rity Treaty and student activism on campus. The Japanese were torn between an obsession with progress and the refuge in nostalgia. The new left counter¡Vculture saw the progress with western alliance as the ¡§empty promises of a society inextricably driven towards greater degrees of social control¡ , hence was determined to change the shape of society and culture identity. These Avant-garde artist fiercely challenged Shingeki theatre that was dominant at the time, developed under the influence and adoption of European dramatists, such as Ibsen and Chekhov. Their aim was to create a Japanese contemporary theatre that was firmly rooted in the character of Japan, that was truly original; that was not a pale imitation of western drama.
             The central problem presented to these angura artists was the sense that life in post war Japan was empty and meaningless because it was separated from the origins of Japanese culture. They thus sought ways to escape conformity and discover a sense of liberation and purpose through theatre. Theatre practices became extremely experimental and non-conventional, as one of the most important founder of the movement, Terayama Shuji described that theatre should ¡§ take power with imagination¡ . The structure of these angura plays developed complexity, where the past, present and future was submerged and distorted, the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary, the reality and the illusionary, crumbled away. Suzuki Tadashi, the founder of the Waseda Shogekijo theatre group, developed what became known as the unique 'Suzuki method¡ of physical training, that emphasized the way in which the lower part of the actors body was used, which evolved into a totally original style that emphasis the actor¡s body on stage. This was an attempt to absorb the traditional Japanese view of theatre, where the acting was considered the most important. One of the major achievements of Shogekijo was the numerous...