Archive of an article originally published in Sankei Digital iRONNA, February 11, 2019
Author: Hiroko Konishi Photo: the author（TV：Guest）
In the Chinese legendary novel Water Margin, written during the Ming dynasty, there appears a shrine in which a demon king had been sealed away.
The shrine was surrounded by red earthen walls, and under the eaves hung a sign with the words “Hall of Subduing Demons” written in gold. Protective talismans were pasted all over the front door, which was locked with a copper-reinforced lock. Inside the shrine sat a huge monolith about three meters square, beneath which was said to be a deep bottomless pit.
In the Tang period, it is said that a Taoist priest, Master Dongxuan, sealed the demon king in that pit, and the shrine built there became the famous “Hall of Subduing Demons.”
Because it was a place where a demon king had been sealed, the term came to mean “a hall where demons lurk,” and by extension, “a place where plots and evil deeds are constantly being devised.” In the past, former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara were also known to have used this expression in political remarks. In recent years, some media outlets have even reported on PTAs by likening them to such a “den of demons.”
Incidentally, Water Margin begins with a scene in which an official from the capital forcibly opens this shrine, releasing the demon king into the world. The 108 heroes who later gathered at Liangshan Marsh to overthrow corrupt officials were also born from that episode. In modern society, however, movements are flourishing to make widely known the evil deeds of demon kings who harm the world — things that should rather be “released into the world.”
The #MeToo movement, which swept across Europe and the United States by exposing sexual harassment and sexual violence, can be seen as a symbol of that.
Japan’s #MeToo and Harassment, Seen as Political Images
In Japan, the #MeToo movement has not quite gained the same momentum. As for myself, I was once taken up in an article in connection with #MeToo regarding the “NHK Ojarumaru cast-change controversy.” Even so, compared with Europe and the United States, I often acutely feel the difference in temperature in Japan when it comes to harassment against women in weaker positions.
My work is what is commonly called that of a “voice actor”: providing voices for characters in animation and other works, or recording narration. It may sound strange to say this myself, but the peak of my career as a voice actor was around the age of twenty. This story is now more than twenty years old. In fact, even in the voice-acting industry, there were things like company drinking parties and recreational trips, and I often went drinking or traveling with program staff and fellow performers.
It may be hard to believe, but I am actually rather poor at conversation and not very good at socializing. And yet I became an actor and musician, and for some reason even worked as a television host and as a regular on variety programs. Readers may find this difficult to understand, but I am actually not good at appearing in front of people, and appearing on programs always felt like a test of courage.
I Do Not Drink, I Am Bad at Socializing, and I Am Not a Person Who Pours Drinks
At that time, about twenty years ago, I was almost always the youngest person at any workplace. Even so, when I was suddenly invited on a recreational trip with staff, I felt, “What am I supposed to do?” Still, feeling the atmosphere around me, or perhaps an invisible pressure, I attended several times, thinking that I should at least show my face out of gratitude to those who had been taking care of me.
Alcohol and cigarettes were completely unrelated to me. I was terribly bad at mixing drinks, pouring drinks for others, or making witty conversation. I remember envying people who, like in a scene from a TV drama, could naturally go around pouring drinks and enlivening the atmosphere.
Myself, Trying Hard While Enduring the Encouragements Around Me
When I was called to such banquets several times, a certain veteran male voice actor stopped me and said, “Do you want me to tell you why ○○ gets work?” — referring to a certain popular female voice actor. He also said, “Actors live in the world of kawara-kojiki.” Such words, which today would surely spread through #MeToo, were suddenly spoken to me.
Moreover, the former president of the agency I belonged to at the time, Mr. X, told me, “You have to go out and sell yourself…” A female voice actor who was in the same agency also whispered something mysterious to me, such as, “Just doing your best at acting isn’t enough!” For me, who had entered the world of voice acting and acting believing that it was a world where ability mattered, this naturally became a deep source of concern.
That said, even though I was bad at socializing, I still had a certain amount of work coming in at the time. Because of how busy I was with work, I began to attend banquets less often. Then one day, I was invited on a recreational trip with staff led by anime director A.
I had work until evening that day, but as soon as it ended, I headed to the lodging place in the car of my manager at the time, Mr. B. It was during that car ride. Mr. B asked me, “By the way, did you bring a swimsuit?” Come to think of it, I remembered that during an administrative meeting, there had been some talk about swimsuits in an open-air bath.
