107-537: Gassan ( 月山 ) is a 1979 Japanese film directed by Tetsutaro Murano . It was Japan's submission to the 52nd Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film , but was not accepted as a nominee. This article related to a Japanese film of the 1970s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cinema of Japan The cinema of Japan ( 日本映画 , Nihon eiga ) , also known domestically as hōga ( 邦画 , "domestic cinema") , has
214-550: A Corpse). The first documentary, the short Geisha no teodori (芸者の手踊り), was made in June 1899. Tsunekichi Shibata made a number of early films, including Momijigari , an 1899 record of two famous actors performing a scene from a well-known kabuki play. Early films were influenced by traditional theater – for example, kabuki and bunraku . At the dawn of the 20th century, theaters in Japan hired benshi , storytellers who sat next to
321-549: A band of hired samurai who protect a helpless village from a rapacious gang of thieves. The same year, Kurosawa's friend and colleague Ishirō Honda directed the anti-nuclear monster-drama Godzilla , featuring award-winning effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The latter film was first ever Japanese film to be given a wide release throughout the United States, where it was heavily re-edited, and featured new footage with actor Raymond Burr for its distribution in 1956 as Godzilla, King of
428-475: A difficult time for kabuki; besides the war's physical impact and devastation upon the country, some schools of thought chose to reject both the styles and artforms of pre-war Japan, kabuki amongst them. Director Tetsuji Takechi 's popular and innovative productions of kabuki classics at this time are credited with sparking new interest in kabuki in the Kansai region. Of the many popular young stars who performed with
535-488: A female dance troupe that performed dances and light sketches in Kyoto . The art form later developed into its present all-male theatrical form after women were banned from performing in kabuki theatre in 1629. Kabuki developed throughout the late 17th century and reached its zenith in the mid-18th century. In 2005, kabuki theatre was proclaimed by UNESCO as an intangible heritage possessing outstanding universal value. In 2008, it
642-478: A film professionally was the dancer/actress Tokuko Nagai Takagi , who appeared in four shorts for the American-based Thanhouser Company between 1911 and 1914. Among intellectuals, critiques of Japanese cinema grew in the 1910s and eventually developed into a movement that transformed Japanese film. Film criticism began with early film magazines such as Katsudō shashinkai (begun in 1909) and
749-532: A former kabuki actor, to star in his productions. Onoe became Japan's first film star , appearing in over 1,000 films, mostly shorts, between 1909 and 1926. The pair pioneered the jidaigeki genre. Tokihiko Okada was a popular romantic lead of the same era. The first Japanese film production studio was built in 1909 by the Yoshizawa Shōten company in Tokyo . The first female Japanese performer to appear in
856-408: A full-length book written by Yasunosuke Gonda in 1914, but many early film critics often focused on chastising the work of studios like Nikkatsu and Tenkatsu for being too theatrical (using, for instance, elements from kabuki and shinpa such as onnagata ) and for not utilizing what were considered more cinematic techniques to tell stories, instead relying on benshi. In what was later named
963-412: A history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2021, it was the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. In 2011, Japan produced 411 feature films that earned 54.9% of a box office total of US$ 2.338 billion. Films have been produced in Japan since 1897. During the 1950s, a period dubbed the "Golden Age of Japanese cinema",
1070-565: A kabuki drama each year since 1976, the longest regular kabuki performance outside Japan. In November 2002, a statue was erected in honor of kabuki's founder, Izumo no Okuni and to commemorate 400 years of kabuki's existence. Diagonally across from the Minami-za, the last remaining kabuki theater in Kyoto, it stands at the east end of a bridge (Shijō Ōhashi) crossing the Kamo River in Kyoto. Kabuki
1177-433: A key aspect of kabuki tradition, such as conventional character tropes. Kabuki theater and ningyō jōruri , an elaborate form of puppet theater later known as bunraku , became closely associated with each other, mutually influencing the other's further development. The famous playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon , one of the first professional kabuki playwrights, produced several influential works during this time, though
SECTION 10
#17328814996191284-431: A performer in kabuki theatre. Since the word kabuki is believed to derive from the verb kabuku , meaning 'to lean' or 'to be out of the ordinary', the word kabuki can also be interpreted as 'avant-garde' or 'bizarre' theatre. The expression kabukimono ( 歌舞伎者 ) referred originally to those who were bizarrely dressed. It is often translated into English as 'strange things' or 'the crazy ones', and referred to
1391-466: A precursor to the neorealism genre, was a silent film. A few Japanese sound shorts were made in the 1920s and 1930s, but Japan's first feature-length talkie was Fujiwara Yoshie no furusato (1930), which used the Mina Talkie System . Notable talkies of this period include Mikio Naruse 's Wife, Be Like A Rose! ( Tsuma Yo Bara No Yoni , 1935), which was one of the first Japanese films to gain
1498-399: A production company to produce the experimental masterpiece A Page of Madness , starring Masao Inoue, in 1926. Many of these companies, while surviving during the silent era against major studios like Nikkatsu , Shochiku , Teikine , and Toa Studios , could not survive the cost involved in converting to sound. With the rise of left-wing political movements and labor unions at the end of
