Report on Joint Research Findings
Fiscal 2019
Principal Research
1. Basic Research Survey of Materials Relating to Shoyo Tsubouchi and Shiko Tsubouchi
Selected Research
1. Research on Musicians and Musical Bands Regarding Kurihara’s Musical Score Collection: Music for Stage and Cinema during the Early-Showa Era
2. Understanding the Studio System in Postwar Japanese Cinema: Empirical Research on Nikkatsu Roman Porno
3. The Restoration of the Rissho Katsuei Films Based on Multiple Materials
4. Visual Depictions of Chinese Theater and the Taisho Period in Japan: Focusing on Nobuyo Fukuchi’s Shina no Shibai Sukecchi-cho
Principal Research 1
Basic Research Survey of Materials Relating to Shoyo Tsubouchi and Shiko Tsubouchi
Principal Researcher
Kuniko Hamaguchi (Affiliated Lecturer, The College of Intercultural Communication, Rikkyo University)
Collaborative Researchers
Akira Kikuchi (Adjunct Researcher, Waseda University Theatre Museum)
Tomoaki Kojima (Part-time Lecturer, Musashino Art University)
Kaoru Matsuyama (Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University)
Kaho Mizuta (Adjunct Researcher, Waseda University Theatre Museum)
Kazuko Yanagisawa (Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University)
Purpose of Research
In this study, in addition to completing the cataloging of all letters addressed to Shoyo Tsubouchi, we plan to make the contents of the project publicly available by reprinting them, with a focus on letters connected to the “Collected Letters of Shoyo Tsubouchi.” The organization, reprinting, and research into the letters addressed to Shoyo will open up a number of new possibilities. These include the estimation of the age of certain undated letters compiled in the “Collected Letters of Shoyo Tsubouchi,” and research into the contents of these letters as letters of correspondence. This project is also expected to clarify new aspects of the background or context surrounding Shoyo and aspects of Shoyo’s activities and interactions, as well as contributing to the revision of “Shoyo's Diary,” which is currently in progress. Furthermore, the publication of a survey of materials related to Shiko Tsubouchi, begun on account of research into Tsubouchi Family, is pending. There has been an increase in the evaluation of Shiko’s various theatre-related activities in recent years and it is expected that, from these manuscripts, scripts, leaflets, letters, and photographs, the accomplishments of Shiko in the history of modern Japanese theatre and dance will be more extensively clarified. This includes the prewar plans of the Shin Bungei Kyokai and the Takarazuka Shingekidan, the activities in forms of new theatre such as Takarazuka and Toho, and criticism of Japanese dance in the post-war period.
Research Results
〇 Shoyo Tsubouchi materialsThis year, a scrapbook of letters addressed to Shoyo, totalling 379 letters in seven books, including the “Collection of the Letters of Roan Uchida,” were digitized, and a total of 46 letters, including those of Hogin Kitani, were reprinted in “Studies in Dramatic Art” No.43. (Hamaguchi, Kojima, Matsuyama, and Yanagisawa, “Various Letters Addressed to Shoyo Tsubouchi 5: Letters Addressed to Shoyo Tsubouchi from Rikuhei Umemoto, Hogin Kitani, Hogetsu Shimamura, Yuriko Chujo, and Yoshie Chujo.”) Moreover, a list of all the materials organized and digitized since 2014 was reinspected, and acid-free paper was inserted into these materials for the sake of preservation. The total number of digitized materials was 2,410 letters and 339 other kinds of materials, comprising 28 scrapbooks. In addition to being reprinted, 234 letters addressed to Shoyo were compared with the already reprinted letters written by Shoyo, thereby allowing for the confirmation of their dates. This allowed for more exact elucidation of the actual interactions between Shoyo and the people surrounding him. It was also determined that this collection contains a variety of materials other than letters. Going forward, it is expected that close examination will clarify the actual state of the various activities of various cultural figures that were active during the same period as Shoyo.
