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Home , Cosplay

Towards a History of Cosplay (v.3)

definitions, protocols and pitfalls

Helen McCarthy expands on her own cosplay history with Steve Kyte and her exploration of cosplay history presented at FANS conferences in previous years with new insights from Professor 's paper from the FANS Japan conference 'Stitching Time' NOTHING FROM NOTHING

culture is the ocean from which all forms of life emerge MY COSPLAY HISTORY

Costume-making since 1954, -wearing since 1961 MY COSPLAY HISTORY WHERE THE JOURNEY BEGAN

SHOCK!!! COSPLAY INVENTED IN AMERICA!!!!

Taken back to Japan from the 1984 in Los Angeles!!! THREE QUESTIONS

• Did the USA originate the idea of costuming?

• Did Japan get the idea of fannish costuming from the USA?

• When did the term cosplay become a general term for costuming among Western fans and when did it spread beyond anime circles? PUBLIC AND PERSONAL PURPOSE

• PUBLIC PURPOSE: when or masks are worn and characters assumed as part of a religious or social ritual controlled and validated by a community of interest

• PERSONAL PURPOSE: when costumes or masks are worn and characters assumed as a personal choice or mode of expression

Blurred lines occur as modern costumers invest their hobby with the significance of ancient ritual - festival times, special meeting places, battles and honours, the creation of artworks... DEFINING OUR TERMS

FROM RITUAL TO RECREATION: • Mysteries • Mumming/guising • Masquerade • Fancy Dress • • Hall costume • COSPLAY ... Dogu: masked and costumed mysteries from ancient Japan Mysteries and Rituals 21st century priests at Narita

Mysteries and

Rituals Chester Mysteries - 13C CE to the present Guisers, Mummers and Morrismen

13th century Guisers

Godalming Guisers c 1990

Winster Mummers c 1900 Masquerade From Venice with love, 1600s - not assuming identity via a mask, but hiding it

Loncon 3, Masquerade winners 2014 Worldcon - assuming identities without masks Costume Parade, Ball, or party

1897, Diamond Jubilee Ball - no 1842 - masks not required disguising the upper when royalty personates classes at play royalty 1851 - Queen Victoria's dress for the Restoration Ball Fancy Dress

Unicorn Times, July 1979: fans dress for the press in Washington DC hiding the everyday self under a mask

British Convention 1975 - masks optional to assume another self at the Fancy Dress Parade COSPLAY Made in Japan Describing Dressing Up

80 Mysteries COSPLAY

60 Fancy dress/costume party

40 Masquerade/masking

20 Mummery/guising

0 pre 1500 pre 1600 pre 1800 pre 1900 1983 BE

Vertical = estimated % of English language use to describe costuming activity Horizontal = Century/timeframe (Christian Era to Broadband Era) DEFINE THE FIELD OF STUDY

In seeking the origin of cosplay we will define cosplay as:

• SF, and media related costuming • For personal purposes • At conventions, events or public spaces** • Not limited by age or social group • Not limited by source of inspiration First American SF Costume?

May 24 1912 The Tacoma Times (Library of Congress)

The Spokane Press Dec 19 1908 SF CON COSTUMING IN THE USA

Equal : Douglas co-founded sf Voice of the Imagi-Nation with Ackerman

Worldcon 1939: first costume at an SF convention, designed and made by Myrtle R. Jones Douglas (,) modelled by Douglas and Forrest J. Ackerman (who usually gets the credit) COSPLAY IS COSTUMING FOR PERSONAL PURPOSE

• Japanese fans began to wear costume spontaneously in the 1970s.

• They were inspired by both Asian and Western characters and media.

• There is no evidence that they were directly inspired by American costumers. CONTRADICTORY SOURCES A photo from from a 1990s Japanese magazine article on the history of cosplay was mistakenly circulated by Western scholars as being of cosplay from a Japanese convention in 1978.

In 2005 Nov Takahashi gave an interview at a US convention in which he essentially corroborated the cosplay.org version.

Accounts in scarce original sources were often incomplete and misinterpreted. Early Japanese cosplay

During the 70's people dressing up as characters were seen more often at comic markets but the word "Cosplay" wasn't created until the 80's.

There were articles about character masquerades on the magazines, "Manpa" and "Dax"

In the summer of 1977, there was a "big manga parade" which was formed by Big6 University. The parade started in the shopping area of Mito city in Ibaraki Prefecture. There were many participants in this event from people dressed up as "Q-chan" from "Obake no Q-tarou" to Japanese soldiers. At this time though, the word "Cosplay" still has not been used.

Eyewitness account by Nov Takahashi, founder of Studio Hard

• http://www.hard.co.jp/cosplay_02.html COSPLAY IN JAPAN

Also in the 70s, Mari Kotani and her future husband Takumi Tatsumi were active in . They documented their experience in an interview with Atsushi Takahashi on the Café Panic Americana website in 2005. http://d.hatena.ne.jp/cpamonthly/ 20050601/1178280350 UMI NO TRITON

Manga by 1969. Anime written/directed by 1972 NOTHING FROM NOTHING

Japan's 1974 national SF con, Miyacon, featured a costume show. The con got a write-up in SF magazine in November 1974.