1605-505: A star symbolizing the beginning of a new era. In Yasushi Sasaki 's Hatachi no Seishun (1946), the first kiss scene of a Japanese movie was filmed. The Mainichi Film Award was also created in 1946. The first movie released after the war was Soyokaze , directed by Yasushi Sasaki , and the theme song Ringo no Uta was a big hit. The first collaborations between Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune were Drunken Angel in 1948 and Stray Dog in 1949. Yasujirō Ozu directed
1712-653: A theatrical release in the U.S.; Kenji Mizoguchi 's Sisters of the Gion ( Gion no shimai , 1936); Osaka Elegy (1936); The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939); and Sadao Yamanaka 's Humanity and Paper Balloons (1937). Film criticism shared this vitality, with many film journals such as Kinema Junpo and newspapers printing detailed discussions of the cinema of the day, both at home and abroad. A cultured "impressionist" criticism pursued by critics such as Tadashi Iijima , Fuyuhiko Kitagawa , and Matsuo Kishi
1819-778: A very high reputation. Japanese films gained popularity in the mid-1920s against foreign films, in part fueled by the popularity of movie stars and a new style of jidaigeki . Directors such as Daisuke Itō and Masahiro Makino made samurai films like A Diary of Chuji's Travels and Roningai featuring rebellious antiheroes in fast-cut fight scenes that were both critically acclaimed and commercial successes. Some stars, such as Tsumasaburo Bando , Kanjūrō Arashi , Chiezō Kataoka , Takako Irie and Utaemon Ichikawa , were inspired by Makino Film Productions and formed their own independent production companies where directors such as Hiroshi Inagaki , Mansaku Itami and Sadao Yamanaka honed their skills. Director Teinosuke Kinugasa created
1926-402: A wheeled platform. Also common are stagehands rushing onto the stage adding and removing props, backdrops and other scenery; these kuroko ( 黒子 ) are always dressed entirely in black and are traditionally considered invisible. Stagehands also assist in a variety of quick costume changes known as hayagawari ("quick change technique"). When a character's true nature is suddenly revealed,
2033-576: Is Gerald Vizenor 's Hiroshima Bugi (2004). Writer Yukio Mishima pioneered and popularised the use of kabuki in modern settings and revived other traditional arts, such as Noh , adapting them to modern contexts. There have even been kabuki troupes established in countries outside Japan. For instance, in Australia, the Za Kabuki troupe at the Australian National University has performed
2140-420: Is a technique, which appeared toward the middle of the 19th century, by which an actor's costume is attached to wires and he is made to "fly" over the stage or certain parts of the auditorium. This is similar to the wire trick in the stage musical Peter Pan , in which Peter launches himself into the air. It is still one of the most popular keren (visual tricks) in kabuki today; major kabuki theaters, such as
2247-409: Is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes, and for the elaborate kumadori make-up worn by some of its performers. The term kabuki originates from a verb that was used to describe young samurai patrons, meaning "being weird" or "offbeat." Kabuki is thought to have originated in the early Edo period , when the art's founder, Izumo no Okuni , formed
SECTION 20
#17328814996192354-544: Is often referred to as the "Saruwaka-machi period", and is well known for having produced some of the most exaggerated kabuki in Japanese history. Saruwaka-machi became the new theatre district for the Nakamura-za, Ichimura-za and Kawarazaki-za theatres. The district was located on the main street of Asakusa, which ran through the middle of the small city. The street was renamed after Saruwaka Kanzaburo, who initiated Edo kabuki in
2461-477: Is pulled back to one side by a staff member by hand. An additional outer curtain called doncho was not introduced until the Meiji era following the introduction of western influence. These are more ornate in their appearance and are woven. They depict the season in which the performance is taking place, often designed by renowned Nihonga artists. Since feudal laws in 17th century Japan prohibited replicating
2568-511: The shamisen , clothes and fashion often dramatic in appearance, famous actors and stories often intended to mirror current events. Performances typically lasted from morning until sunset, with surrounding teahouses providing meals, refreshments and place to socialise. The area surrounding kabuki theatres also featured a number of shops selling kabuki souvenirs. After performances, women performers would offer sexual services for those who could afford it. Since fights would usually erupt among
2675-456: The jidaigeki films of Akira Kurosawa as well as the science fiction films of Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya gained Japanese cinema international praise and made these directors universally renown and highly influential. Some of the Japanese films of this period are now rated some of the greatest of all time : Tokyo Story (1953) ranked number three in Sight & Sound critics' list of
2782-763: The Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for Rickshaw Man . Kon Ichikawa directed two anti-war dramas: The Burmese Harp (1956), which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, and Fires on the Plain (1959), along with Enjo (1958), which was adapted from Yukio Mishima 's novel Temple of The Golden Pavilion . Masaki Kobayashi made three films which would collectively become known as The Human Condition Trilogy : No Greater Love (1959), and The Road to Eternity (1959). The trilogy
2889-615: The Hochi Film Award was created. The first winner for Best Film was The Inugamis by Kon Ichikawa . Nagisa Oshima directed In the Realm of the Senses (1976), a film detailing a crime of passion involving Sada Abe set in the 1930s. Controversial for its explicit sexual content, it has never been seen uncensored in Japan. Kinji Fukasaku completed the epic Battles Without Honor and Humanity series of yakuza films. Yoji Yamada introduced
