Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban No Maki - Backgrounds

Backgrounds

In April 1914, French animation Fantasmagorie by Émile Cohl was screened under the title Dekobo's new sketch book (凸坊の新画帳, Dekobō no Shin-gachō?). This seems to be the first drawn-animation film screened in Japan. (There were other animated films screened earlier.)

Japanese movie productions inspired by this film, and started studying animation techniques. In 1915, Nikkatsu production started studying animation with Seitaro Kitayama (北山清太郎, Kitayama Seitarō?), a painter. In the next year, Tenkatsu, or Tennenshoku Katsudō Shashin Kabushiki Gaisha ("Natural Color Moving Picture Company"), started studying with a manga artist Hekoten/Oten Shimokawa. Kobayashi Shōkai started their production with a manga artist Junichi Kouchi (幸内純一, Kōuchi Jun'ichi?).

Among these three productions, Tenkatsu film The Story of the Concierge Mukuzo Imokawa, directed by Shimokawa, came out first, completed in January 1917. It was screened a few times on movie theaters by the production. However, it is said the animation quality of the film was so poor that even Shimokawa himself was disappointed.

Four months later, in May, 1917, Nikkatsu's Battle of a Monkey and a Crab (猿蟹合戦, Sarukani Gassen?), directed by Kitayama, was released. In the next month, Kobayashi Shōkai's Hekonai Hanawa's Great Sword (塙凹内名刀之巻, Hanawa Hekonai Meitō no Maki?), directed by Kōuchi was also screened.