Noriaki Tsuchimoto
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese documentary
film director
known for his films on Minamata disease
and examinations of the effects of modernization on Asia. Tsuchimoto and Shinsuke Ogawa
have been called the "two figures [that] tower over the landscape of Japanese documentary."
, but raised in Tokyo
. Angered by the emperor system that led Japan into war, he participated in radical student groups like Zengakuren
when he entered Waseda University
and joined the Japanese Communist Party
. For a time he was even involved in the JCP's plan for armed revolt in the mountains and also was arrested for participating in protests. Expelled from Waseda in 1953, he could initially only find work at the Japan-China Friendship Society until he ran into Keiji Yoshino, a filmmaker and executive at Iwanami Productions (Iwanami Eiga), a branch of Iwanami Shoten devoted to making educational and public relations (PR) documentaries. Inspired by Susumu Hani
's film Children of the Classroom, he accepted Yoshino's offer to join Iwanami in 1956. He left the JCP in 1957.
, Kazuo Kuroki
, and Yōichi Higashi
, and cameramen like Jun'ichi Segawa, Tatsuo Suzuki
, and Masaki Tamura
. The works he made were primarily sponsored by Japanese corporations celebrating their achievements in a period of high economic growth, but the intellectually liberal Iwanami was "a hot bed of experimentation," in the words of film scholar Mark Nornes; a place where, according to Tsuchimoto, people wanted to do "their own individual shots that could only be done in images not in words." Tsuchimoto's most famous work for Iwanami was An Engineer's Assistant (1963), a film made for the Japanese National Railways
about train engineers working hard to keep on time.
Conflicts with sponsors and the company inevitably resulted at Iwanami, and it was in particular one controversy over two of Tsuchimoto's contributions to a series of documentaries on Japan's prefectures that led the filmmakers to form the "Blue Group" (Ao no Kai), an informal organization in which members discussed each other's films and advocated for a new documentary. Many in the Blue Group later left Iwanami to begin producing documentaries independently.
One other film Tsuchimoto directed during this period was On the Road: A Document
(1963), a film commissioned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to promote traffic safety just before the Tokyo Olympics. Tsuchimoto, however, worked with a cab driver's union to produce a strong condemnation of urban Japan seen through the eyes of a taxi driver. The film won several awards, but the Police refused to show it and it remained on the shelf for years.
After making Prehistory of the Partisans, which showed student radicals at Kyoto University
from inside the barricades, for Ogawa Productions, Tsuchimoto began his most famous work, a series of documentaries about the mercury poisoning incident
in Minamata, Japan
. Disturbed that an earlier effort to film Minamata disease for a television documentary had met with resistance from those afflicted, apparently due to suspicions about the media, Tsuchimoto this time dedicated himself to working with the victims. In the first, and most famous film in the series, Minamata: The Victims and Their World
(1971), he let the victims speak for themselves, giving their side of the story, which was not being represented in the mass media or recognized by Chisso
, the polluter, and the government. He did not just show their plight to others, but worked to show his films in the area to educate other victims. According to the critic Chris Fujiwara, "Tsuchimoto’s cinema embodies a search for a point of view capable of representing the point of view of his subjects, and an immersion of the filmmaker’s subjectivity in the contradictions of his material."
Some films in the series, such Minamata Disease: A Trilogy, were primarily focused on the medical issues of Minamata disease, not just the politics. And as in Minamata: The Victims and Their World
and The Shiranui Sea (1975), he did not look on the victims as objects of pity or agents of protest, but endeavored to understand their world, finding in their struggle to maintain their close relationship with the sea and their traditional ways of living, much of which had been upset by environmental pollution, "the original figure of humanity."
Tsuchimoto made around a dozen films about Minamata, but he also worked on many other subjects, ranging from the poet Shigeharu Nakano
to the plight of Koreans in Japan. A number of his films extended in concerns with pollution, the sea, and the costs of political oppression and modernization by exploring the atomic bomb and nuclear energy
. He was also interested in Afghanistan
, and made three films about that country before the Taliban, such as Afghan Spring and Another Afghanistan: Kabul Diary 1985. He also published several books and was a featured filmmaker at the 2003 Flaherty Seminar.
He died of lung cancer on 24 June 2008.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
known for his films on Minamata disease
Minamata disease
', sometimes referred to as , is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases, insanity, paralysis, coma, and death...
and examinations of the effects of modernization on Asia. Tsuchimoto and Shinsuke Ogawa
Shinsuke Ogawa
was a Japanese documentary film director. Ogawa and Noriaki Tsuchimoto have been called the "two figures [that] tower over the landscape of Japanese documentary."-Career:...
have been called the "two figures [that] tower over the landscape of Japanese documentary."
