Question about kissing

[Jonathan M. Hall]

Dear All,

It's my understanding that the research covered in Mr. Smith Goes to Tokyo is largely the same as in Tenno to Seppun.  I've not studied the Japanese version, but I remember that being my quick impression.

It's a side note, but Hirano's Tenno to Seppun has the rare honor of being one of those very few academic books brought to life on the stage.  I remember going its theatrical adaptation at The Suzunari in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo a decade ago.   Some basic information about the stage performance can be found here:

http://homepage1.nifty.com/mneko/play/RA/19991113S.htm

Jonathan M Hall
Pomona College

________________________________________
差出人: owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu [owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu] は Jasper Sharp [jasper_sharp at hotmail.com] の代理
送信日時: 2010年7月17日 5:57
宛先: kinejapan
件名: RE: Question about kissing

I wrote about the introduction of kissing in Japanese films in Behind the Pink Curtain, following research published in English language by Kyoko Hirano, in her book Mr Smith Goes to Tokyo: Japanese Cinema Under the American Occupation, and Donald Richie, in an article whose title escapes me, but which is published in A Lateral View.
I also notice that Hirano has a book published in Japanese called Tenno to Seppun, which no doubt tackles this area.
see http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tenno-seppun-Amerika-senryoka-kenetsu/dp/479420776X/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279313661&sr=1-5

Hope these help,

Jasper


Midnight Eye: The Latest and Best in Japanese Cinema
www.midnighteye.com

More details about me on http://jaspersharp.com/




________________________________
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:11:32 -0400
From: sfred at bu.edu
To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Question about kissing

I was just editing something I wrote and started to wonder whether it is true.  I was suggesting that kissing in Japanese cinema in the early 1930s would have been the object of censorship.  That is a rather vague way that I have put it but is it true in either the sense that 1.) depiction of a kiss would have triggered some attention and potential censorship based 2.) there were actual guidelines about kissing that the censors followed?

I am aware of the censorship categories at the time and have looked at a lot of print media censorship primary materials in both political and fuzoku categories.  But not much about cinema (or kissing in particular).  Is there some better research on this out there?  I think I based my statement on anecdotal materials from people I know, and I don't think those individuals are really old or reliable enough to base this claim on!

Thanks for any direction you might send me in!  I don't have easy access to a Japanese language library at the moment either.

Sarah


Sarah Frederick
Associate Professor of Japanese
Dept. Modern Languages
   and Comparative Literature
Boston University
718 Commonwealth Avenue
402C
Boston, MA 02215
617-358-4654
sfred at bu.edu<mailto:sfred at bu.edu>




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