Deceived Under the Name of a Recreational Trip, the Destination Turned Out to Be a Mixed-Gender Hot Spring
“Wasn’t that a joke?” An unpleasant feeling crossed my mind. I asked directly, “Why do I need a swimsuit?” Mr. B replied, “Of course, I suppose you can go in without one, but…”
“You are always being taken care of, so you should provide at least a little service, shouldn’t you? You owe A so much, so at least go in with him a little!” he said to me in a coercive tone, with what felt for a moment like murderous anger.
“No, no. Even if I am indebted to them, why must I get into an open-air bath together with them? This is not some two-hour TV drama. It is impossible.” Because it was so sudden, I tried to convince myself, “This must be B’s bad joke,” and at that moment I vaguely stared out the car window.
I do not remember how long I was swayed in the car. At last, we arrived at the inn, and the first thing that caught my eye was a sign reading “Mixed-Gender Open-Air Bath.” My unpleasant premonition had become reality. The thought “Was I deceived?” crossed my mind, but there was no way I could say I was going home at that point, and I was quickly shown to a twin room.
In the room, one female voice actor who had arrived earlier was waiting alone, and for some reason I felt a little relieved. It seemed that the earlier group had already gone to the hot spring, and she had apparently been told to wait for my arrival. Then, guided by her, I went together with her toward the bath area.
A Silent Hot Spring, and Cheerful Voices from the Far Side…
When I entered the women’s bath, I thought, “Huh? No one is here.” The indoor bath was silent, with only the sound of flowing water. From the mixed-gender open-air bath in the dark farther inside, I could hear the voices of men and women chatting — voices I recognized.
“I did not bring a swimsuit…” I told her. She simply replied, “Is that so,” in a curt manner. Then, without another word, she smoothly proceeded deeper into the women’s bath as if being drawn in, and disappeared into the open-air bath.
“Are they serious? Is everyone really bathing together?” I remained alone, soaking in the indoor bath while carrying a feeling close to guilt. After warming my body somewhat while enduring a sudden chill that came over me, I returned to the room.
“Why didn’t you come to the open-air bath?” At the banquet that began after the bath, a staff member asked me this. When I replied, “I didn’t have a swimsuit,” they said, “You don’t need a swimsuit! Wahahaha.” I still cannot forget the sight of manager B, next to them, going around pouring drinks with a strained smile.
It Seems to Have Been a Regular Banquet Where People Were Taken to Learn “Industry Manners”
Later, I heard from another staff member that these recreational trips led by anime director A were apparently held frequently, and that manager B, who was eager for business at the time, had “taken me there so I could learn the manners of the industry.” I can almost picture B after the banquet, desperately bowing his head and saying, “I should never have invited Konishi.”
Looking back on that time, I sincerely want to reflect on the fact that I went somewhere where I was out of place and dampened the atmosphere. However, needless to say, after that I was never again invited to such banquets or recreational trips.
Speaking of “Hot Springs,” “Baths,” and “Mixed Bathing,” Does That Mean NHK?
Now, many words such as “hot spring,” “bath,” and “mixed bathing” have appeared. Speaking of which, last year there was news that the director of NHK Saga Broadcasting Station — who had once become famous as the person handing documents from behind former NHK Chairman Katsuto Momii during past Diet testimony, earning the nickname “ninbaori,” or “two-person puppet act” — had burst into a women’s bath.
The experience I described above was not such a shameless incident of a man bursting in. Rather, it was a situation in which a hot spring inn known for its mixed-gender open-air bath was deliberately arranged, and by taking advantage of group psychology and the weakness of a subcontractor-like position, I was nearly forced, in a semi-coercive manner, into mixed bathing.
Although there is no direct employment relationship between production sites including directors and actors such as myself, a recreational trip is a place where people in a relationship close to that gather. Even if the organizers were to claim that “participation was voluntary” or that “mixed bathing was not compulsory,” there are people who would worry that if they refused, they might suffer some disadvantage, such as “work disappearing” or “being disliked.” Or rather, there may be many more cases in which people are psychologically driven into a corner and cannot even refuse.
Disadvantageous Treatment Is Wrong; If You Do Not Want It, Naturally Say “No”
In the work of a voice actor, one’s own voice is the product, and for that reason many people think that, in addition to ability — acting ability — they need to appeal themselves in order to be pushed forward. Of course, in any industry, self-promotion is a skill required depending on the situation. However, the background behind such harassment in the voice-acting industry — acts that exceed propriety or deviate from their original purpose — is closely related to the freelance-like way in which voice actors receive work.
This is because even if one belongs to an agency, work does not automatically come in silently. Therefore, not only is it difficult to say “no” to mixed bathing, it is also difficult to say “no” to the harassment inherent in arranging mixed bathing itself.