2996-550: The Japanese Communist Party . Independent social realist dramas saw a small and temporary boom amid the wave of sentimental war dramas produced after the end of Occupation. The 1950s are widely considered the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. Three Japanese films from this decade ( Rashomon , Seven Samurai and Tokyo Story ) appeared in the top ten of Sight & Sound ' s critics' and directors' polls for
3103-580: The Meiji era to follow. Kawatake Mokuami commonly wrote plays that depicted the common lives of the people of Edo. He introduced shichigo-cho (seven-and-five syllable meter) dialogue and music such as kiyomoto . His kabuki performances became quite popular once the Saruwaka-machi period ended and theatre returned to Edo; many of his works are still performed. In 1868, the Tokugawa ceased to exist, with
3210-464: The National Theatre , Kabuki-za and Minami-za , are all equipped with chūnori installations. Scenery changes are sometimes made mid-scene, while the actors remain on stage and the curtain stays open. This is sometimes accomplished by using a Hiki Dōgu , or "small wagon stage". This technique originated at the beginning of the 18th century, where scenery or actors move on or off stage on
3317-463: The Pure Film Movement , writers in magazines such as Kinema Record called for a broader use of such cinematic techniques. Some of these critics, such as Norimasa Kaeriyama , went on to put their ideas into practice by directing such films as The Glow of Life (1918), which was one of the first films to use actresses (in this case, Harumi Hanayagi ). There were parallel efforts elsewhere in
Gassan - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-694: The best films of all time in 2002. They also appeared in the 2012 polls, with Tokyo Story (1953) dethroning Citizen Kane at the top of the 2012 directors' poll . War movies covering themes previously restricted by SCAP began to be produced, such as Hideo Sekigawa's Listen to the Voices of the Sea (1950), Tadashi Imai 's Himeyuri no Tô ( Tower of the Lilies, 1953), Keisuke Kinoshita 's Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) and Kon Ichikawa 's The Burmese Harp (1956). Works showcasing tragic and sentimental retrospectives of
3531-567: The restoration of the Emperor . Emperor Meiji was restored to power and moved from Kyoto to the new capital of Edo, or Tokyo, beginning the Meiji period. Kabuki once again returned to the pleasure quarters of Edo, and throughout the Meiji period became increasingly more radical, as modern styles of kabuki plays and performances emerged. Playwrights experimented with the introduction of new genres to kabuki, and introduced twists on traditional stories. Beginning in 1868, enormous cultural changes, such as
3638-670: The 100 greatest films of all time and also topped the 2012 Sight & Sound directors' poll of The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time , dethroning Citizen Kane , while Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) was voted the greatest foreign-language film of all time in BBC 's 2018 poll of 209 critics in 43 countries. Japan has also won the Academy Award for the Best International Feature Film five times, more than any other Asian country. Japan's Big Four film studios are Toho , Toei , Shochiku and Kadokawa , which are
3745-541: The 1920s, there arose so-called tendency films with left-leaning tendencies. Directors Kenji Mizoguchi , Daisuke Itō , Shigeyoshi Suzuki , and Tomu Uchida were prominent examples. In contrast to these commercially produced 35 mm films , the Marxist Proletarian Film League of Japan (Prokino) made works independently in smaller gauges (such as 9.5mm and 16mm ), with more radical intentions. Tendency films suffered from severe censorship heading into
3852-403: The 1930s, and Prokino members were arrested and the movement effectively crushed. Such moves by the government had profound effects on the expression of political dissent in 1930s cinema. Films from this period include: Sakanaya Honda , Jitsuroku Chushingura , Horaijima, Orochi , Maboroshi, Kurutta Ippeji , Jujiro , Kurama Tengu: Kyōfu Jidai , and Kurama Tengu . The 1923 earthquake ,
3959-589: The 1961 classic Yojimbo . Yasujirō Ozu made his final film, An Autumn Afternoon , in 1962. Mikio Naruse directed the wide screen melodrama When a Woman Ascends the Stairs in 1960; his final film was 1967's Scattered Clouds . Kon Ichikawa captured the watershed 1964 Olympics in his three-hour documentary Tokyo Olympiad (1965). Seijun Suzuki was fired by Nikkatsu for "making films that don't make any sense and don't make any money" after his surrealist yakuza flick Branded to Kill (1967). The 1960s were
4066-584: The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The 1980s saw the decline of the major Japanese film studios and their associated chains of cinemas, with major studios Toho and Toei barely staying in business, Shochiku supported almost solely by the Otoko wa tsurai yo films, and Nikkatsu declining even further. Kabuki Kabuki ( 歌舞伎, かぶき ) is a classical form of Japanese theatre , mixing dramatic performance with traditional dance . Kabuki theatre
4173-541: The Chinese name Li Xianglan so she could represent Chinese roles in Japanese propaganda movies. After the war she used her official Japanese name and starred in an additional 29 movies. She was elected as a member of the Japanese parliament in the 1970s and served for 18 years. Akira Kurosawa made his feature film debut with Sugata Sanshiro in 1943. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, wartime controls and restrictions on
4280-551: The Emperor sponsoring a kabuki performance on 21 April 1887. After World War II , the occupying forces briefly banned kabuki, which had formed a strong base of support for Japan's war efforts since 1931. This ban was in conjunction with broader restrictions on media and art forms that the American military occupation instituted after WWII. However, by 1947 the ban on kabuki was rescinded, but censorship rules lingered. The ensuing period of occupation following World War II posited
