The cultural and artistic significance of non-feature films can be seen in the case where the first generation of Nakamura Ganjiro’s footages were rediscovered recently. Nakamura Ganjiro is a very important ‘Myoseki’ in the Japanese Kabuki world (that is, a stage name passed down from generation to generation for one’s performance style and specialised plays). The first generation of Ganjiro is a popular figure who has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the Japanese. Since the Meiji period, he had been active and popular in the Kansai theatres. In his heyday, he was known as ‘Japan’s No. 1 Face’ and ‘The King of Dotonbori’. But there are very few existing images of him.
Two years ago, the research director of the National Film Archive of Japan, Daibo Masaki, accidentally found a set of 51-reel 16mm films in an antique bookshop in Tokyo. They were shot by second generation of Hayashi Mataichiro, the son of first generation of Ganjiro, also a Kabuki actor, to record his father’s performance on the stage. There are also some footages of the life and funeral of the first generation of Ganjiro, which is an important first-hand information in the art of Kabuki. Daibo later donated the full set of films to the National Film Archive, and some of them were screened in the ‘Cinema: Lost and Found 2022’ programme.
Source: Asahi Shimbun
Further reading:
「日本一の顔」はっきり 歌舞伎俳優、初代鴈治郎の映像新たに発見
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ4V6TKFQ4SUCVL00Q.html
