### Cultural controversy in Shinjuku Golden Gai - Showa 30's and 40's

### Cultural controversy in Shinjuku Golden Gai - Showa 30's and 40's

In the 1950s and 1960s, Japan had emerged from its postwar turmoil and entered a period of rapid economic growth. During this period, Shinjuku Golden Gai was a unique space where many cultural figures gathered, including writer Shuji Terayama, poet Gozo Yoshimasu, film director Nagisa Oshima, and playwright Juro Karo. Against the backdrop of postwar reconstruction, this small drinking district was truly a "melting pot of culture" amidst the demand for free thought and expression.

#### Scenery of Golden Gai
At night, small bars light up the streets. Each bar is only a few square meters in size, and the customers and the owner are knee-deep in each other's company over the counter. The stores are filled with cigarette smoke and the aroma of shochu and beer. At first glance, it may seem like a commonplace place, but at times, heated cultural debates were being held there.

#### A scene from a cultural debate
One night at "August Moon," a bar where literary youths gather. On the tables are scattered books of poetry, plays, and sociology. At the center are an aspiring writer, Juro Karo, a playwright who has already made a name for himself, and one person, Nagisa Oshima, a film director, who speaks out in a sharp tone.

Literature is obsolete! The age of the moving image is hereafter. If we rely on the printed word, the range of expression is too narrow."

The poet Gozo Yoshimasu responded to this with a few words of his own.

It is true that images have power. But to delve into the inner world of human beings, the power of words is indispensable. Images cannot tell everything.

Playwright Juro Karo opens his mouth with a quiet smile.

Neither of you understand. What really matters is not what medium you use, but what you express. It doesn't matter what method you use, as long as you can move people's hearts.

The restaurant is quiet for a moment, and soon a flurry of opinions, both for and against, is heard. The debate over freedom of expression grew more heated as the night wore on.

#### Historical Background and Impact
In postwar Japan, censorship by the occupying forces had been lifted and freedom of speech and expression was finally being restored. At the same time, however, Cold War tensions and the rapid advance of capitalism were creating new conflicts for those who were expressing themselves. The cultural figures of Golden Gai were sensitive to these trends of the times and were searching for new ideas and values.

These discussions in Golden Gai did not end with mere drunken banter. The ideas that were exchanged here were eventually made into plays by Shuji Terayama and movies by Nagisa Oshima, and moved the hearts and minds of many people. Golden Gai was truly a symbol of the cultural rebirth of postwar Japan.