4387-479: The Genroku period was the development of the mie style of posing, credited to kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjūrō I , alongside the development of the mask-like kumadori makeup worn by kabuki actors in some plays. In the mid-18th century, kabuki fell out of favor for a time, with bunraku taking its place as the premier form of stage entertainment among the lower social classes. This occurred partly because of
Gassan - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-585: The Golden Bear at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival . Immortal Love by Keisuke Kinoshita and Twin Sisters of Kyoto and Portrait of Chieko , both by Noboru Nakamura , also received nominations for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Lost Spring , also by Nakamura, was in competition for the Golden Bear at the 17th Berlin International Film Festival . The 1970s saw
4601-502: The IHI Stage Around Tokyo from March 4 to April 12, 2023. The kabuki stage features a projection called a hanamichi ( 花道 , "flower path") , a walkway which extends into the audience and via which dramatic entrances and exits are made. Okuni also performed on a hanamichi stage with her entourage. The stage is used not only as a walkway or path to get to and from the main stage, but important scenes are also played on
4708-989: The Japanese film industry were abolished, and the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) established the Civil Information and Education Section (CIE), which came to manage the industry. All film proposals and screenplays were to be processed and approved by CIE. The script would then be processed by the Civil Censorship Detachment (CCD), which was under the direct control of American military. Pre-war and wartime films were also subject to review, and over 500 were condemned, with half of them being burned. In addition, Toho and Daiei pre-emptively destroyed films they thought to be incriminating. In November 1945, CIE announced that it would forbid films deemed to be: A major consequence of these restrictions
4815-539: The Monsters! . Although it was edited for its Western release, Godzilla became an international icon of Japan and spawned an entire subgenre of kaiju films, as well as the longest-running film franchise in history . Also in 1954, another Kurosawa film, Ikiru was in competition at the 4th Berlin International Film Festival . In 1955, Hiroshi Inagaki won an Academy Honorary Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Part I of his Samurai trilogy and in 1958 won
4922-552: The Mountain (1954) and Floating Clouds (1955). Yasujirō Ozu began directing color films beginning with Equinox Flower (1958), and later Good Morning (1959) and Floating Weeds (1958), which was adapted from his earlier silent A Story of Floating Weeds (1934), and was shot by Rashomon and Sansho the Bailiff cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa . The Blue Ribbon Awards were established in 1950. The first winner for Best Film
5029-438: The Nakamura-za in 1624. European artists began noticing Japanese theatrical performances and artwork, and many artists, such as Claude Monet , were inspired by Japanese woodblock prints. This Western interest prompted Japanese artists to increase their depictions of daily life, including the depiction of theatres, brothels, main streets and so on. One artist, Utagawa Hiroshige , produced a series of prints based on Saruwaka from
5136-411: The Nakamura-za was completely destroyed in 1841, the shōgun refused to allow the theatre to be rebuilt, saying that it was against fire code. The shogunate, mostly disapproving of the socialisation and trade that occurred in kabuki theatres between merchants, actors and prostitutes, took advantage of the fire crisis in the following year, forcing the Nakamura-za, Ichimura-za and Kawarazaki-za out of
5243-500: The Saruwaka-machi period in Asakusa. Despite the revival of kabuki in another location, the relocation diminished the tradition's most abundant inspirations for costuming, make-up, and storylines. Ichikawa Kodanji IV was considered one of the most active and successful actors during the Saruwaka-machi period. Deemed unattractive, he mainly performed buyō , or dancing, in dramas written by Kawatake Mokuami , who also wrote during
5350-601: The Takechi Kabuki, Nakamura Ganjiro III (b. 1931) was the leading figure, first known as Nakamura Senjaku before taking his current name. It was this period of kabuki in Osaka that became known as the "Age of Senjaku" in his honor. Today, kabuki is the most popular of the traditional styles of Japanese drama, with its star actors often appearing in television or film roles. Well-known onnagata actor Bandō Tamasaburō V has appeared in several non-kabuki plays and movies, often in
5457-455: The art form. Rice powder is used to create the white oshiroi base for the characteristic stage makeup, and kumadori enhances or exaggerates facial lines to produce dramatic animal or supernatural masks . The colour of the kumadori is an expression of the character's nature: red lines are used to indicate passion, heroism, righteousness, and other positive traits; blue or black, villainy, jealousy, and other negative traits; green,
SECTION 50
#17328814996195564-400: The attention of the third shogun , Iemitsu , known for his interest in pederasty. He even arranged special performances. However, after Iemitsu's death in 1651 and with samurai now fighting for the attention of boys rather than girls, the shogunate imposed further restrictions, allowing only males over 15 to perform on stage. Kabuki switched to adult male actors, called yaro-kabuki , in
5671-480: The better-known examples of Japanese New Wave filmmaking. Documentary played a crucial role in the New Wave, as directors such as Hani, Kazuo Kuroki , Toshio Matsumoto , and Hiroshi Teshigahara moved from documentary into fiction film, while feature filmmakers like Oshima and Imamura also made documentaries. Shinsuke Ogawa and Noriaki Tsuchimoto became the most important documentarists: "two figures [that] tower over