〇 Shiko Tsubouchi materialsBefore now, the artistic activities of Shiko Tsubouchi have not been thoroughly considered, due to the limited materials available. This collection, however, contains a set of materials that substantiate the information recorded in his memoir “Ninety Years Gone By” (Seiabo, April 20th, 1977). This collection may have seemed like something of a ruin to Shiko himself, as it shows the traces of a number of attempts to compile a bibliographical catalogue of plays and essays, and to collect and prepare items taken from collections of performed scripts and magazines, with the aim of publishing a complete set of works. However, this still allows us to trace prewar new theatre activities. This year, through investigative work, a catalogue of 1,084 manuscript items, 355 performance items, and 1,085 photographic items has been completed. A reevaluation of Shiko’s accomplishments should occur in the future, through the creation of a chronological table and further study and discussion.
Wrapping paper,“ Ruins of the Shin Bungei Kyokai,” date unknown［TSK0001282］
March, 1922. Performance at the Osaka Shinmachi Theatre,“ Chosei Shin Urashima” Kinsen Kubota, costume design for Otohime, Maid, and Urashima (From“ Chosei Shin Urashima,” a scrapbook of theatre materials for plays written by Shoyo Tsubouchi)［TSZ-206-006_P012］
Tokan Fudeya, design of Otohime’s wig and crown (Same as above)［TSZ-206-002_P020］
Selected Research 1
Research on Musicians and Musical Bands Regarding Kurihara’s Musical Score Collection: Music for Stage and Cinema during the Early-Showa Era
Principal Researcher
Masaaki Nakano (Affiliated Lecturer, School of Arts and Letters, Meiji University)
Collaborative Researchers
Midori Takeishi (Professor, Faculty of Music, Tokyo College of Music)
Makiko Kamiya (Assistant Curator, National Film Archive of Japan)
Fumito Shirai (Lecturer, Nagoya University of Foreign studies)
Yohei Yamakami (Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Masato Mori (Independent Researcher)
Purpose of Research
Shigekazu Kurihara (1897-1983) was a musician active in the early-Showa period as a conductor and an arranger in Ken’ichi Enomoto’s band, Shochiku Kinema’s performance department, and the PCL (Photo Chemical Laboratory) film studio in the early days of sound films. This study involves the analysis and investigation of a portion of sheet music held by the Theatre Museum, the “Sheet Music Collection of Ken’ichi Enomoto’s Band/ Shigekazu Kurihara.” Starting from a basic investigation of the sheet music materials, this research project investigates and compares contemporary documents, related materials, and other sheet music collections in order to examine the creation and performances of contemporary theater troupes and movie theaters across a wide range of genres, based on the activities of musicians and bands from the early-Showa period.
Research Results
This year, the digitization and creation of a catalogue for the newly purchased portion of the collection was conducted, and progress was made in investigations involving interviews of related persons, as well as documents and visual materials from the time period.
〇 Digitization and the creation of a catalogue for the additionally purchased part of the collectionResearch began to investigate a part of materials that was additionally purchased and added to the collection in 2017 (the second purchase), including the digitization and the creation of a catalogue for approximately 270 items. In addition to the printed and handwritten sheet music that were similar to the materials in the first purchase, the materials in the second purchase include a collection of sheet music more clearly indicating the provenance of the original materials, as well as the actual use of scores for individual works.
〇 Interviews and reporting of resultsIn addition to investigations of sheet music materials, interviews were conducted with Mr. Masahisa Segawa (in March, June, and September of 2019), who was in possession of these materials after being granted them by Kurihara’s family. During these interviews, we inquired about the circumstances under which the materials were obtained and made progress in assembling related materials held by Mr. Segawa. It was determined that the collection of materials was
transferred from the Kurihara family to Mr. Segawa following an introduction from a musician in the band of Kenichi Enomoto.
Based on these results, our research group, in addition to publishing papers under joint authorship, held and
invited Mr. Segawa to participate in an open research meeting called “The Music of Enomoto Ken’ichi’s Comedy in its Contemporary Movement” (December 26th, 2019). The first part began with a presentation by Fumito Shirai related to the music of “Son Goku” in different fields, including theater, movie, radio and television. This was followed by a research presentation by Kotaro Shibata (Theatre Museum, Waseda University) related to the reuse of music originally published to accompany silent films. In the round-table discussion held in the second part, the specific scenes of the
films that Ken’ichi Enomoto appeared in were jointly analyzed and examined by Mr. Segawa as well as the joint researchers (including the Chair, Masato Mori). The relationship between Enomoto’s works and their music, which developed in a way that transcended the genres of theater, reviews, and films, was highlighted and compared to contemporary movements.
