Shochiku Studio Explained

Shochiku Studio Co., Ltd.
Native Name:株式会社松竹撮影所
Native Name Lang:ja
Industry:Entertainment (Film studio and Filmmaking)
Founded:October 15th, 2008
Hq Location:12-9, Uzumasa Horigauchi-cho, Ukyo-ku
Hq Location City:Kyoto
Hq Location Country:Japan
Num Locations:2
Areas Served:-->
Parent:Shochiku

is a Japanese film and production studio company of Shochiku Group, which has been producing movies and dramas for roughly a century,[1] being the second-oldest motion picture company in Japan.

The company has production bases in Kyoto and Tokyo since its inception in the 1920s, and the long-established is equipped with a studio facility that is deeply rooted in tradition.

It has also worked on the production of Hollywood films such as "The Last Samurai".[2]

Shochiku Studio is known for productions of many Japanese period dramas, movies, TV and commercials.

History

Studios and Owners

Shochiku Studio based in Tokyo and Kanagawa

YearNameLocationOwner
1920 - 1935Shochiku Kamata Studio Kamata, Tokyo Shochiku Kinema
1936 - 2000Shochiku Ofuna StudioOfuna, KanagawaShochiku Co., Ltd.
2011 - presentShochiku Tokyo StudioTsukiji, TokyoShochiku Studio Co., Ltd.

Shochiku Studio based in Shimogamo, Kyoto[3]

YearNameOwnerNotes
1923Shochiku Shimogamo StudioShochiku KinemaKamata Studio was temporarily relocated to Kyoto
1925- -Closed, relocated back to Kamata
1926Shochiku Kyoto StudioShochiku KinemaRe-opened and renamed
1937Shochiku Uzumasa StudioShochiku Co., Ltd.The owner's name was changed.
1952Kyoto Film StudioKyoto Eiga Co., Ltd. Shochiku transferred the studio in Shimogamo to its subsidiary, Kyoto Eiga
1975--Closed

Shochiku Studio based in Uzumasa, Kyoto[4]

YearNameOwnerNotes
1935Makino Talkie ProductionMakino Talkie Co., Ltd.
1940Shochiku Uzumasa StudioShochiku Co., Ltd.
1952Shochiku Kyoto StudioShochiku Co., Ltd.Shochiku relocated its production base from Shimogamo to Uzumasa and rename the studio in Uzumasa.
1965--Closed by reorganization of Shochiku group
1975Kyoto Film StudioKyoto Eiga Co., Ltd.The studio in Shimogamo was relocated to Uzumasa
1995Kyoto Film StudioShochiku Kyoto Eiga Co., Ltd.The owner's name was changed.
2008Shochiku Kyoto StudioShochiku Kyoto Studio Co., Ltd.Renamed when the owner was changed to the successor of Shochiku Kyoto Eiga
2011Shochiku Kyoto StudioShochiku Studio Co., Ltd.The owner's name was changed when Shochiku Tokyo Studio was established.

1920s - 1930s

Shochiku built as its main studio at Kamata, Tokyo in 1920.[5]

In 1923, Shochiku Kamata studio was heavily damaged by Great Kantō earthquake, forcing a temporary relocation to Kyoto,[6] in which the predecessor of current Shochiku Kyoto Studio was established. The temporary studio in Shimogamo, Kyoto, called as, was closed in June 1925 and re-opened in January 1926 as Shochiku Kyoto Studio.

, the executive placed in charge of reconstruction at Kamata, was permitted to make films with the remaining staff. Together with young directors like Yasujirō Ozu, Heinosuke Gosho, Hiroshi Shimizu[7] and Torajirō Saitō and Shintarō Kido produced Shomin-geki (films about ordinary folks, including company employees who were part of a rising urban middle class).[8] [9] [10]

Filming became increasingly difficult at Shochiku Kamata Studio during the 1930s with the rapid industrialization of the surrounding area, and in 1936 Shochiku decided to relocate the studio to Ofuna, called as .[11]

The studio's first talking film, Madam-to-Nyobo was produced in 1931.[12]

1940s - 1980s

Legendary film directors shot at Shochiku Ofuna Studio such as Nagisa Ōshima led Japanese Nouvelle Vague, a group of filmmakers under Japanese New Wave Film movement which was characterized in its anti-authority.[13] Together with Masahiro Shinoda and Yoshishige Yoshida, who are also known as the filmmakers worked at Shochiku during the 1950s to 1960s, they were leading so-called .[14]

In 1940, Shochiku purchased a studio in Uzumasa, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, built by Masahiro Makino as in 1936 and set it up as .

