The City Lit by Red Tents: Hanazono Shrine and Shinjuku’s Film Culture, 1960s–1970s

From the 1960s through the 1970s, the area around Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku was a unique cultural hub where film, theater, jazz, and youth culture intermingled. The movie experience extended beyond simply watching a film in a theater; it included heading out into the streets after the screening, visiting coffee shops and bars, and engaging in conversation with others. In 1964, the Kinokuniya Hall opened, and the small-theater movement spread throughout Shinjuku, featuring groups such as Jūrō Karasawa’s Jōkyō Gekijō and Shūji Terayama’s Tenjō-zashiki. In 1967, Jūrō Karasawa erected a red tent on the grounds of Hanazono Shrine and began staging performances that transcended the boundaries of traditional theaters. Also in that same year, the “Scorpio” (named by Yukio Mishima) opened in the basement of Shinjuku Bunka, becoming a venue for film screenings, theater performances, and gatherings of cultural figures. With jazz cafes and restaurants clustering around it, the entire city of Shinjuku functioned as a vast stage that linked film and avant-garde art.