"Kinema Walk" introduces mini theaters in Kanagawa Prefecture. This time, I would like to introduce the Kamakura Ichikawakita Eigaki Nenkan, where you can enjoy watching movies while experiencing the history of Japanese cinema.
Kamakura on weekends is even busier than usual, partly because it was chosen as the stage for a historical drama this year. Exit Kamakura Station and go straight through Komachi Street, which is filled with people and delicious smells, and just before the end of the street, turn left. Then, the hustle and bustle that had just started was silenced, and the smell of nature deepened even further. A short walk away is the Kamakura Ichikawa Kita Movie Museum. This one-story Japanese-style memorial hall was built on the former residence of Nagamasa and Kashiko Kawakita, who contributed to the development of Japanese film culture, and opened in April 2010. It stands quietly without spoiling the scenery of Kamakura, as if it were a part of nature.
Speaking of Kamakura, keywords such as history, gourmet food, and nature come to mind, and some people may not think of going to Kamakura to see a movie. However, Kamakura was once famous as a place for movies, and was a place where many filmmakers settled and gathered. Nagamasa and Kashiko Kawakita, who contributed to the development of the Japanese film industry, cannot be ignored when discussing the history of the Japanese film industry and culture. In 1928, Nagamasa Kawakita established Towa Shoji, which is the current Toho Towa, and since then, he and his wife, Kashiko, have produced many timeless masterpieces in this country, such as Nostalgia and The Third Man. introduced. In addition, the couple deepened exchanges with filmmakers around the world and made efforts to introduce Japanese films overseas.
Once you pay the admission fee and enter the memorial hall, you can see the permanent exhibition where materials and chronological tables related to Mr. and Mrs. Kawakita are on display. The suitcases and passports that the couple used to use are on display, as well as photos of them with an eye-popping number of filmmakers from Japan and abroad. visits various countries and interacts with filmmakers from around the world.
In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum holds special exhibitions and special exhibitions with different themes throughout the year. When I visited, a special exhibition was being held on the theme of "The Aesthetics of Film Designers Yasujiro Ozu and Kon Ichikawa." The two directors who lived in the same era as masters of Japanese cinema have rarely been talked about together until now. In the special exhibition, from the upbringing of the two directors to the design in the work, it was told along with the historical background before and after the war, and it was a content that could be enjoyed while comparing the progress of the famous director.
*Examples of special exhibitions and special exhibitions
And one of the real pleasures of the Kawakita Film Museum is that there is a "video material room" right next to the "exhibition room" where these are displayed. In addition to the admission ticket, if you purchase a movie ticket at the window, you can see the movie being shown in the reference room. When you go up the slope with posters of many masterpieces lined up above your head, you will see a door leading to the "Video Archive". This room is the "theater" of this museum. Inside the theater, you can feel the warmth of wood, and 51 chairs are lined up in front of the screen. We use projectors from Kinoton in Germany, and we are currently supporting digital screenings as well. What should be noted is the lineup of films to be screened. In addition to works related to the special exhibition, a wide variety of genres and eras are screened, such as Academy Award-winning works, works that have spread mainly in mini theaters, and works by topical directors.
In the special exhibition, there was a corner where the kimonos used in director Ichikawa's "Sasameyuki" were displayed. How will this vivid kimono appear in the work? You can expand your imagination before watching the movie, or you can thoroughly enjoy the real thing after watching the movie. Both will have their own charm. In addition, talk events and workshops where you can learn more about the contents of the special exhibition are held as needed in the video archives room. Our theater will enhance our movie experience and let us encounter more memorable movies.
There are other fun devices and places of learning scattered throughout the museum. In the "Video Toy Experience" corner, you can actually play with toys related to video. Also, when I visited, there was a corner in the "Information Reference Room" titled "Let's experience the low position of Ozu's films." Tonkatsu restaurant and ramen restaurant signboards are prepared, and by taking pictures of these signboards from designated locations, you can experience Ozu's unique shooting method. In addition, the "Information Reference Room" is a space where you can browse at your leisure, as books and magazines related to movies are lined up.
Just watch movies, learn movies, play movies. It is a movie experience that uses the whole body. After leaving the memorial hall, I took a walk on the free promenade. The fresh air for the first time in several hours, the smell of greenery, and the nature of Kamakura will soothe your body and mind. Enjoy a one-of-a-kind movie experience while immersing yourself in the history of Japanese cinema in this place where Mr. and Mrs. Kawakita, who contributed to the development of Japanese film culture, settled down and filmmakers from around the world have visited to see them. want.
Kamakura City Kawakita Movie Memorial Hall
[Access] 2-2-12 Yukinoshita, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
[Official website] here
Click here for Kinema Walk 1st "Cinema Jack & Betty"
Click here for Kinema Walk 2nd "Cinema Novecento"
Kinema Walk 3rd Yokohama City Isezaki-cho "Yokohama Cinema Marine" is here
Kinema Walk 4th 4th Fujisawa City Kugenuma Kaigan "Sinekoya" is here
