Record. Reenact. Recycle. Notes on Shind¯O Kaneto's Documentary
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arts Article Record. Reenact. Recycle. Notes on Shindo¯ Kaneto’s Documentary Styles Lauri Kitsnik Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-nihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; [email protected] Received: 24 December 2018; Accepted: 15 March 2019; Published: 22 March 2019 Abstract: In his work, the filmmaker Shindo¯ Kaneto sought to employ various, often seemingly incongruous, cinematic styles that complicate the notions of fiction and documentary film. This paper first examines his ‘semi-documentary’ films that often deal with the everyday life of common people by means of an enhanced realist approach. Second, attention is paid to the fusion of documentary and drama when reenacting historical events, as well as the subsequent recycling of these images in a ‘quasi-documentary’ fashion. Finally, I uncover a trend towards ‘meta-documentary’ that takes issue with the act of filmmaking itself. I argue that Shindo’s¯ often self-referential work challenges the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction while engaging in a self-reflective criticism of cinema as a medium. Keywords: authorship; documentary film; hibakusha; Japanese cinema; Mizoguchi Kenji; non-fiction; semi-documentary; Shindo¯ Kaneto 1. Introduction An already established screenwriter, Shindo¯ Kaneto (1912–2012) spent most of the 1950s struggling to make his name as a film director. After debuting with the autobiographical Story of a Beloved Wife (Aisai monogatari, 1951), he mostly worked as an independent, with brief stints of being hired by major studios. An amalgam of melodrama and social realism that soon became a defining feature of his works puzzled critics and it was not until the experimental semi-documentary, The Naked Island (Hadaka no shima, 1960), that he was able to gain a reputation for directing. Although this trend became clearer in his later work, from early on, Shindo¯ sought ways to mix fiction and documentary styles, recording as well as reenacting, especially when making films based on true events. In his influential study on 1950s Japan, Toba Koji¯ characterized it as the age of kiroku (record, document). Toba(2010, p. 9) points out five closely related cultural phenomena that were part of the ‘kiroku boom’: amateur writing about everyday life, news reportage, documentary film, photography and kamishibai shows. This was also when young filmmakers such as Hani Susumu (1928) and Tsuchimoto Noriaki (1928–2008) joined Iwanami Productions (Iwanami Eiga), a major vessel for subsequent developments in Japanese documentary film. It is against this background that Shindo¯ began his long directing career that comprises both fiction and non-fiction works. The aim of this paper is to examine how and why Shindo¯ employed a variety of documentary styles in his films, whether it was for attaining heightened realism, forging and reusing images of historical events, or pursuing a (self-)critique of the act of recording and reporting in visual media. 2. Semi-Documentary In Kiroku eigaron (On Documentary Film, 1940), one of the first studies on the subject in Japan, the seminal film theorist, Imamura Taihei, discusses and provides examples on how documentary Arts 2019, 8, 39; doi:10.3390/arts8010039 www.mdpi.com/journal/arts Arts 2019, 8, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 12 Arts2. Semi-Documentary2019, 8, 39 2 of 12 In Kiroku eigaron (On Documentary Film, 1940), one of the first studies on the subject in Japan, stylethe seminal is beginning film theorist, to emerge Imamura in Japanese Taihei, cinema. discu ‘Whatsses and can provides be found examples... is the on stripping how documentary of the usual fictionalstyle is beginning [kakoteki¯ ] elementsto emerge and in Japanese simple but cinema. deep-rooted ‘What yearningcan be foundtowards … is documentary the stripping film. of( Imamurathe usual 1940fictional, p. 43)’[kak Heōteki singles] elements out recent and workssimple bybut major deep-rooted directors yearning such as Kumagaitowards Hisatora,documentary Shimazu film. Yasujir(Imamurao,¯ Shimizu 1940, p. Hiroshi, 43)’ He Tasaka singles Tomotaka out recent and wo Uchidarks by Tomu.major directors Imamura such pays as particular Kumagai attention Hisatora, to theShimazu latter’s YasujirA Thousandō, Shimizu and One Hiroshi, Nights Tasaka in Tokyo Tomotaka(Toky¯ o¯ sen’ichiya, and Uchida 1938). Tomu. Imamura pays particular attention to the latter’s A Thousand and One Nights in Tokyo (Tōkyō sen’ichiya, 1938). Uchida Tomu shoots the movements of a gravel-collecting machine for an almost involuntarilyUchida Tomu long shoots time. the The movements actors are looking of a gr atavel-collecting the machine from machine a far-away for an riverbank. almost Peopleinvoluntarily looking long at a time. machine The fromactors afar are are looking actors at who the havemachine retreated from froma far-away being riverbank. in front of People looking at a machine from afar are actors who have retreated from being in front of the camera. Along with the final scene depicting gymnastics, here is clearly a