Hanes

You can also see the oldest Japanese movie in existence!
The 120th anniversary of the birth of Japanese movies "Meiji Japan as seen in video"


Hello. I'm Hanes, an active correspondent.
The other day, I mentioned that this year marks the 150th anniversary of Japan-Australia friendship, but there are other things that have been memorable.
That's a Japanese movie!

In October 1897 (Meiji 30), Konishi Main Store (now Konica Minolta) published an advertisement for a movie camera in a magazine under the heading "Arrival of Activity Photography Equipment".
Shiro Asano, the clerk of the store, succeeded in shooting, developing, and firing film for the first time as a Japanese, and photographer Tsuneyoshi Shibata, who was a customer, started shooting movies as soon as possible.
In June 1899, Hiromeya, who had been successful in performing activity photographs at the time, noticed this and started performing Japanese-made activity photographs at Hongo Chuo Kaido and Kabukiza in Tokyo.
This is the first release of a Japanese film, and this year marks the 120th year since then.

At 16:00 on June 27, the memorable year, a website where you can see valuable Japanese images of Meiji period was released.

[Top Image Description]
"Nihonbashi"
Around 1897-1899 (Meiji 30-32) Shooted by Shiro Asano, Nihon University Museum of Fine Arts
Photographs of Nihonbashi from the east side of Minamizume and Kyobashi. It is considered to be one of the first films taken by Shiro Asano after the arrival of the machine. The dynamics of the traffic of railway cars and Daihachi cars, and the breath of busy people are clearly conveyed. It is also valuable as a record before 1911, which was replaced by the current stone arch bridge.
(Provided by National Film Archive)

About the website "Meiji Japan Seen in Video"

The new website, "Meiji no Japan in Video," was created by the National Film Archive and the National Institute of Informatics.
This site is expected to encourage many people to see the collection of National Film Archives that record the times, and to make extensive use of valuable images in the digital age, thereby promoting understanding of history and culture, developing research, and contributing to new creation.

That's why I like history, also visited the site!

You can also see the oldest Japanese movie in existence! The 120th anniversary of the birth of Japanese movies "Meiji Japan as seen in video"

(Website use image/offer: National Film Archive)


On the website (at the time of publication), five videos are distributed to make Japanese movies from the Meiji era more familiar, and four high-definition images of films (part of 35mm film) of the "oldest Japanese film" excavated from the collection of the Nihon University College of Art's Film Department are available in the still image gallery.

All of them are valuable materials that are worth a look, but this time we will pick up and introduce those related to Chuo-ku in addition to the top image Nihonbashi.

"Autumn Leaves Hunting"

"Autumn Leaves Hunting" You can also see the oldest Japanese movie in existence! The 120th anniversary of the birth of Japanese movies "Meiji Japan as seen in video"

(The 9th generation Danjuro Ichikawa (right) and the 5th generation Kikugoro Onoe (left) / Provision: National Film Archive)


The first video to be introduced is the oldest surviving Japanese movie, and in 2009, 35mm flammable dupenega was designated as an important cultural property for the first time.
In 1899 (Meiji 32), this movie, shot by Tsuneyoshi Shibata, recorded the supreme performance of Danjuro Ichikawa and Kikugoro Onoe, the fifth generation, along with the performance of Kabukiza Theater's "Autumn Leaves Hunting".
Due to the sensitivity of film and lighting technology at that time, it is said that shooting was performed not on the actual stage but on an outdoor stage.

Although it is a short silent black and white video of 7 minutes, not only the suppleness of the movement of Kabuki actors and the goodness of the sharpness, but also the story itself can be transmitted lively.
On the site, the attention points in the video are explained in an easy-to-understand manner, and it is easy for beginners of Kabuki like me, and you can get interested in it.

"Exploration of the South Pole of Japan"

"Exploring the South Pole of Japan" You can also see the oldest Japanese movie in existence! The 120th anniversary of the birth of Japanese movies "Meiji Japan as seen in video"

(Kannan Maru, which will return to Shinagawa Bay on June 20, 1912/Provided by National Film Archive)


This video was recorded over 1910-1912 (Meiji 43-45) years by the South Pole Expedition, led by Army Lieutenant Nobu Shirase, to reach the southernmost point, which was unexplored at the time.
It was Shibaura that the South Pole exploration ship “Kainan Maru” appeared in this video departed, but as Kairliy introduced, the Antarctic observation ship “Shirase” was anchored at Harumi Wharf in April this year. Chuo-ku has something to do with Antarctic observation ship because it was berthed at Harumi Wharf.♪

You can also see the oldest Japanese movie in existence! The 120th anniversary of the birth of Japanese movies "Meiji Japan as seen in video"

(Aderie Penguin filmed in Antarctica/provided by National Film Archive)


The one published on this site this time is a digest version (19 minutes) created by the Japan South Pole Expedition 40th Anniversary Party in 1950 and purchased by the Ministry of Education the following year.
It also includes the sponsor Shigenobu Okuma, the chairman of the sponsor, Aderie Penguin and seal in the Antarctica, and is an impressive work that reminds many explorers who tried to reach the Antarctic Point.

"Chushingura,"

"Chushingura," You can also see the oldest Japanese movie in existence! The 120th anniversary of the birth of Japanese movies "Meiji Japan as seen in video"

(Takumi Asanouchi, sadness / offer: National Film Archive)


Finally, I would like to introduce Chushingura, which was shot around 1910-1915 (Meiji 43-Taisho 4).
This is the oldest surviving "Chushingura" movie by the combination of Shozo Makino, the father of Japanese film, and Matsunosuke Onoe, the first star of Japanese films.
In this video, Takumi Asanouchi and Oishi built-in assistant are both performed by Matsunosuke.

This is also a silent black and white (partial dyeing) video, but it is a very satisfying volume of 50 minutes!
There are several spots related to "Chushingura" in Chuo-ku, so if you are interested, please check it out!

Yeah

At the press conference on this site, I was able to show you valuable film negatives.
Now established as a typical entertainment, it has become easier to watch movies while staying at home, but it was only 120 years ago that Japanese movies were born.
I was surprised by the rapid spread and development since then, and I became more and more interested in Japanese films.
It seems that content will be added to the site in the future, so be sure to visit it ^^

You can also see the oldest Japanese movie in existence! The 120th anniversary of the birth of Japanese movies "Meiji Japan as seen in video"


Japan in the Meiji era as seen in the video
URL： https://meiji.filmarchives.jp/
Production: National Film Archive, National Institute of Informatics
(Based on the “Culture and Arts Promotion Subsidy (Museum and History Museum Priority Field Promotion Support Project)”)
Date and time of publication: Thursday, June 27, 2019 16:00