KIKO – MATKAMIES ON NIMENI (orig. title) 
Director: Minna Tarkka
Genre: Documentary
Duration: 52 min.
Production Year: 1998
Master Format: Beta SP PAL
Audio:
Stereo Language: Finnish and English audio versions
Distributor: Kroma Productions Ltd.
Synopsis
The drama documentary “KIKO – traveller is my name” is an audiovisual essay on the cultural differences of East and West, on travelling and the aesthetics of time and space. The chronological frame is provided by the Japanese haiku poet Basho’s travel sketch Records of a Travel-worn Satchel. KIKO is a dramatized document with two characters: the Reflector and the Traveller. They symbolize two opposing modes of thinking and two different ways of perception and representation (the Mirror and the Path). The Traveller is a Western male: moving in the landscape, framing the scenes, he also represents Basho’s viewpoint.The Reflector is a female Butoh dancer, who creates a minimal choreography for a round mirror. The voice-over dialogue of a male and a female voice adds scope to the silent characters. The documentary records the path from Edo (Tokyo) to the beach of Suma by the Inland Sea, including visits at the Shinto Shrine of Ise and Koyasan, the Buddhist holy mountain. The emotional highlights of the journey are the visit at Ueno (Basho’s place of birth) and the famous cherry blossom festival of Yoshino.
Credits
Script and Direction: Minna Tarkka
Camera and Editing: Raimo Uunila
Music: Shoin Kanki
Sound Design: Epa Tamminen
Actors: Martti Suosalo and Akeno
Producers: Marikki Hakola and Outi Rousu
Production: KROMA Productions Ltd. 1998