“Hara Shobo Japanese Ukiyo-e Prints.” Hara Shobo Japanese Ukiyo-e Prints. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <http://www.harashobo.com/english/>.
Kiss, Destroyer Studio Album
Kiss. Destroyer. Casablanca. 1976. Digital Capture.
Bibliography:
Gabrovska, Galia. “Gender and Body Construction in Edo Period Kabuki.” Core Ethics 5 (2009): 71–87. Print.
“Hara Shobo Japanese Ukiyo-e Prints.” Hara Shobo Japanese Ukiyo-e Prints. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <http://www.harashobo.com/english/>.
Hashimoto, Miyuki. “Visual Kei Otaku Identity — An Intercultural Analysis.” (2007): 87–99. Print.
Kiss. Destroyer. Casablanca. 1976. Digital Capture.
Min, Yuen Shu. “Kusanagi Tsuyoshi X Chonangang: Transcending Japanese/Korean Ethnic Boundaries in Japanese Popular Culture.” Asian Studies Review: 1–20. Print.
Napier, Susan. “Japonisme from Monet to Van Gogh: “Above All to Make You See”” From Impressionism to Anime: 20–49. Print.
Rocking F; We Rock 1. 1990. Print.
Simmons, Gene. Kiss and Make-up. Unabridged. ed. New York: Crown Group, 2013. Print.
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