Captured Japanese Films, Redux

[Mark Nornes]

Our discussion about the provenance of the LOC print collection made me curious enough to contact the library for clarification, most particularly concerning the possibility that these prints were taken from Japanese American theater owners. Here is our exchange. 

Markus

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I wrote......

You have one of the best collections of Japanese film outside of Japan, and I have a question for you regarding the provenance of these prints. The question was inspired by a discussion on the KineJapan internet newsgroup on captured prints. Someone noted that the Japanese prints in NARA's captured films collection have accession dates before 1942; however, this doesn't make sense because the US was LOSING territory before this date. The only explanation we can come up with is that they were "captured" from Japanese American theaters on the west coast. It occurs to me that your own collection---what I know of it---is weighted to the era just before WWII. Could it be that your prints were taken from the theaters that Japanese American theater owners were forced to abandon? Do you have records about this? Significantly, the Japanese film studies community has always wondered what happened to all the prints being shown in Hawaii and the West coast, as they surely didn't send them back to Japan. It has been a mystery that many people wonder about.

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Hello Markus,

The Library of Congress does indeed hold one of the largest collections of Japanese films outside of Japan.  The material you refer to, covering the period from the late 1920's through the end of WWII and listed in Library records as the "Japanese Collection," does not include any film copies left over from Japanese American theaters in Hawaii and on the West Coast.  It would certainly be interesting to know what happened to these prints, and I assume you've already checked with other Japanese-related moving image collections in the U.S., namely the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley and the Japanese American National Museum in LA (the latter being a possible source of information on the theater owners, and, by extension, the fate of the prints).

Although the Library's Japanese Collection is somewhat "weighted to the era just before WWII," it also includes later films, all the way up to the very end of the war (e.g. Nippon newsreels from summer of 1945).  The Collection itself was stitched together from several sources:

- films received in March 1948 from the U.S. Navy Intelligence School (mostly newsreels and non-fiction shorts).

- films impounded at the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC and received by LC in April 1948 from the Dept. of State, Division of Security and Investigations.

- films seized by the U.S. occupation forces in Japan and administered by the Office of Alien Property;  transferred from General Headquarters, Far East Command, Military Intelligence Section, this, by far the largest of the three batches, was received by LC in two lots (1951 and 1953);  prior to being shipped to the U.S., the prints (almost all on highly flammable nitrate stock) were stored at the former First Tokyo Military Arsenal.

The Collection initially numbered almost 12,500 reels.  Duplicates were offered to other government agencies, while the surplus and damaged material (about 7,000 reels) were disposed of.

In 1962, Public Laws 87-846 and 87-861 returned the copyrights of the confiscated films to their original owners.  On November 8, 1967, an agreement was signed between the National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo) and LC wherein the Library agreed to return the nitrate originals on the condition that 16mm copies be made in Japan and given to LC.  A week later (Nov. 18), the first shipment of nitrate originals left from Baltimore for Yokohama.  The Library started receiving the 16mm material in spring of 1969.  Notwithstanding the agreement, a number of films have been preserved from nitrate by LC itself (these are the ones we have in 35mm) before the original elements were eventually shipped to Japan.  According to a 1984 report, the final tally of what we have is: 245 features, 650 shorts, and 468 newsreels.

As to NARA's captured films collection having accession dates before 1942, it is indeed puzzling.  Of course, it could simply be a mistake - some of LC's nitrate elements returned to Japan in the 1980's have an acquisition date of July 1940 (!) with Office of Alien Property listed as the source.

I hope this information proves to be helpful.  

Best regards,

Zoran Sinobad
Reference Librarian
Moving Image Section
Library of Congress


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A. M. Nornes
Professor
Department of Screen Arts & Cultures
Department of Asian Languages & Cultures
University of Michigan
6525 A  Haven Hall
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-1045
Phone:  734-647-3456
Fax:  734-936-1846
Homepage: www.umich.edu/~amnornes



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