When in 1920s Surrealism appeared on the Japanese ground it was just after publishing the famous Surrealists Manifesto by André Breton. The creators of Surrealism, who brought attention to the power of unconsciousness and made the understanding of the role of dreams the central subject of their pursuits, firstly inspired the poets, painters and theorists. However, from the 1960s the aesthetics of Surrealism also became an essential source of inspiration for the avant-garde and experimental filmmakers. Following the goal stated by the Western artists, the avant-garde Japanese film directors present the life as ruled by absurd and grotesque situations, full of the mysterious atmosphere of the dream-like structured world. The references to Surrealism appeared in the works of such avant-garde artists as Teinosuke Kinugasa (early exception of the idea on the Japanese cinematic ground), Masao Adachi, Shūji Terayama, Hiroshi Teshigahara, Toshio Matsumoto and Donald Richie. The presented article depicts how Surrealism, perceived as movement and aesthetic, was transferred from one culture to another. The author focuses on the field of Japanese avant-garde and experimental film
