Shūji Terayama

Shūji Terayama
Born(1935-12-10)December 10, 1935
DiedMay 4, 1983(1983-05-04) (aged 47)
Tokyo, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Occupations
  • Artist
  • Author
  • Poet
  • Dramatist
  • Director
  • Photographer
Years active1956-1983
Spouse
Kyoko Kujo
(m. 1963; div. 1970)

Shūji Terayama (寺山 修司, Terayama Shūji, December 10, 1935 – May 4, 1983) was a Japanese avant-garde poet, artist, dramatist, writer, film director, and photographer. His works range from radio drama, experimental television, underground (Angura) theatre, countercultural essays, to Japanese New Wave and "expanded" cinema.

Many critics view him as one of the most productive and provocative creative artists to come out of Japan. He has been cited as an influence on various Japanese filmmakers from the 1970s onward.