[KineJapan] Shirai Yoshio

[Markus Nornes]

I crossed paths with Shirai-san once in a while. He was very nice, and the
Muhomatsu no issho screening strategy was very memorable. May he RIP.

Markus



On Fri, Oct 11, 2024 at 7:41 PM Aaron Gerow via KineJapan <
kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

> Sorry to hear of the passing of the great film critic Shirai Yoshio, who
> passed away on October 5 at the age of 92.
>
> Shirai-san penned many books, often focusing on the classical era of
> Japanese cinema, but he was also editor of Kinema Junpo for a while, until
> he was famously fired by the then-owner, who was a right-wing racketeer,
> for his left-leaning stance. His books include Nihon Eiga no honto no
> omoshirosa o gozonji desu ka? and Nihon Eiga ogon densetsu. He was a critic
> with a thorough understanding of the studio system and its cinema.
>
> When I came to Japan in 1992, a core part of my life was the Asagaya
> Eigamura, a monthly film screening run by Shirai-san. I lived in Ogikubo
> and Asagaya was not too far to walk. The screenings were held in a
> shogekijo near Minami Asagaya station. It was there I got to see many
> masterworks, including my first introduction to Kawashima Yuzo. I also got
> to meet and drink with wonderful guests such as Yoshimura Kozaburo and
> Saito Koichi, as well as make some friends, a few of whom I still
> communicate with today. For a while, Shirai-san would show Kinoshita
> Keisuke films and then have a post-screening phone conversation with
> Kinoshita, who was not well-enough to attend, but still talked quite lively
> for about an hour each time.
>
> After the screenings, tables were brought out and we could sit and drink
> with the guests. We young ones would always head out afterwards to eat and
> drink around Asagaya until dawn, with the Chinese restaurant Champion (run
> by a former boxer) always being on the list.
>
> One of Shirai-san’s projects was “restoring” Inagaki Hiroshi’s wartime
> Muhomatsu no issho, a film that was cut by both wartime and Occupation era
> censors. He'd show the film and stop it whenever there was a scene that was
> cut and then actors would come out to read (not perform) the scene that was
> cut. His daughter Maki was an actor and often participated in this project.
>
> I showed Imamura Shohei's documentary Ore no Shimokita yesterday in class,
> which brought back memories of Asagaya. Now it's on DVD, but back then it
> wasn't available. Someone snuck it out of some company office and secretly
> showed it to us at Asagaya Eigamura because it is Imamura's homage to
> Kawashima. It’s one of my cherished memories of the place.
>
> I learned much and met so many people at Asagaya. R.I.P. Shirai-san.
>
> Aaron Gerow
> Alfred W. Griswold Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures
> and Film and Media Studies
> Chair, East Asian Languages and Literatures
> Yale University
> 320 York Street, Room 108
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/320+York+Street,+Room+108?entry=gmail&source=g>
> PO Box 208201
> New Haven, CT 06520-8201
> USA
> Phone: 1-203-432-7082
> Fax: 1-203-432-6729
> e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu
> website: www.aarongerow.com
>
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