, the predecessor of the company, was founded in 1946 and later on in 1952 became a subsidiary of Shochiku. Shochiku transferred its studio in Shimogamo named "Shochiku Kyoto Studio" to Kyoto Eiga, followed by a change in its name to in 1952. Shochiku relocated its production base to Uzumasa and name of the studio in Uzumasa was changed to Shochiku Kyoto Studio.

In 1975, Shochiku transferred the Studio in Uzumasa to Kyoto Eiga while Kyoto Eiga closed the studio in Shimogamo and relocated its production base to Uzumasa.

1990s - Present

In 1995, Kyoto Eiga Co., Ltd. changed its name to .

In the same year Shochiku Ofuna Studio transformed into a theme park,, but in 1998 it became inoperational, and its site was sold to Kamakura Women's University in 2000. Thereon, Shochiku has relied on its film studio and backlot in Kyoto.

The company,, was founded in 2008 as the successor of Shochiku Kyoto Eiga and Kyoto Film Studio with the name changed to its the current studio name, i.e., Shochiku Kyoto Studio.

In 2011, The company's name was changed to its current name, i.e., Shochiku Studio.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: "Shochiku Cinema at 100" by National Film Archive of Japan . ja:国立映画アーカイブ】展覧会「松竹第一主義 松竹映画の100年」開催のおしらせ所 . https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000107.000047048.html. PR TIMES. ja.
  2. The Last Samurai. film . Edward Zwick . Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.. USA . 5 December 2003.
  3. Web site: Shochiku Shimogamo Studio . ja:松竹下加茂撮影所 . http://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/archive01/makino/aruke/aruke16.html. Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University. ja.
  4. Web site: Shochiku Kyoto Film Studio . ja:松竹京都映画撮影所 . http://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/archive01/makino/aruke/aruke15.html. Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University. ja.
  5. Book: Costanzo . William V. . World Cinema through Global Genres . 28 January 2014 . John Wiley & Sons . 978-1-118-71292-4 . en.
  6. Web site: Schilling. Mark. Shochiku celebrates a century of Japanese cinema hits. 2020-09-25. The Japan Times. 10 April 2020 . en.
  7. Book: Film, History and Cultural Citizenship: Sites of Production . 2007 . Routledge . 978-0-415-77117-7 . en.
  8. Web site: Johnson. Hanah. Yasujiro Ozu: His Best Movies & How They Help Us Understand Japanese Cinema. 2021-02-16. Screen Rant. 12 January 2021 . en.
  9. Book: Anderson . Joseph I. . Richie . Donald . The Japanese Film: Art and Industry . 1982 . Princeton University Press . 978-0-691-00792-2 . en.
  10. Book: Yoshimoto . Mitsuhiro . Logic of Sentiment: The Postwar Japanese Cinema and Questions of Modernity . 1993 . University of California, San Diego, Department of Literature . en.
  11. Book: The East . 2006 . East Publications . en.
  12. Book: Iinkai . Japan Mombushō Nihon Yunesuko Kokunai . Iinkai . Nihon Yunesuko Kokunai . Japan: Its Land, People and Culture . 1964 . Print. Bureau, Ministry of Finance . en.
  13. Web site: Craig. Hubert. Films on the Fringes of the Japanese New Wave. 2021-05-01. Hyperallergic. 4 April 2019 . en.
  14. Web site: Sharp. Jasper. Where to begin with the Japanese New Wave. 2021-05-01. British Film Institute. en.