5778-518: The bombing of Tokyo during World War II, and the natural effects of time and Japan's humidity on flammable and unstable nitrate film have resulted in a great dearth of surviving films from this period. Unlike in the West, silent films were still being produced in Japan well into the 1930s; as late as 1938, a third of Japanese films were silent. For instance, Yasujirō Ozu 's An Inn in Tokyo (1935), considered
5885-490: The cause for reform. At Taikatsu, Thomas Kurihara directed films scripted by the novelist Junichiro Tanizaki , who was a strong advocate of film reform. Even Nikkatsu produced reformist films under the direction of Eizō Tanaka . By the mid-1920s, actresses had replaced onnagata and films used more of the devices pioneered by Inoue. Some of the most discussed silent films from Japan are those of Kenji Mizoguchi , whose later works (including Ugetsu / Ugetsu Monogatari ) retain
5992-405: The children. Kamishibai was often used to tell stories of Buddhist deities and the history of some Buddhist temples. In 1920 it started out as normal storytelling for the children. But in about 1932 it started to lean more to a militaristic viewpoint. Yoshiko Yamaguchi was a very popular actress. She rose to international stardom with 22 wartime movies. The Manchukuo Film Association let her use
6099-557: The cinema audience drop due to the spread of television. Total audience declined from 1.2 billion in 1960 to 0.2 billion in 1980. Film companies refused to hire top actors and directors, not even the companies' production skills to the television industry, thereby making the film companies losing money. Film companies fought back in various ways, such as the bigger budget films of Kadokawa Pictures , or including increasingly sexual or violent content and language which could not be shown on television. The resulting pink film industry became
6206-406: The city limits and into Asakusa , a northern suburb of Edo. This was part of the larger Tenpō Reforms that the shogunate instituted starting in 1842 to restrict the overindulgence of pleasures. Actors, stagehands, and others associated with the performances were also forced to move as a result of the death of their livelihood; despite the move of everyone involved in kabuki performance, and many in
6313-401: The city of Edo. Kabuki theatres became well known as a place to both see and be seen in terms of fashion and style, as the audience—commonly comprising a number of socially low but economically wealthy merchants —typically used a performance as a way to feature the fashion trends. As an art-form, kabuki also provided inventive new forms of entertainment, featuring new musical styles played on
6420-466: The commercially successful Tora-San series , while also directing other films, notably the popular The Yellow Handkerchief , which won the first Japan Academy Prize for Best Film in 1978. New wave filmmakers Susumu Hani and Shōhei Imamura retreated to documentary work , though Imamura made a dramatic return to feature filmmaking with Vengeance Is Mine (1979). Dodes'ka-den by Akira Kurosawa and Sandakan No. 8 by Kei Kumai were nominated to
6527-421: The country, including anime-based productions such as Naruto or One Piece starting from 2014. Super Kabuki has sparked controversy within the Japanese population regarding the extent of modification of the traditional art form. Some say that it has lost its 400-year history, while others consider the adaptations necessary for contemporary relevance. Regardless, since incorporating more advanced technology in
SECTION 60
#17328814996196634-619: The critically and commercially successful Late Spring in 1949. In the later half of the Occupation, the Reverse Course came into effect. Left-wing filmmakers displaced from the major studios in the Red Purge joined those displaced after suppression of the Toho strikes , forming a new independent film movement. Directors such as Fumio Kamei , Tadashi Imai and Satsuo Yamamoto were members of
6741-420: The devices of hikinuki and bukkaeri are often used. This involves layering one costume over another and having a stagehand pull the outer one off in front of the audience. The curtain that shields the stage before the performance and during the breaks is in the traditional colours of black, red and green, in various order, or white instead of green, vertical stripes. The curtain consists of one piece and
6848-515: The effects the war and subsequent occupation by America in unique and innovative ways. During this decade, the works of Kurosawa, Honda, and Tsuburaya would become the first Japanese films to be widely distributed in foreign theaters. The decade started with Akira Kurosawa 's Rashomon (1950), which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1951 and the Academy Honorary Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1952, and marked
6955-417: The emergence of several skilled bunraku playwrights in that time. Little of note would occur in the further development of kabuki until the end of the century, when it began to reemerge in popularity. In the 1840s, repeated periods of drought led to a series of fires affecting Edo, with kabuki theatres—traditionally made of wood—frequently burning down, forcing many to relocate. When the area that housed
7062-454: The entrance of Japanese cinema onto the world stage. It was also the breakout role for legendary star Toshiro Mifune . In 1953, Entotsu no mieru basho by Heinosuke Gosho was in competition at the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival . The first Japanese film in color was Carmen Comes Home directed by Keisuke Kinoshita and released in 1951. There was also a black-and-white version of this film available. Tokyo File 212 (1951)
7169-399: The fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, the elimination of the samurai class, and the opening of Japan to the West, helped to spark kabuki's re-emergence. Both actors and playwrights strove to improve the reputation of kabuki in the face of new foreign influence and amongst the upper classes, partially through adapting traditional styles to modern tastes. This endeavour would prove successful, with