strong dislike the camera. Along with the final scene depicting gymnastics, here is clearly a strong dislike towards drama. Also, the film’s plot is entirely devoid of necessity. This is an expression of towards drama. Also, the film’s plot is entirely devoid of necessity. This is an expression of resistance to story, stage drama and fiction. (Imamura 1940, p. 43, author’s translation) resistance to story, stage drama and fiction. (Imamura 1940, p. 43, author’s translation) II havehave previously previously examined examined (Kitsnik (Kitsnik 2018 2018)) how ho thew over-long the over-long and repetitive and repetitive sequences sequences in Shind o’s¯in TheShind Nakedō’s The Island Nakedrelate Island to earlier relate works to earlier such works as Uchida’s such asnext Uchida’s film, nextEarth film,(Tsuchi, Earth 1939), (Tsuchi, shot 1939), over ashot period over ofa period one year of one and year simultaneously and simultaneously to A Thousand to A Thousand and One and Nights One Nights in Tokyo. in Tokyo.Shind Shindo’s¯ firstō’s substantialfirst substantial assignment assignment as a as screenwriter a screenwriter had had actually actually been been with with the the elder elder director, director, althoughalthough the projectproject thatthat includedincluded taking a trip to ManchuriaManchuria and going through a number of rewrites ultimately came to nothing. However, Shindo’sō¯ ’s employment of long scenes of repeated gestures that continued toto the the point point of of meaninglessness meaninglessness should should be beconsidered considered as a as defining a defining feature feature of his of work his workand this and ‘semi- this ‘semi-documentary’documentary’ style can style be candelineated be delineated to the trend to the Im trendamura Imamura is describing is describing in prewar in Japanese prewar Japanese cinema. cinema.Perhaps Perhapsthe most the notorious most notorious example example of this ofapproach this approach can be can encountered be encountered at the at beginning the beginning of The of TheNaked Naked Island Island (See(See Figure Figure 1),1), where where a a peasant peasant couple couple (Otowa (Otowa Nobuko Nobuko and and Tonoyama Tonoyama Taiji)Taiji) livingliving onon a small island without a clear water source is repeatedlyrepeatedly going through the slow and tedious process of carrying bucketsbuckets upup aa steepsteep slopeslope inin orderorder toto waterwater sweetsweet potatopotato plantsplants atat thethe summit.summit. FigureFigure 1. 1. TheThe Naked Naked Island (Shind (Shindo¯ō Kaneto, Kaneto, 1960). 1960). Physical laborlabor andand its its representation representation through through the the images images of routinelyof routinely repeated repeated gestures gestures can becan seen be inseen almost in almost all of Shindall ofo’s ¯Shind films.ō’s Infilms.Mother In (Haha,Mother 1963) (Haha, (See 1963) Figure (See2), aFigure middle-aged 2), a middle-aged couple, once couple, again playedonce again by Otowa played and by Tonoyama, Otowa and runs Tonoyama, a small printing runs a housesmall inprinting Hiroshima. house Their in Hiroshima. everyday chores Their includeeveryday operating chores include a number operating of machines a number in the of shack machines and then in the delivering shack and the productthen delivering in a shabby the three-wheeledproduct in a shabby van. In three-wheeled summer heat, theirvan. perspiringIn summer bodies heat, their are caught perspiring by the bo black-and-whitedies are caught cameraby the asblack-and-white suggestively as camera in The Nakedas suggestively Island. In theas autobiographicalin The Naked IslandTree Without. In theLeaves autobiographical(Rakuyoju,¯ 1986)Tree the whole peasant family (in contrast to The Naked Island, a wealthy one) is engaged in various acts of Arts 2019, 8, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 12 Arts 2019, 8, 39x FOR PEER REVIEW 33 of of 12 12 Without Leaves (Rakuyōju, 1986) the whole peasant family (in contrast to The Naked Island, a processingwealthy one) agricultural is engaged products in various (See acts Figure of processing3). Their agricultural New Year’s products Eve is spent (See preparingFigure 3). Their rice cakes New (mochi),Year’s Eve whereby is spent cookedpreparing rice rice is pounded cakes (mochi), into paste whereby and cooked then molded rice is intopounded smaller into buns. paste This and takes then placemolded in into a large smaller open buns. space This of the takes family place house, in a large with open all members space of the except family the house, patriarch with participating. all members Whenexcept autumnthe patriarch comes, participating. we find them When sitting autumn in the same comes, room, we peeling find them one basketsitting ofin persimmons the same room, after peelinganother. one Approaching basket of persimmons ethnofiction, after these another. images presentApproaching both the ethnofiction, livelihood these of the images family andpresent the wayboth communitythe livelihood is created,of the family while alwaysand the hinting way community at the seasonal is created, pattern while and ritualisticalways hinting character at the of seasonalthe activities.