1974 1978: YAMATO FANS DO COSPLAY

• Space Cruiser Yamato newsletter • Published in Japan 1978 • Has been avaiable online at US site starblazers.com for some years. MARI KOTANI

Scholar - Critic - Feminist - SF novelist -Cosplayer First Japanese cosplay - or not?

Prof. Ohwada of Keio University interviews Mari Kotani in front of a 1978 photo of her 20yr old self and friends at Ashinocon Costume based on Motoichiro Takebe's cover for a Japanese edition of "Fighting Men of Mars" mistaken for costume from Tezuka's "Umi no Triton" "First Japanese cosplay" Photo of Mari Kotani taken for a 1990S Japanese magazine story on the history of cosplay, incorrectly dated to 1978 in many sources including mine.

Correct attribution from Ms Kotani's paper at FANS Japan symposium, Kofu, 18 March 2017. MY ANIME MAGAZINE JUNE 1983

FIRST USE OF THE WORD COSPLAY IN PRINT IN JAPAN

These costumes are not the work of a newborn fandom, a tiny clique of costumers or an immature costuming culture.

They are bold, confident and technically polished. They are not simply purchasing or imitating, but making and innovating.

This costume fandom is already strong, diverse and rocking its socks off in 1983. Therefore, its history must extend further back.

I have been able to date Japanese con costuming back to 1974. Much more work is needed to establish its timelines and origins. USA 1971: Collegeville Halloween suit for Ultrakids

Ultraman was screened in America from 1968. By 1971 it was a . ANIME COSTUME IN THE USA

1979: Karen Schnaubelt and other anime/manga fans begin to appear as characters at US anime conventions and SF con masquerades.

ConStellation (1983 Worldcon, Baltimore) Robert Fenelon, Ardith Carlton, Steve Harrison and others (from LetsAnime’s PhotoBucket.) Jigen looking cool, as played by MARCH 1987: Jeremy ANIMAGE Morales MAGAZINE “THAT’S AMERICAN COSTUME PLAY”

Superb Gatchaman outfit made and No idea who’s modelled by inside the Patricia Munson- Raideen – Siter anyone recognise him/her? HALLOWEEN 1987

Lea Seldman Hernandez as Doris, Vampire Hunter D, 1987 1990: ANIMAGE REPORTS ON PROJECT A- Kon #1 1991 Rob Fenelon as Desslock from Star Blazers/Yamato

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS8Ryzyxz38 COSTUMING IN AUSTRALIA

1987: Lewis Morley, Captain Harlock, 1985: Lewis Morley as Kinkon 2 1997: Widya Santoso as Gendou Captain Gideon, Star at : picture from Blazers Japan’s NewType magazine BUT...

Americans still weren't calling it cosplay! USE OF THE TERM COSPLAY IN ENGLISH AT ANIME CONS

Anime Expo 1992: anime con staff list still refers to Masquerade, not cosplay USE OF THE TERM COSPLAY IN ENGLISH AT ANIME CONS

Anime East 1994 - using the term cosplay instead of masquerade and stating that even within anime fandom many fans would not be familiar with it USE OF THE TERM COSPLAY IN ENGLISH AT ANIME CONS

Anime East 1994 - anime convention using the term cosplay alongside masquerade USE OF THE TERM COSPLAY IN ENGLISH AT ANIME CONS

Protoculture Addicts May 1998

Canadian anime magazine running an ad for a US anime convention USE OF THE TERM COSPLAY IN ENGLISH AT ANIME CONS

Anime 1999 - anime using the term cosplay instead of masquerade WORKING DEFINITION pt 1

• COSPLAY is a term coined in Japan in 1983 to describe the act of representing a character through costume, movement and attitude. Japanese fans have been doing this since at least 1974.

• It is a contraction of the words costume and play (or roleplay) embodying the skill, theatricality and playfulness of the activity.

• The term has not been documented in use in the costuming community outside Japan before the 1990s.

• It did not come into widespread use outside Japan until the early 2000s. WORKING DEFINITION pt 2

• The term COSPLAY has been adopted by various unrelated to Japanese media in many nations, to describe activities they previously called by local names.

• Most evidence for the date of adoption of the term outside Japan is still anecdotal.

• Most claims of origin for personal non-ritual costuming in one primary culture have yet to be supported by documentary evidence, although the USA's claim to have originated SF convention costuming is well documented. Cosplay

• Grew out of Japanese culture and global costuming history, rather than simply deriving from US SF conventions • Spread throughout the world in every culture where costumes represent individual ideals and Japanese is admired • Feeds and is fed by other costuming cultures • Is richer, more nuanced and more inclusive with every new discovery • Needs open-minded multi-disciplinary scholars COSPLAY IS ... • Social • Skilful • Self-competitive • Supportive • Purposeful • Creative • Inclusive • Evolving • Without boundaries THIS STORY IS STILL BEING WRITTEN

What will you add to it?