Directed by: Tsunekichi Shibata (柴田 常吉)
Also known as Maple Leaf Viewing, this recording of the kabuki play by the same name (starring Onoe Kikugorō V and Ichikawa Danjūrō IX) is one of the earliest Japanese films in existence.
To understand the story, let us first turn to the title: Momijigari refers to a Japanese tradition of traveling out of town in autumn to enjoy the foliage in hills and valleys. The literal translation is “red leaves hunting”. Thus, the story follows Taira no Koremochi, a Japanese military commander, as he admires the autumn leaves at Mount Togakushi. He meets a beautiful princess, Sarashinahime, who offers him sake. He becomes incredibly drunk and falls asleep. In his dreams, a spirit warns him that Sarashinahime is actually the demon Kijo and intends to kill him. He awakens and defeats the demon using Kogarasumaru, the legendary sword.
The film was not initially intended for public release as Ichikawa Danjūrō IX didn’t want live performances to be replaced by it. There was an agreement that it would only be screened after his death. However, when an illness prevented him from performing at the Naka-za in Osaka, he allowed the film to be screened. He died in September 1903 and the film gained a wider release. A point of interest here is that film was not used as much as a means of entertainment but a way of preserving culture – for the sake of historic record. And so we are able to experience them (even if partially) more than 100 years later!
Bibliography
IMDb contributors (n.d.). ‘Momijigari (1899)’, IMDb. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000319/ [Accessed: 7 January 2022].
Invitation to Kabuki (n.d.). ‘Momijigari’, Invitation to Kabuki. Available at: https://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/kabuki/en/play/play22.html [Accessed: 7 January 2022].
JEC (2020). ‘Momijigari (1899) Maple Leaf Viewing’, A Cinema History. Available at: http://www.acinemahistory.com/2020/06/momijigari-1899-maple-leaf-viewing.html?view=classic [Accessed: 7 January 2022].
The Claremont Colleges (n.d.) ‘Taira no Koremochi (11th century) fights Kijo, the demon of Mt. Togakushi’, The Claremont Colleges Digital Library. Available at: https://ccdl.claremont.edu/digital/collection/cyw/id/301/ [Accessed: 7 January 2022].
Wikipedia contributors (2021). ‘Momijigari (film)’, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 August. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momijigari_(film) [Accessed: 7 January 2022].
Yamano, Yukari (2021). ‘Momijigari, 紅葉狩り’, Seattle Japanese Garden, 7 October. Available at: https://www.seattlejapanesegarden.org/blog/2021/10/5/momiji-gari- [Accessed: 7 January 2022].
Reel Lessons 