Shochiku Kinema (Kamata)

Japanese silent film from 1932.

Domestic comedy involving a strong wife and a "henpecked" husband taking place in a family-run judo school.

Japanese silent film directed by Yasujirô Shimazu, originally released as a two-part movie on December 11, 1931.

Japanese film from 1934, based on a novel by Itsuma Maki (real name Kaitarō Hasegawa).

Japanese silent film (jidaigeki) from 1926.

Japanese silent film from 1927.

A gangster tries to find redemption with the inadvertent help of an innocent shop girl and his jealous girlfriend will do anything to keep him.

Japanese silent film from 1929.

Japanese silent film from 1927, based on a popular serialized novel by Kan Kikuchi.

Japanese silent film from 1931.

Japanese film from 1934.

Shigeko and Midori, star swimmers at the renowned Kirishima Girls’ School, are training relentlessly with their sights set on the Los Angeles Olympics. But for the past week, Shigeko has been absent from practice. Her father has fallen ill, and to support her family’s struggling finances, she has secretly taken a job at a trading company. When Masao discovers this, he asks Midori to convince her to return, but soon the school learns of her secret. The students rally to raise funds, though the principal refuses their help, promising instead to handle the situation himself. Shigeko resumes training and travels to Tokyo for the qualifying meet. She touches the wall first in the 100-meter freestyle—only to receive news of her father’s passing. Overcome with grief, she collapses, cared for by Midori, whose own exhaustion leaves her finishing fourth. Despite these hardships, their prior accomplishments earn them a place on Japan’s Olympic team.

Sakura Ondo was a sound adaptation based on a popular 1934 song, produced at the Shochiku Kamata Studio as part of a five-studio competition to create a film based on the same tune.

Japanese film from 1934, based on a novel by Itsuma Maki (real name Kaitarō Hasegawa).

Japanese silent film from 1931.

Japanese silent film from 1931.

This pair of gentle yet witty and inventive comedies from the director of The Neighbour's Wife and Mine typify both the formal experimentation of early Japanese sound cinema and the social milieux that Shochiku tended to depict. 'Virtually plotless, and feeling more like comic sketches than fully developed stories,' writes Arthur Nolletti, Jr, 'these light comedies, or farces, take a wholly trivial matter (often a socially embarrassing situation) and use it as a springboard for a succession of gags.' Much of the films' distinction comes from the wit of Gosho's direction, the imaginative use of the new sound technology and the charm of the acting, particularly of the heroines (Kinuyo Tanaka in Bride; Hiroko Kawasaki in Groom). Yet in both films, Gosho finds room for some shrewd observation of character and environment, subtly exploring the values and assumptions of the suburban petit bourgeoisie.

Lost Japanese silent film from 1931.