[KineJapan] Films on Catholicism/Christianity in Japanese cinema

[Desser, David M]

Michael -

Kinoshita’s film is available on the Criterion Channel as “Children of Nagasaki.”

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 16, 2022, at 7:38 PM, Michael Kerpan via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:


Kyle --

Oba's Bells of Nagasaki (Nagasaki no Kane) from 1950 might be of interest. It is the story of Takasshi Nagai, a Catholic physician who did a lot of emergency work after the atomic bombing.  (He wass  called the Saint of Urakami eventually). Another book by Nagai was made into a movie by Kinoshita in 1983 (Leaving These Children Behind) -- but I've never seen this, so know nothing much about it.

Michael Kerpan
Boston, MA

On Wed, Feb 16, 2022 at 5:22 PM Roger Macy via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu>> wrote:

Dear Kyle,

Welcome to KineJapan.

Your subject is potentially very broad, so it is wise to limit your thesis to a few films. I haven’t seen Violent Virgin – I would never have thought to go to Wakamatsu as a source on Catholicism so I’ll be interested in what you make of it.

It’s perfectly logical to concentrate on Shinoda’s version of Silence, as the Japanese-made one, but the problem there is that Shinoda’s was emphatically made outside of a Catholic world, whereas Scorsese’s was very much made within the strictures of his Church (although there is an Anglican bishop in the story), and made much more to the later wishes of the deceased ENDŌ Shūsaku who had latterly also brought himself more within the Church’s strictures. I make a stab at that in my review here<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.japansociety.org.uk/review?review=515__;!!DZ3fjg!takdp8rDoDI6FgmTOZqiKi1ryB5TupoPEwffnnbYOGZ1wPOw41KnJ5v6f5uSqNp0$>.

At Kineclub XVIII at Yale, March ’19, KAMIYA Makiko gave a presentation on ‘Christianism’ in some Japanese films.  The panel was related to MAKINO Masahiro’s Gate of Flesh ‘48, but other films were cited. That presentation may now be available online or written up elsewhere.

How far do you want to go back ? The one Japanese feature film made with specific backing of the Catholic church was Junkyō kesshi ~ Nihon nijū-roku seijin, 26 Martyrs of Japan, 1931, directed by IKEDA Tomiyasu. I have a lot of unpublished work on that and rejected bids on presentations (be warned!) . There is considerable published literature on it but little in english. What languages can you read ? I have my rough translations on them.

Roger


On Wednesday, 16 February 2022, 21:13:01 GMT, Kyle LaChance via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu>> wrote:


Hello, I am a 2nd year Master's student writing my thesis on the utilization and presentation of Catholicism historiographically in Japanese animation and cinema. Currently I have identified 3 anime and 4 live-action cinematic works which I will list below. Are there other key works that I might be missing?

Anime:
Trinity Blood
Blue Exorcist
Seven Deadly Sins

Live-Action:
Vengeance is Mine
Silence by Shinoda Masahiro
Sea and Poison
Violent Virgin

I appreciate any help and apologize for any inconvenience.

All the best,

--
Kyle LaChance
Second Year in the Masters in International and Regional Studies
International Institute and Center for Japanese Studies


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