Early years
Tsuchimoto was born in Gifu PrefectureGifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...
, but raised 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...
. Angered by the emperor system that led Japan into war, he participated in radical student groups like Zengakuren
Zengakuren
Founded in 1948, Zengakuren is a communist / anarchist league of students in Japan. The word is an abridgement of which literally means “All-Japan League of Student Self-Government.” Notable for organizing protests and marches, Zengakuren has been involved in Japan’s Anti-Red Purge Movement,...
when he entered Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
and joined the Japanese Communist Party
Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
. For a time he was even involved in the JCP's plan for armed revolt in the mountains and also was arrested for participating in protests. Expelled from Waseda in 1953, he could initially only find work at the Japan-China Friendship Society until he ran into Keiji Yoshino, a filmmaker and executive at Iwanami Productions (Iwanami Eiga), a branch of Iwanami Shoten devoted to making educational and public relations (PR) documentaries. Inspired by Susumu Hani
Susumu Hani
is a Japanese film director, and one of the most prominent representatives of the 1960s Japanese New Wave. Born in Tokyo, he has directed both documentaries and feature films....
's film Children of the Classroom, he accepted Yoshino's offer to join Iwanami in 1956. He left the JCP in 1957.
Iwanami era
Tsuchimoto was only an employee at Iwanami Productions for a year (after that, he worked there as a hired freelancer), but he made films alongside other important directors such as Hani, Shinsuke OgawaShinsuke Ogawa
was a Japanese documentary film director. Ogawa and Noriaki Tsuchimoto have been called the "two figures [that] tower over the landscape of Japanese documentary."-Career:...
, Kazuo Kuroki
Kazuo Kuroki
-Filmography:* Silence Has No Wings * Preparation for the Festival * Yūgure made * The Bridge of Tears * Tomorrow * Pickpocket * The Face of Jizo * The Blossoming of Kamiya Etsuko...
, and Yōichi Higashi
Yōichi Higashi
is a Japanese film director. He began his career working on documentaries at Iwanami Productions but, after going independent, turned to fiction film...
, and cameramen like Jun'ichi Segawa, Tatsuo Suzuki
Tatsuo Suzuki (cinematographer)
is a Japanese cinematographer who has worked with many prominent independent directors.-Career:Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Suzuki entered the film industry at Iwanami Productions , where he worked on documentary films...
, and Masaki Tamura
Masaki Tamura
is a Japanese cinematographer.-Career:Born in Aomori Prefecture, Tamura early on worked at Iwanami Productions , where as an assistant he helped photograph documentary films. He became a full-fledged cinematographer working on many of the documentaries of Shinsuke Ogawa...
. The works he made were primarily sponsored by Japanese corporations celebrating their achievements in a period of high economic growth, but the intellectually liberal Iwanami was "a hot bed of experimentation," in the words of film scholar Mark Nornes; a place where, according to Tsuchimoto, people wanted to do "their own individual shots that could only be done in images not in words." Tsuchimoto's most famous work for Iwanami was An Engineer's Assistant (1963), a film made for the Japanese National Railways
Japanese National Railways
, abbreviated or "JNR", was the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987.-History:The term Kokuyū Tetsudō "state-owned railway" originally referred to a network of railway lines operated by nationalized companies under the control of the Railway Institute following the nationalization...
about train engineers working hard to keep on time.
Conflicts with sponsors and the company inevitably resulted at Iwanami, and it was in particular one controversy over two of Tsuchimoto's contributions to a series of documentaries on Japan's prefectures that led the filmmakers to form the "Blue Group" (Ao no Kai), an informal organization in which members discussed each other's films and advocated for a new documentary. Many in the Blue Group later left Iwanami to begin producing documentaries independently.
One other film Tsuchimoto directed during this period was On the Road: A Document
On the Road: A Document
is a Japanese documentary from 1964 directed by Noriaki Tsuchimoto.-Film content:The film focuses on the taxi drivers of Tokyo in the year before the Tokyo Olympics and the difficulties they face: construction obstructing traffic, poor working conditions, numerous accidents, and bad pay...
(1963), a film commissioned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to promote traffic safety just before the Tokyo Olympics. Tsuchimoto, however, worked with a cab driver's union to produce a strong condemnation of urban Japan seen through the eyes of a taxi driver. The film won several awards, but the Police refused to show it and it remained on the shelf for years.
