Movie Theaters and Benshi - Shinjuku from the Taisho Era to the Post Earthquake Era
Shinjuku in the Taisho era (1912-1926) was still an area outside the center of Tokyo, but the birth of the Musashino Theater marked a cultural turning point. At that time, movie theaters did not show silent images with only subtitles, as is the case today, but rather had "katsudo benshi," or "action benshi," who stood by the screen and told the story, acting out the different tones of the characters' voices and guiding the audience's emotions. At the Musashino Kan, benshi such as Shosui Mizuno were active, and they gave enthusiastic commentary on films starring Kunitaro Gomi and Eiyuriko Hanabusa. The audience was drawn in by the synergy between the screen and the benshi's voice, and experienced the power of the performance as if they were watching a live stage performance.
At the time, production companies such as Nikkatsu and Shochiku were gaining ground in the Japanese movie industry, and movies were gradually taking root as a popular pastime for the general public. However, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 drastically changed the urban structure of Tokyo, and the entertainment centers in Asakusa and downtown Tokyo were devastated. As a result, Shinjuku, which was less damaged, emerged as a new center of film culture. After the earthquake, the Musashinokan also shifted its direction to a theater specializing in Western films, and the role of activity benshi gradually diminished, replaced by the mainstream use of explainers and subtitle translators. This change was also symbolic of the transitional period from silent films to talkies.
The Musashinokan thus laid the foundation for Shinjuku to become the new center of film culture in Tokyo from the Taisho era to the early Showa era. While the presence of benshi remained in people's memories as a poetic tradition of the era, the movie theater itself shifted to a role as a driving force of urban culture.
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