Cinema Walk No. 5 "Kamakura City Kawakita Film Museum"
"Cinema Walk" introduces small cinemas in Kanagawa Prefecture. This time, we will change the topic a little and introduce the "Kamakura Kawakita Film Museum," where you can enjoy watching movies while learning about the history of Japanese cinema.
Kamakura is busier than usual on weekends, partly because it was chosen as the setting for this year's taiga drama. After leaving Kamakura Station, walk straight down Komachi-dori, which is overflowing with people and delicious smells, and turn left just before the end of the street. Then, a silence descends, as if the hustle and bustle from before were a lie, and the smell of nature becomes even stronger. A short walk from there you will find the Kamakura Kawakita Film Museum. This Japanese-style one-story museum was built on the former residence of Kawakita Nagamasa and Kashiko, husband and wife who contributed greatly to the development of Japanese film culture, and opened in April 2010. It stands quietly, as if blending into nature, without spoiling the Kamakura landscape.
When you think of Kamakura, keywords like history, food, and nature come to mind, and some people may not be able to imagine "going to Kamakura to watch a movie." However, Kamakura was once famous as a movie town, and many filmmakers lived and gathered there. When talking about the history of Japan's film industry and culture, it is impossible to leave out the couple Kawakita Nagamasa and Kashiko, who contributed greatly to the development of the Japanese film industry. Kawakita Nagamasa founded Towa Shoji, now Toho Towa, in 1928, and since then, together with his wife Kashiko, introduced many timeless masterpieces to the country, such as "Nostalgia" and "The Third Man." The couple also deepened ties with filmmakers from around the world, and made an effort to introduce Japanese films overseas.
After paying the admission fee and entering the museum, you can view the permanent exhibition, which displays documents and a timeline related to the Kawakita couple. The couple's favorite suitcases and passports, as well as photos of an astonishing line-up of filmmakers both in Japan and abroad, are on display, and you can see right before your eyes how the Kawakitas, who upheld the philosophy that "film connects the world," visited many countries and interacted with filmmakers from each country.
In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum also holds special exhibitions and special exhibitions with different themes throughout the year. When I visited, a special exhibition was being held with the theme "Designing Films: The Aesthetics of Yasujiro Ozu and Kon Ichikawa." These two directors, who are both representative masters of Japanese cinema and lived in the same era, have not been discussed together much until now. The special exhibition discussed the background of the two directors, from their upbringings to the designs seen in their works, along with the historical background of the pre-war and post-war periods, allowing visitors to enjoy comparing the journeys of these great directors.
*Examples of special exhibitions and exhibits
The best part of the Kawakita Film Museum is that it has a "Video Archive Room" right next to the "Exhibition Room" where these exhibits are displayed. If you buy a movie ticket at the counter in addition to your admission ticket, you can watch the movies being screened in the Archive Room. After climbing the slope with posters of many masterpieces lined up above you, you will come across a door leading to the "Video Archive Room." This room is the museum's "Theater." The interior of the theater has a warm wooden design, and 51 chairs are lined up in front of the screen. It uses a projector from Kinoton, a German company, and is now also compatible with digital screenings. The lineup of films to be screened is noteworthy. In addition to films related to the special exhibition, a wide variety of films from different genres and eras are screened, including Academy Award-winning works, works that have spread mainly to independent theaters, and works by popular directors.
In the special exhibition, there was a corner where the kimonos used in director Ichikawa's film "The Makioka Sisters" were displayed. How did these vibrant kimonos appear in the film? You can use your imagination before watching the film, or you can enjoy the real thing afterwards. Either way has its own charm. The video archive also holds talk events and workshops from time to time that allow you to learn more about the contents of the special exhibition. The museum's theater will enhance your film experience and help you encounter even more memorable films.
There are other fun things and educational opportunities scattered throughout the museum. In the "Film Toy Experience" corner, you can actually play with toys related to film. When the author visited, there was also a corner in the "Information Reference Room" titled "Experience the Low Position of Ozu's Films." Signs for a tonkatsu restaurant and a ramen shop were set up, and by taking pictures of these signs from a designated location, visitors could experience Ozu's unique filming methods. The "Information Reference Room" also has a large selection of film-related books and magazines, making it a space where visitors can take their time browsing.
You watch movies, learn about movies, and play with movies. It's a movie experience that gets you using your whole body. After leaving the museum, we strolled along the promenade, which is open to the public for free. The fresh air, the smell of greenery, and the nature of Kamakura, which I hadn't experienced in hours, were a pleasant relief to both body and mind. This is where the Kawakita couple, who were instrumental in the development of Japanese film culture, made their home, and where filmmakers from around the world have come to visit the couple. Immerse yourself in the history of Japanese cinema and enjoy a one-of-a-kind movie experience.
Kamakura City Kawakita Film Museum
[Access] 2-2-12 Yukinoshita, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
[Official website] Click here
Cinema Walk No. 1 "Cinema Jack & Betty" is here
Cinema Walk No. 2 "Cinema Novecento" is here
Cinema Walk No. 3 Yokohama City Isezakicho "Yokohama Cinemarin" is here
Cinema Walk No. 4 Fujisawa City Kugenuma Beach "Cinekoya" is here