7276-458: The favors of a particularly popular or handsome actor, leading the shogunate to ban first onnagata and then wakashū roles for a short period of time; both bans were rescinded by 1652. During the Genroku period, kabuki thrived, with the structure of kabuki plays formalising into the structure they are performed in today, alongside many other elements which eventually came to be recognised as
7383-482: The film industry. In his 1917 film The Captain's Daughter (based on the play by Choji Nakauchi , based in turn on the German film, Gendarm Möbius ), Masao Inoue started using techniques new to the silent film era, such as the close-up and cut back. The Pure Film Movement was central in the development of the gendaigeki and scriptwriting . New studios established around 1920, such as Shochiku and Taikatsu , aided
7490-596: The first Japanese color movie to be released outside Japan, receiving an Academy Honorary Award in 1954 for Best Costume Design by Sanzo Wada and an Honorary Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival , the first Japanese film to achieve that honour. The year 1954 saw two of Japan's most influential films released. The first was the Kurosawa epic Seven Samurai , about
7597-552: The first to shoot films in Japan. Moving pictures, however, were not an entirely new experience for the Japanese because of their rich tradition of pre-cinematic devices such as gentō ( utsushi-e ) or the magic lantern . The first successful Japanese film in late 1897 showed sights in Tokyo. In 1898, some ghost films were made, such as the Shirō Asano shorts Bake Jizo (Jizo the Spook / 化け地蔵) and Shinin no sosei (Resurrection of
7704-459: The gallery", is sometimes used as a catch-all for these tricks. The hanamichi , and several innovations including revolving stage, seri and chunori have all contributed to kabuki. The hanamichi creates depth and both seri and chunori provide a vertical dimension. Mawari-butai (revolving stage) developed in the Kyōhō era (1716–1735). The trick was originally accomplished by
7811-443: The hardships soldiers face everyday in battle. Marching through mud and staying in small unknown towns. In 1942, Kajiro Yamamoto 's film The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya portrayed the attack on Pearl Harbor ; the film made use of special effects directed by Eiji Tsuburaya , including a miniature scale model of Pearl Harbor itself. Kamishibai (紙芝居) or paper theater was a popular form of street entertainment, especially for
7918-579: The higher pitch of their voices. The roles of adolescent men in kabuki, known as wakashu , were also played by young men, often selected for their attractiveness; this became a common practice, and wakashu were often presented in an erotic context. The focus of kabuki performances also increasingly began to emphasise drama alongside dance. However, the ribald nature of kabuki performances continued, with male actors also engaging in sex work for both female and male customers. Audiences frequently became rowdy, and brawls occasionally broke out, sometimes over
8025-428: The kabuki industry for generations. The kimono the actors wear for their costumes are typically made with vibrant colours and multiple layers. Both otoko and onnagata wear hakama - pleated trousers – in some plays, and both use padding underneath their costumes to create the correct body shape for the outfit. Kabuki makeup provides an element of style easily recognizable even by those unfamiliar with
8132-546: The landscape of Japanese documentary." Teshigahara's Woman in the Dunes (1964) won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival , and was nominated for Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film Oscars . Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan (1965) also picked up the Special Jury Prize at Cannes and received a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Bushido, Samurai Saga by Tadashi Imai won
8239-428: The looks of samurai or nobility and the use of luxurious fabrics, the kabuki costumes were groundbreaking new designs to the general public, even setting trends that still exist today. Although the earliest kabuki costumes have not been preserved, separate otoko and onnagata kabuki costumes today are made based on written records called ukiyo-e and in collaboration with those whose families have been in
8346-657: The majority of kabuki troupes have remained entirely-male. The introduction of earphone guides in 1975, including an English version in 1982, helped broaden the artform's appeal. As a result, in 1991 the Kabuki-za, one of Tokyo's best known kabuki theaters, began year-round performances and, in 2005, began marketing kabuki cinema films. Kabuki troupes regularly tour Asia, Europe and America, and there have been several kabuki-themed productions of Western plays such as those of Shakespeare . Western playwrights and novelists have also experimented with kabuki themes, an example of which
8453-492: The mid-1600s. Adult male actors, however, continued to play both female and male characters, and kabuki retained its popularity, remaining a key element of the Edo period urban life-style. Although kabuki was performed widely across Japan, the Nakamura-za, Ichimura-za and Kawarazaki-za theatres became the most widely known and popular kabuki theatres, where some of the most successful kabuki performances were and still are held. During
8560-483: The new stage sets, costumes, and lighting, Super Kabuki has regained interest from the young demographic. In addition, Square Enix announced a Super Kabuki adaptation of Final Fantasy X collaborating with Tokyo Broadcasting System in 2022. Entitled Kinoshita Group presents New Kabuki Final Fantasy X and part of celebrations of the Final Fantasy franchise's 35th anniversary, it is scheduled to be performed at
8667-422: The on-stage pushing of a round, wheeled platform. Later a circular platform was embedded in the stage with wheels beneath it facilitating movement. The kuraten ("darkened revolve") technique involves lowering the stage lights during this transition. More commonly the lights are left on for akaten ("lighted revolve"), sometimes simultaneously performing the transitioning scenes for dramatic effect. This stage
