query: Tadahito Mochinaga, "Fuku-chan"

[Roland Domenig]

> could someone in the know please tell me if a copy of "Fuku-chan's
> Submarine" [1944], the first animated feature by Tadahito Mochinaga,
> survived the war? Better yet, if it is for sale in Japan?

the film fortunately survived the war. the national film center holds a copy
that is shown from time to time. two years ago the hiroshima animation
festival commemorated the death of mochinaga tadahito with a special
programme that also included "fukuchan's submarine". i don't know whether a
video exist - at least the film is not included in the five volumed "showa
manga eiga daikoshin"-video edition that came out a few years ago.

> If someone has a Japanese-language bio of Mochinaga at hand, could you tell
> me... did he have a nervous breakdown after this feature? Police trouble?
> If I get can so far as to ask, does anyone have any idea what his political
> beliefs were before 1946 [left-hidden or left-vague, I assume]?

the kinejun film directors lexicon states that mochinaga left the asahi
eigasha in may 1945 after he fell ill due to overwork and malnutrition.
therafter he went with his wife to manchuria to his wife's parents. in july
1945 he joint the manchurian film cooperative (manei). after the war ended
he stayed on in china. he adopted the chinese name fang ming and was
instrumential in the founding of the animation studio in shanghai. in august
1953 he returned to japan.
shortly after the war he joint the newly established dongbei studio (former
manei) and during the civil war in 1946 he was twice arrested by the
nationalist army. in july 1946 he retreated with the communist army to jixi
in heilongjiang prefecture, so it can be assumed that he rather sympathised
with leftist thoughts. i don't know about his political ideas before 1946,
though. 

roland domenig
institute of east asian studies
vienna university