[KineJapan] Iwanami doc. on Yoyogi stadium construction

[Roger Macy]

Trying to relieve eye-strain by getting awayfrom my small screen, I took an afternoon off at Japan House in Kensington, London.  They havean exhibition on the Tokyo 1964 designs. I found myself watching a 26 minuteIwanami doc. on an even smaller screen, of the design and construction of theYoyogi National Gymnasium.  Made for thecontractors, Shimizu, it paid no attention whatever to the pool oranything else at ground level, focussing on the roof, and the forces it had towithstand, both as a completed structure, and during construction.

It had english-only titling ‘ConstructionRecord of National Stadium - Olympic Swimming Pool in Tokyo’, and english-only-commentary from the time ofissue.

I think I’ve seen a film treating theconstruction of the Florence dome in a comparable way but nothing as good asthis has come my way on a modern construction. I suspect it’s not the kind ofsubject to attract to film writers. I could have used it profitably in teachinghigh school students mechanics, although the english translation measured forcein ‘tons’ rather than newtons.

There were no staff credits on this print butan exhibition label card told me theoriginal title was 代々木競技場第一体育館·建設記録映像, which, googling with ‘岩波’, I could track down here http://kirokueizo.jp/db/search/eigadata/view/85974.

The staff names are completely unknown to me.The director (if I have the readings right), SAKINO Shirō, I can only find in afew TV production credits. The principal photographer, UEMURA Ryūichi has someother credits with more radical titles, but not so for the scriptwriter,HORIKOSHI Kei (Hajime?). I wonder whether she/he was an engineering instructor.
Roger

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