8774-859: The only members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ). The annual Japan Academy Film Prize hosted by the Nippon Academy-shō Association is considered to be the Japanese equivalent of the Academy Awards . The kinetoscope , first shown commercially by Thomas Edison in the United States in 1894, was first shown in Japan in November 1896. The Vitascope and the Lumière Brothers ' Cinematograph were first presented in Japan in early 1897, by businessmen such as Inabata Katsutaro . Lumière cameramen were
8881-509: The peak years of the Japanese New Wave movement, which began in the 1950s and continued through the early 1970s. Nagisa Oshima , Kaneto Shindo , Masahiro Shinoda , Susumu Hani and Shohei Imamura emerged as major filmmakers during the decade. Oshima's Cruel Story of Youth , Night and Fog in Japan and Death by Hanging , along with Shindo's Onibaba , Hani's Kanojo to kare and Imamura's The Insect Woman , became some of
8988-418: The piece usually acknowledged as his most significant, Sonezaki Shinjū ( The Love Suicides at Sonezaki ), was originally written for bunraku . Like many bunraku plays, it was adapted for kabuki, eventually becoming popular enough to reportedly inspire a number of real-life "copycat" suicides, and leading to a government ban on shinju mono (plays about love suicides) in 1723. Also during
9095-606: The policies of the Occupation , such as agricultural reform and the organization of labor unions , and promoted the peaceful redevelopment of Japan and the rights of individuals . Significant movies among them are, Setsuko Hara appeared in Akira Kurosawa 's No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), Kōzaburō Yoshimura 's A Ball at the Anjo House (1947), Tadashi Imai 's Aoi sanmyaku (1949), etc. It gained national popularity as
9202-560: The role of a woman. Kabuki also appears in works of Japanese popular culture such as anime . In addition to the handful of major theatres in Tokyo and Kyoto, there are many smaller theatres in Osaka and throughout the countryside. The Ōshika Kabuki ( 大鹿歌舞伎 ) troupe, based in Ōshika , Nagano Prefecture, is one example. Some local kabuki troupes today use female actors in onnagata roles. The Ichikawa Shōjo Kabuki Gekidan, an all-female troupe, debuted in 1953 to significant acclaim, though
9309-521: The screen and narrated silent movies. They were descendants of kabuki jōruri, kōdan storytellers, theater barkers and other forms of oral storytelling. Benshi could be accompanied by music like silent films from cinema of the West . With the advent of sound in the early 1930s, the benshi gradually declined. In 1908, Shōzō Makino , considered the pioneering director of Japanese film, began his influential career with Honnōji gassen (本能寺合戦), produced for Yokota Shōkai . Shōzō recruited Matsunosuke Onoe ,
9416-511: The stage. Kabuki stages and theaters have steadily become more technologically sophisticated, and innovations including revolving stages and trap doors were introduced during the 18th century. A driving force has been the desire to manifest one frequent theme of kabuki theater, that of the sudden, dramatic revelation or transformation. A number of stage tricks, including actors' rapid appearance and disappearance, employ these innovations. The term keren ( 外連 ) , often translated as "playing to
9523-589: The stepping stone for many young independent filmmakers. The seventies also saw the start of the " idol eiga ", films starring young "idols" , who would bring in audiences due to their fame and popularity. Toshiya Fujita made the revenge film Lady Snowblood in 1973. In the same year, Yoshishige Yoshida made the film Coup d'État , a portrait of Ikki Kita , the leader of the Japanese coup of February 1936. Its experimental cinematography and mise-en-scène, as well as its avant-garde score by Toshi Ichiyanagi , garnered it wide critical acclaim within Japan. In 1976,
9630-663: The style of dress worn by gangs of samurai . The history of kabuki began in 1603 during the Edo period when former shrine maiden Izumo no Okuni , possibly a miko of Izumo-taisha , began performing with a troupe of young female dancers a new, simple style of dance drama in pantomime , on a makeshift stage in the dry bed of the Kamo River in Kyoto In the earliest forms of kabuki, female performers played both men and women in comic playlets about ordinary life. It did not take long for
9737-510: The style to become popular, and Okuni was asked to perform before the Imperial Court. In the wake of such success, rival troupes quickly formed, and kabuki was born as ensemble dance and drama performed by women. Much of the appeal of kabuki in this era was due to the ribald, suggestive themes featured by many troupes; this appeal was further augmented by the fact that many performers were also involved in prostitution . For this reason, kabuki
9844-409: The surrounding areas, to the new location of the theatres, the inconvenience of the distance led to a reduction in attendance. These factors, along with strict regulations, pushed much of kabuki "underground" in Edo, with performances changing locations to avoid the authorities. The theatres' new location was called Saruwaka-chō, or Saruwaka-machi; the last thirty years of the Tokugawa shogunate's rule
9951-474: The time period of 1628–1673, the modern version of all-male kabuki actors, a style of kabuki known as yarō-kabuki (lit., "young man kabuki"), was established, following the ban on women and young boys. Cross-dressing male actors, known as " onnagata " (lit., "woman role") or " oyama " took over previously female- or wakashu -acted roles. Young (adolescent) men were still preferred for women's roles due to their less obviously masculine appearance and