Going forward, the further assembly of Kurihara’s collection, portions of which are presumably scattered
and lost, will continue. There is also a need to search for the use of materials in the form of reconstructed
performance. This two-year basic survey and investigation will serve as a stepping stone for further empirical research of the history of modern Japanese music within a broader framework.
“Kino Classics” Series Cover ［KRH47480_0001］
“The Song of Son Goku” Enomoto Ken’itchi’s Son Goku (1947, stage performance)［KRH47320_008］
Selected Research 2
Understanding the Studio System in Postwar Japanese Cinema: Empirical Research on Nikkatsu Roman Porno
Principal Researcher
Michiko Usui (Associate Professor, Kanto Gakuin University)
Collaborative Researchers
Jinshi Fujii (Professor, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences)
Mio Hatokai (Doctoral Program, Waseda University)
Kyun-min Hwang (Part-time Lecturer, Meiji Gakuin University)
Marie Kono (Part-time Lecturer, Rikkyo University and Aoyama Gakuin University)
Purpose of Research
The Nikkatsu Roman Porno series, made up of adult “program picture” films, played an extremely important role in the post-war history of Japanese cinema as the last bastion of the studio system. Through the organization and survey of the contents of press sheets for the Nikkatsu Roman Porno series in the possession of the theater museum, this joint research project multilaterally considers the history of Nikkatsu as a studio that managed program pictures from their production to their exhibition, with a focus on the period of the Roman Porno. Furthermore, we have aimed to suggest a new directionality for film research by using press sheets as our research materials. These press sheets have not generally been used for academic purposes in the past, despite the fact that they are ideally suited for elucidating the actual conditions of aspects such as distribution and exhibition.
Research Results
Our team aimed to conduct the organization and survey of a collection comprised of 1,235 Japanese adult film press sheets, dating from the latter half of the 1960s to the early 1990s. The majority of these were Nikkatsu Roman Porno press sheets, and research therefore focused on these press sheets. The primary four research results from this year’s efforts are as follows.
〇 Organization and cataloging of press sheets for non-Nikkatsu filmsOrganization and cataloging of press sheets for the works of Toei, OP Chain, and Shin Nihon Eizo (Xces Film) were conducted. Together with the press sheets for Nikkatsu films processed last year, the cataloging of all materials was completed.
〇 The digitization of press sheets for Nikkatsu films, and the transcription of their taglines.The digitalization of all 771 press sheets for Nikkatsu films was completed. Also, the transcription of taglines on the back of the press sheets was completed for a portion of the films.
〇 Interviews with Isomi Kurihara, former member of the Nikkatsu Production DepartmentAlthough many testimonies remain from figures involved with Nikkatsu during the Roman Porno period, the experiences of female staff members have rarely been touched upon. Therefore, we interviewed Ms. Kurihara, who was one of the few women responsible for the production of Roman Porno films.
〇 Holding a public seminar: “The Past, Present, and Future of Roman Porno Research”Four young researchers who, as viewers, would not have been the target audience of these films when they opened — that is, who view the films from an “external” lens — spoke about the Roman Porno as a phenomenon in Japanese film history, as well as attempting to multilaterally search for a method of academic approach with respect to this body of work.
This year, we not only researched the potential of press sheet activity within film research, but also for a way in which researchers can confront the Roman Porno films, which have so far not been studied extensively. In particular, although interest has recently grown in problems of gender and sexuality, there are hardly any attempts to discuss the Roman Pornos from that perspective. We consider this public seminar, in which female film researchers (research group members Hatokai, Hwang, and Kono) and a queer film researcher (Yutaka Kubo, assistant professor at the Theatre Museum) discussed such questions multilaterally, which was both groundbreaking and a fitting culmination of this two-year joint research project.
