Shinjuku Musashinokan
Encyclopedia
The is a long-standing movie theater
located on the east side of Shinjuku Station
in Tokyo
, Japan
. Originally started as the Musashinokan in May 1920, it quickly became Tokyo's premiere independent high-class theater showing foreign films. The theater program featured top-level film criticism and a committee of the managers and of film critics such as Akira Iwasaki
helped program the films shown there. It was also famous in the silent
era for the erudite benshi
narration of Musei Tokugawa
. On occasion, it also showed Japanese films such as Teinosuke Kinugasa
's A Page of Madness
.
When it was rebuilt in 1968 as part of a multi-purpose building, occupying the seventh floor, it changed its name to the Shinjuku Musashinokan. Its owner, Musashino Kōgyō, also started other theaters using the name, such as the Ōi Musashinokan and the Nakano Musashinokan.
The Shinjuku Musashinokan still operates as a theater showing films on three screens.
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
located on the east side of Shinjuku Station
Shinjuku Station
is a train station located in Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan.Serving as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central Tokyo and its western suburbs on inter-city rail, commuter rail and metro lines, the station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007,...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Originally started as the Musashinokan in May 1920, it quickly became Tokyo's premiere independent high-class theater showing foreign films. The theater program featured top-level film criticism and a committee of the managers and of film critics such as Akira Iwasaki
Akira Iwasaki
was a prominent left-wing Japanese film critic, historian, and producer. Born in Tokyo, he became interested in film from his student days at Tokyo University. Early on, he helped introduce German experimental film in Japan, and was instrumental in getting Teinosuke Kinugasa's masterpiece A Page of...
helped program the films shown there. It was also famous in the silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era for the erudite benshi
Benshi
were Japanese performers who provided live narration for silent films . Benshi are sometimes also called or .-Role of the benshi:...
narration of Musei Tokugawa
Musei Tokugawa
thumb|200px|Musei Tokugawa was a Japanese benshi, actor, raconteur, essayist, and radio and television personality. Musei first came to prominence as a benshi, a narrator of films during the silent era in Japan. He was celebrated for his restrained but erudite narration that was popular among...
. On occasion, it also showed Japanese films such as Teinosuke Kinugasa
Teinosuke Kinugasa
-External links:* *...
's A Page of Madness
A Page of Madness
-External links:*...
.
When it was rebuilt in 1968 as part of a multi-purpose building, occupying the seventh floor, it changed its name to the Shinjuku Musashinokan. Its owner, Musashino Kōgyō, also started other theaters using the name, such as the Ōi Musashinokan and the Nakano Musashinokan.
The Shinjuku Musashinokan still operates as a theater showing films on three screens.
External links
- Shinjuku Musashinokan Official page
- Musashino Weely The Musashinokan pamphlet in the 1920s (in Japanese)