10058-565: The war experience became a public phenomenon. Other films produced include Battleship Yamato (1953) and Eagle of the Pacific (1953). Under these circumstances, movies such as Emperor Meiji and the Russo-Japanese War (明治天皇と日露大戦争, 1957), where Kanjūrō Arashi played Emperor Meiji , also appeared. It was a situation that was unthinkable before the war, the commercialization of the Emperor who
10165-478: The weak economy, unemployment became widespread in Japan, and the cinema industry suffered. During this period, when Japan was expanding its empire, the Japanese government saw cinema as a propaganda tool to show the glory and invincibility of the Empire of Japan . Thus, many films from this period depict patriotic and militaristic themes. However unlike most wartime films the Japanese tended to tell it like it is, showing
10272-472: The young samurai patrons, shogunal authorities, who wanted to maintain order, banned women from performing on stage. Following this ban, Okuni replaced the women with boys in Kabuki performances. During the early seventeenth century, within a culture where pederasty was pervasive among samurai, her decision didn't significantly harm the theater's popularity. In fact, it may have even benefited Kabuki, as it caught
10379-526: Was Until We Meet Again by Tadashi Imai . The number of films produced, and the cinema audience reached a peak in the 1960s. Most films were shown in double bills, with one half of the bill being a "program picture" or B movie . A typical program picture was shot in four weeks. The demand for these program pictures in quantity meant the growth of film series such as The Hoodlum Soldier or Akumyo . The huge level of activity of 1960s Japanese cinema also resulted in many classics. Akira Kurosawa directed
10486-451: Was also known as 'prostitute kabuki' ( 遊女歌舞妓 ) during this period. Kabuki became a common form of entertainment in the red-light districts of Japan, especially in Yoshiwara , the registered red-light district in Edo. The widespread appeal of kabuki often meant that a diverse crowd of different social classes gathered to watch performances, a unique occurrence that happened nowhere else in
10593-516: Was completed in 1961, with A Soldier's Prayer . Kenji Mizoguchi, who died in 1956, ended his career with a series of masterpieces including The Life of Oharu (1952), Ugetsu (1953) and Sansho the Bailiff (1954). He won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival for Ugetsu . Mizoguchi's films often deal with the tragedies inflicted on women by Japanese society. Mikio Naruse made Repast (1950), Late Chrysanthemums (1954), Sound of
10700-613: Was dominant, but opposed by leftist critics such as Akira Iwasaki and Genjū Sasa who sought an ideological critique of films. The 1930s also saw increased government involvement in cinema, which was symbolized by the passing of the Film Law , which gave the state more authority over the film industry, in 1939. The government encouraged some forms of cinema, producing propaganda films and promoting documentary films (also called bunka eiga or "culture films"), with important documentaries being made by directors such as Fumio Kamei . Realism
10807-447: Was first built in Japan in the early 18th century. Seri refers to the stage "traps" that have been commonly employed in kabuki since the middle of the 18th century. These traps raise and lower actors or sets to the stage. Seridashi or seriage refers to trap(s) moving upward and serisage or serioroshi to traps descending. This technique is often used to lift an entire scene at once. Chūnori (riding in mid-air)
10914-569: Was in favor; film theorists such as Taihei Imamura and Heiichi Sugiyama advocated for documentary or realist drama, while directors such as Hiroshi Shimizu and Tomotaka Tasaka produced fiction films that were strongly realistic in style. Films reinforced the importance of traditional Japanese values against the rise of the Westernised modern girl , a character epitomised by Shizue Tatsuta in Ozu's 1930 film Young Lady . Because of World War II and
11021-599: Was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity . The individual kanji that make up the word kabuki can be read as 'sing' ( 歌 ) , 'dance' ( 舞 ) , and 'skill' ( 伎 ) . Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as 'the art of singing and dancing'. These are, however, ateji characters which do not reflect actual etymology , being used for pronunciation. The kanji of 'skill' generally refers to
11128-571: Was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2005. While still maintaining most of the historical practices of kabuki, Ichikawa En-ō ( 市川猿翁 ) aimed to broaden its appeal by creating a new genre of kabuki productions called "Super Kabuki" ( スーパー歌舞伎 ) . With Yamato Takeru ( ヤマトタケル ) as the first Super Kabuki production to premiere in 1986, remakes of traditional plays and new contemporary creations have been brought to local theaters throughout
11235-521: Was supposed to be sacred and inviolable. The period after the American Occupation led to a rise in diversity in movie distribution thanks to the increased output and popularity of the film studios of Toho , Daiei , Shochiku , Nikkatsu , and Toei . This period gave rise to the six great artists of Japanese cinema: Masaki Kobayashi , Akira Kurosawa , Ishirō Honda , Eiji Tsuburaya , Kenji Mizoguchi , and Yasujirō Ozu . Each director dealt with
11342-475: Was that the production of jidaigeki films, especially those involving samurai , became effectively impossible. A notable case of censorship was of the war film Escape at Dawn , written by Akira Kurosawa and Senkichi Taniguchi , which was re-written over a dozen times at the request of CIE, largely erasing the original content of the story. On the other hand, the CIE favored the production of films that reflected
11449-420: Was the first American feature film to be shot entirely in Japan. The lead roles were played by Florence Marly and Robert Peyton . It featured the geisha Ichimaru in a short cameo. Suzuki Ikuzo's Tonichi Enterprises Company co-produced the film. Gate of Hell , a 1953 film by Teinosuke Kinugasa , was the first movie that filmed using Eastmancolor film, Gate of Hell was both Daiei 's first color film and
#618381