“Flower and Snake,” Large press sheet, reverse side［NFM6000107］
“Flower and Snake,” Small press sheet, reverse side［NFM6000169］
“Apartment Wife: Love in the Afternoon,” Small press sheet, reverse side［NFM6000505］
“Apartment Wife: Love in the Afternoon,” Small press sheet, front side［NFM6000505］
Selected Research 3
The Restoration of the Rissho Katsuei Films Based on Multiple Materials
The Restoration of the Rissho Katsuei Films Based on Multiple Materials
Principal Researcher
Manabu Ueda (Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Kobe Gakuin University)
Collaborative Researchers
Susanne Schermann (Professor, School of Law, Meiji University)
Roland Domenig (Associate Professor, Faculty of Letters, Meiji Gakuin University)
Fumiaki Itakura (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Intercultural Studies Department of Cultural-Interaction, Kobe University)
Chie Niita (Assistant Professor, College of Contemporary Psychology, Rikkyo University)
Kazuto Kondo (Assistant Professor, Daito Bunka University)
Yulia Burenina (Adjunct Researcher, Center for Japanese Language and Culture, Osaka University)
Purpose of Research
The purpose of this study is to reconsider the image and the screening environment of the films produced by Risshō Katsuei by using the non-film materials of the same company that are in the possession of the Theatre Museum of Waseda University. Risshō Katsuei worked together with Shozo Makino’s Makino Film Production to produce religious films from the late Taisho period to the early Showa period, yet its existence is almost unremarked upon in existing studies of film history. Because Risshō Katsuei was a small-scale production company, surviving materials are extremely limited, and research using composite materials is essential for restoration efforts. This study is an attempt of a film-historical reconstruction of the Risshō Katsuei production Nabekaburi nisshin (directed by Shozo Makino, 1922) by combining multiple materials - then on-film materials of the Theatre Museum collection and the extant 9.5mm film fragment of the film in the collection of the Kobe Planet Film Archive - and reconsidering the film's imagery and the screening environment at the time of its production.
Research Results
Risshō Katsuei has been left largely unaddressed by previous research in the field of film history and is therefore largely unknown. This study advances the investigation and analysis of materials related to Risshō Katsuei in the possession of the Theatre Museum. A public seminar entitled “Religious Films and Screen Practices” (Nov. 16th, 2019, Kobe Planet Film Archive) was held. This seminar combined the publication of this study’s results with a screening of Nabekaburi nisshin, a Risshō Katsuei film that was discovered at the Kobe Planet Film Archive. During this seminar, based on a preliminary seminar (May 5th, 2019), the results of the investigation of the relevant materials were discussed in “Shozo Makino and Religious Films,” presented by Manabu Ueda, and “Nichirenism and Film: With a Focus on the Risshō Katsuei Film Production and Distribution Network,” presented by Yulia Burenina. In addition, from the perspective of screen practices, Kazuto Kondo presented on “Screen Practices in History: Research Trends in Japan,” Roland Domenig presented on “The Great Arts of Light and Shadow: Interrelations Between Religion and Magic Lantern Projection,” and Susanne Schermann presented on “The Relationship Between Japanese Religion and Entertainment from a European Perspective.” In addition, aside from the members of the joint research project, Toshio Akai presented on “Early Modern India and Religious Films” and Kanako Fukushima presented on “The Use of Projection by Protestants in Meiji Japan: A Study of Slides Produced by Matsuchi Nakajima,” thereby discussing the status of research related to religion and film culture. Through this analysis of the materials of the Museum, the value of the newly discovered prints was redefined, and the relationship between Japanese films and religion, which had not been extensively researched until now, as well as the connection with Nichirenism, which played a particularly strong role in the history of modern Japan, were examined. The details of the results of this research on Risshō Katsuei were compiled in a paper authored jointly by Yulia Burenina and Manabu Ueda, entitled “Propaganda Films of the Nichirenism: An Analysis of the Risshō Katsuei Materials and the Film Nabekaburi nisshin.” (“Theater Research” No. 43, March 2020 (scheduled)).