Even so, I cannot help feeling that in today’s voice-acting industry there are more actors who neglect cultivating expressive ability and sensitivity, and who take lightly the effort required in the essential part of the job — ability, meaning acting ability. More strongly put, the trend among voice actors of relying entirely on appeal has already gone beyond the limits of dignity, and it resembles the world of some underground industry in a foreign country.
One reason for this may be that anime and manga, which were once supposed to be children’s entertainment, gradually developed into a subculture targeting adults. Voice actors came to gain what would now be called “net idol-like popularity,” and voice-actor magazines with gravure photos, music CD releases, anime and game event performances, and the like led to an increase in people applying not so much because they aspired to be actors, but because they aspired to be idols.
Taking advantage of this transformation in the anime industry, voice-actor agencies, training schools, and vocational schools multiplied, and the anime and voice-acting industry targeting adults succeeded as a major subculture business. However, hidden beneath the foundation of that success is the “great den of demons” mentioned at the beginning.
The Den of Demons Hidden Behind the Business
There was one case in which I was personally consulted by the wife of an acquaintance. Her husband, who was an industry person, had been having an affair with a certain popular female voice actor. She said that this voice actor directly told her, “That kind of thing — whether it is an affair or behind-the-scenes entertaining — is common sense in this industry.”
After that, she discovered that her husband had also had affairs with multiple other female voice actors. Together with the fact that she had previously suffered domestic violence, she went through court proceedings and divorced. She is now raising her growing children and working all alone.
Violence Covered Up. A Voice-Acting Agency Says a Voice Actor Is Receiving “Treatment Appropriate to Their Status”
Returning once again to my own story, I would like to touch briefly on the position of voice actors and agencies. It happened when I was to meet the agency manager at the time, Mr. C, at a station for an introductory meeting for a game-voice job. At that time, it was still rare for people to have mobile phones, and I communicated with the agency desk by pager.
However, when the meeting time came, Mr. C did not appear. I called the agency from a public telephone, and a staff member told me, “He should be waiting not at the ticket gate, but at the outside exit up the stairs.” I hurriedly ran up the stairs.
When I came above ground, Mr. C scolded me, saying, “You’re late!” He did not listen at all to my explanation that I had been waiting at the ticket gate. In front of junior female voice actors, he suddenly hit me on the head with the mobile phone he was holding.
The next day, I told the agency president at the time, Mr. X, about this fact and asked Mr. C to explain his act of striking me in public. However, Mr. C defied this and said, “There is such a thing as treatment appropriate to one’s status, isn’t there?” President X, too, evaded the matter, saying, “I have somewhere to go now,” and fled as if it had nothing to do with him. In the end, this matter was never clarified to the end, and I left the agency afterward.
The very phrase “appropriate to one’s status” used by Mr. C is equivalent to suggesting that voice actors are treated precisely as “kawara-kojiki.” The reason actors are called “kawara-kojiki” is none other than that, as described above, among them are sycophants with beggar-like thinking: “If it is for the purpose, the means do not matter,” “I want work even if it pays only one yen,” and “I want to become famous,” all without effort.
Moreover, the authorities who live in the “den of demons” that exploits such people are in a relationship that seems to say, “Rewards shall be given to those who arrange things well for us.”
There are still countless other stories I would like to expose, but I will save them for the next opportunity to write somewhere. This is the reality of how voice actors are evaluated, and the same applies to relationships not only with agencies, but also with production companies, television stations, advertising agencies, record companies, and so on.
“Treatment appropriate to one’s status.” This may not be limited to the voice-acting industry, but at least based on my experience, I think it is among the more closed worlds within the entertainment industry.
Stop Unfair Transactions and Create a Healthy Society: My Argument — A #MeToo Admonition
Spreading from Hollywood to the music scene, accusations bearing the hashtag #MeToo have been made from many directions. I understand this movement not as something limited to harassment in the entertainment world, but as a movement that spread with the purpose of “eliminating disadvantageous treatment” and “stopping unfair transactions and creating a healthy society” in all human relationships.
Of course, when making accusations, there is the risk of human rights violations, and the utmost care is required. Still, I do not want the wave of #MeToo — which seeks to correct long-standing bad customs and change society — to be stopped.
Even simply sharing “when and where I had this experience” may be enough. By sharing such things together, perhaps we can blow away “the demon king for you” — that is, the den of demons.
Now then, who will be the next great demon king released into the world?
(Please look forward to Episode 2.)
Credit and archive notice:
This article is an English archive translation of an article written by Hiroko Konishi and originally published in Sankei Digital iRONNA.
When quoting or reposting this article, please credit both Sankei Digital iRONNA and Author: Hiroko Konishi, and include the URL of this official archive page.
