The Intersection of Light and Song: The Golden Age of Kabukicho Entertainment during the Period of High Growth (1930s-1940s)

The Intersection of Light and Song: The Golden Age of Kabukicho Entertainment during the Period of High Growth (1930s-1940s)

In the 1950s and 1960s, Kabukicho shone as the forefront of popular entertainment as Japan rode the wave of rapid economic growth and people's lives rapidly became more affluent. Even as television began to spread, theaters and movie theaters remained special halls of entertainment and symbols of urban tourism.

During this period, major movie studios such as Shochiku, Toho, Toei, and Nikkatsu lined up their theaters and released their latest and most talked-about films one after another. Yujiro Ishihara, Asahi Kobayashi, and Sayuri Yoshinaga led the youth culture in Nikkatsu's coming-of-age films, while Toei's ninkyo films and period dramas and Shochiku's literary films created dedicated fans for each genre. On weekends, groups of visitors from the provinces lined the streets, and the city was filled with movie posters and neon lights.

In the theater world, the Shinjuku Koma Theater was a symbolic presence, with national singers such as Hibari Misora, Chiyoko Shimakura, Kazuo Funaki, and Yukio Hashi gracing the stage. In addition to singing shows, the Takarazuka Revue Company's brilliant performances and comedy performances by Shochiku Shinki Gekijo and Yoshimoto Kogyo were also very successful, and the audience was filled with laughter and excitement. Hibari Misora's performance attracted fans from all over the country, and the tickets were sold out every day.

The shining neon signs, movie theater billboards, and long lines in front of theaters were symbols of the "affluence" and "entertainment consumption" of the high-growth period, and the entire town functioned like a giant stage. Kabukicho gained nationwide fame as the crossroads of entertainment and amusement during this period, and became the center of Japanese popular culture.