Nichiren Memo［NRK46358-10］
Nabekaburi nisshin, List of Scene Titles［NRK46357-03］
Selected Research 4
Visual Depictions of Chinese Theater and the Taisho Period in Japan: Focusing on Nobuyo Fukuchi’s Shina no Shibai Sukecchi-cho
Principal Researcher
Norikazu Hirabayashi (Professor, Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University)
Collaborative Researchers
Yuan Yingming (Professor, College of Performing and Visual Arts, Obirin University)
Li Liwei (Associate Professor, South China Normal University)
Li Ling (Associate Researcher, Chinese National Academy of Arts)
Purpose of Research
The topic of this study is “Visual depictions of Chinese theater and the Taisho period in Japan: focusing on Nobuyo Fukuchi’s Shina no Shibai Sukecchi-cho.’”Placing an investigation of Nobuyo Fukuchi’s “Chinese Theater Sketchbook,” which is in the possession of the Theatre Museum, at its center, this study aims to clarify an aspect of the Taisho period, with a focus on primarily visual materials. These materials deal with the relationship between Chinese theater and the two performances of Mei Lanfang (in 1919 and 1924), as well as those of a number of other actors who visited and performed in Taisho Japan.
Research Results
Since its beginning, this study has been performed according to the concurrent implementation of three tasks. 1) the task of investigating Nobuyo Fukuchi’s “Chinese Theater Sketchbook,” which is in the possession of the Theatre Museum; 2) the study of Nobuyo Fukuchi himself; and 3) the study of visual materials related to Chinese theater in the Taisho period.
Regarding the first task, in continuation from last year, progress was made in confirming information about theatrical performances depicted by Fukuchi through the use of materials from the period when Fukuchi was in China (from the Junten Jiho, the Shanghai News, etc.). There are plans to apply the results of this work to the catalogue of material issued by the research center.
We are reporting the second and third tasks in the following forms. First, the following papers were published during the research period: Yoko Tamura (of Kinjo Gakuin University), a member of this research team in 2018, authored “The Chinese Opera as Depicted by the Japanese” for inclusion in “Nandan and the Modern Girl: The Modernization of Classical Chinese Opera in 20th Century China” (2019); Liwei Li (of South China Normal University) authored “A Study on the Reception of Chinese Opera by the Chinese Theater Study Association of Nobuyo Fukuchi” for inclusion in “Research on the Reception of Chinese Opera in Modern Japan” (2018), and so on. Both papers clarify the various activities of Nobuyo Fukuchi during the time when he wrote the “Sketchbook.”
Also, as 2019 was the hundred-year anniversary of Mei Lanfang’s first visit to and public performance in Japan, Norikazu Hirabayashi participated as a representative in two symposiums held jointly by both China and Japan, and provided an oral report on matters related to both Nobuyo Fukuchi himself and the “Sketchbook”:
1: “Depictions of Chinese Theater: With a Focus on the Sketches of Nobuyo Fukuchi” at the “Symposium on the 100th Anniversary of Mei Lanfang’s First Arrival in Japan” held by the Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum (July 12th, 2019, Waseda University)
2: “Hundred Year Anniversary of Mei Lanfang’s Arrival in Japan” at the “Performance Symposium on the 100th Anniversary of Mei Lanfang’s Arrival in Japan” held by the Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas (October 2nd, 2019, Small Theater, National Theatre of Japan)
Coinciding with the hundred-year anniversary of Mei Lanfang’s arrival in Japan, research on Nobuyo Fukuchi and the “Sketchbook,” both linked to Mei Lanfang, is of great significance to theatrical history as well. At the same time, this activity has raised the interest of Chinese researchers and resulted in operations that are pressing ahead with related research in a state of mutual cooperation. We also expect the production of a number of research results after the conclusion of the planned study.
A portion of Nobuyo Fukuchi’s “Chinese Theatre Sketchbook.” The following four sketches all depict Mei Lanfang.
C14 Huilongge (Feb. 23rd, 1921, Wenming Theater)［13234-2_38］
B11 Yuanmensheji (Nov. 9th, 1919, Xinming Theatre)［13234- 2_14］
G10 Dayushajia (April 7th, 1921, Jixiang Theater)［13234-4_12］
G20 MuLan congjun (Nov. 20th, 1920, Xinming Theatre)［13234-4_22］