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【Yanai Initiative】The Art of the Benshi 2024 World Tour at Waseda University ( April 26 ）
Blood Spattered Takadanobaba
Thu 22 Feb 24
Blood Spattered Takadanobaba
Thu 22 Feb 24
The Art of the Benshi – bringing silent films to life. During the silent film era in Japan, audiences watched films through narration and live performance of Benshi (Benshi: people who act as narrators alongside the screen.).
This April, the Yanai Initiative will host ” The Art of the Benshi 2024 World Tour ” over three weeks, from April 5 to April 26, travelling to four US cities: New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, with a final stop at Waseda University in Tokyo.
Each program will include screenings of classic, newly restored, and rarely seen silent films from Japan and the United States. Pairing rare prints and new restorations of Japanese classics, the series features three of Japan’s most renowned contemporary benshi, Ichirō Kataoka, Kumiko Ōmori and Hideyuki Yamashiro, performing their unique art live on stage in Japanese with English subtitles. Every performance and screening will be accompanied by a musical ensemble with traditional Japanese instrumentation.
Enjoy the World of Benshi!
We apologize that Omori Kumiko will not be able to perform due to illness. Nanako Yamauchi will perform instead.
About the event
- Date：Friday, April 26, 2024 6:00pm - 9:00pm (Doors open at 5:30pm) ALL seats are unreserved.
- Venue：Okuma Auditorium, Waseda University 1-104, Totsukacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
- Participant：Open to students, faculty, and the general public. (Young children under elementary school age are not allowed)
- Participation Fee：Free
Registration
Program
Pre event: Three Benshi's Talk Show
Benshi goes to America! – after 3 weeks of U.S.A. tour
3 benshi, who have just finished a three-week U.S.A. tour, and Professor Ryuichi Kodama, Director of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University , will give a talk. They will discuss on their experiences of performances on the U.S.A. tour, how the audience react, and highlights of the programs to be screened at the Okuma Auditorium.
・Time: 4:15pm – 5:00pm (Doors open at 4:00pm)
・Venue: Okuma Small Auditorium
The Art of the Benshi 2024 World Tour at Waseda University
- 18:00 Openning Michael Emmerich (Professor UCLA/Waseda University, Director of the Yanai initiative)
- 18:12 Not Blood Relations (Performed by Ichirō Kataoka, Kumiko Ōmori, Hideyuki Yamashiro
- 18:35 The Oath of the Sword (Performed by Ichirō Kataoka)
- 19:11 Sweetie (Performed by Ichirō Kataoka)
- 19:35 Break (-19:55）
- 19:55 Blood Spattered Takadanobaba (Performed by Hideyuki Yamashiro)
- 20:12 Straightforward Boy (Performed by Ichirō Kataoka)
- 20:40 Jiraiya the Hero (Performed by Ichirō Kataoka, Kumiko Ōmori, Hideyuki Yamashiro)
- Closing Hirokazu Toeda (Professor Waseda University, Co-director of the Yanai initiative)
* All performances are in Japanese with English subtitles and live music.
* Please refrain from entering and exiting the venue after the screening starts.
Benshi; Performers
Ichirō Kataoka
Kumiko Ōmori
* She is not able to perform due to illness. Nanako Yamauchi will perform insted.
Hideyuki Yamashiro
Gakushi; Musicians
Jōichi Yuasa Shamisen
Makiko Suzuki Flute
Ryōko Kinoshita Violin
Kaname Tambara Piano
Kisayo Katada Drums
・A short film introduction will be given before the each performance.
・Enter and exit the venue at will. However not during the performances.
・Your personal information will not be used for any purpose other than registration for this event. We will not sell or disclose this information to any third party.
・Please read the following cautionary notices regarding the handling of personal information before registering.
・Please refrain from taking screenshots, photos or record the program. (During this event, the staff will take photos of the activities and participants for publicity purposes.)
To those who require accommodation
・Attendees who desire accommodations (PC speech-to-text interpretation; sign-language interpretation; guidance at venue; securing of seats) should inform us at least 4 weeks before the date of the event. Upon consultation, we will accommodate your request to the greatest extent possible.
BOOK, LINK
- BOOK
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The World of the Benshi
Featuring more than 300 images from archives and private collections around the world.
Click HERE for purchases in Japan. For purchases outside Japan, please check the publications section of the Yanai Initiative website.
・Edit：Michael Emmerich & Daisuke Miyao
・Specs：Hardcover, 20.5 cm x 26.5 cm, 304 pages, color.
・Price：5,500 yen (tax and shipping included). -
CONTENTS
* The Benshi: A Brief History (DAISUKE MIYAO)
* In the Spotlight Behind the Silver Screen: A Brief History of Benshi Stardom (CHIE NIITA)
* When Benshi Shone: Japanese Movie Theaters in the Age of Early Cinema (MANABU UEDA)
* Women Benshi, Past and Present (COLLEEN LAIRD)
* Benshi as a Transcolonial Media Practice: Benshi and Pyõnsa in Korea (DONG HOON KIM)
* Benshi in the United States (DENISE KHOR)
* And the Shamisen Played on:Changing Silent Film Music in Japan (KŌTARŌ SHIBATA)
* Benshi in the Era of the Talkie (JOHAN NORDSTRÕM)
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Presented by the Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, Collaborative Research Center for Theatre and Film Arts
Supported by The National Film Archive of Japan, Shochiku Co., Ltd., The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum and The Waseda International House of Literature
Contact
Yanai Initiative：[email protected]
（Monday – Friday：9:00am – 5:00pm）