Independent filmmaking
Tsuchimoto was one of the first Iwanami-related directors to go independent. In 1965, he began a documentary for television on an exchange student who was under threat of being deported back to Malaysia, despite the fact he would likely be punished for his political activities upon his return. The network withdrew when problems arose with the Malaysian government, but Tsuchimoto decided to make the film, Exchange Student Chua Swee Lin, anyway. Gathering donations, he placed his camera firmly on the student's side and eventually prevented the deportation. In Nornes's words, "This is a movie that started a movement rather than represented it," and became a model for later committed independent documentary.After making Prehistory of the Partisans, which showed student radicals at Kyoto University
Kyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
from inside the barricades, for Ogawa Productions, Tsuchimoto began his most famous work, a series of documentaries about the mercury poisoning incident
Minamata disease
', sometimes referred to as , is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases, insanity, paralysis, coma, and death...
in Minamata, 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...
. Disturbed that an earlier effort to film Minamata disease for a television documentary had met with resistance from those afflicted, apparently due to suspicions about the media, Tsuchimoto this time dedicated himself to working with the victims. In the first, and most famous film in the series, Minamata: The Victims and Their World
Minamata: The Victims and Their World
is a Japanese documentary made in 1971 by Noriaki Tsuchimoto. It is the first in a series of independent documentaries that Tsuchimoto made of the mercury poisoning incident in Minamata, Japan.-Film content:...
(1971), he let the victims speak for themselves, giving their side of the story, which was not being represented in the mass media or recognized by Chisso
Chisso
The is a Japanese chemical company. It is particularly well known as a supplier of liquid crystal used for LCD displays.Chisso is also known for its thirty-four year long contamination of the water supply in Minamata, Japan that led to thousands of deaths and victims of disease...
, the polluter, and the government. He did not just show their plight to others, but worked to show his films in the area to educate other victims. According to the critic Chris Fujiwara, "Tsuchimoto’s cinema embodies a search for a point of view capable of representing the point of view of his subjects, and an immersion of the filmmaker’s subjectivity in the contradictions of his material."
Some films in the series, such Minamata Disease: A Trilogy, were primarily focused on the medical issues of Minamata disease, not just the politics. And as in Minamata: The Victims and Their World
Minamata: The Victims and Their World
is a Japanese documentary made in 1971 by Noriaki Tsuchimoto. It is the first in a series of independent documentaries that Tsuchimoto made of the mercury poisoning incident in Minamata, Japan.-Film content:...
and The Shiranui Sea (1975), he did not look on the victims as objects of pity or agents of protest, but endeavored to understand their world, finding in their struggle to maintain their close relationship with the sea and their traditional ways of living, much of which had been upset by environmental pollution, "the original figure of humanity."
Tsuchimoto made around a dozen films about Minamata, but he also worked on many other subjects, ranging from the poet Shigeharu Nakano
Shigeharu Nakano
was a Japanese author and Communist Party politician.Nakano was born in Maruoka, now part of Sakai, Fukui. In 1914 he enrolled in middle school in Fukui, Fukui, and attended high school in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa and Kanazawa, Ishikawa. In 1924 he entered the German literature department of the...
to the plight of Koreans in Japan. A number of his films extended in concerns with pollution, the sea, and the costs of political oppression and modernization by exploring the atomic bomb and nuclear energy
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
. He was also interested in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and made three films about that country before the Taliban, such as Afghan Spring and Another Afghanistan: Kabul Diary 1985. He also published several books and was a featured filmmaker at the 2003 Flaherty Seminar.
He died of lung cancer on 24 June 2008.
Selected filmography
- An Engineer's Assistant (ある機関助士 Aru kikan joshi) (1963)
- On the Road: A DocumentOn the Road: A Documentis a Japanese documentary from 1964 directed by Noriaki Tsuchimoto.-Film content:The film focuses on the taxi drivers of Tokyo in the year before the Tokyo Olympics and the difficulties they face: construction obstructing traffic, poor working conditions, numerous accidents, and bad pay...
(ドキュメント路上 Dokyumento rojō) (1964) - Exchange Student Chua Swee Lin (留学生チュア・スイ・リン Ryugakusei Chua Sui Rin) (1965)
- Prehistory of the Partisans (パルチザン前史 Paruchizan zenshi) (1969)
- Minamata: The Victims and Their WorldMinamata: The Victims and Their Worldis a Japanese documentary made in 1971 by Noriaki Tsuchimoto. It is the first in a series of independent documentaries that Tsuchimoto made of the mercury poisoning incident in Minamata, Japan.-Film content:...
(水俣ー患者さんとその世界 Minamata: Kanjasan to sono sekai) (1971) - Minamata Disease: A Trilogy (医学としての水俣病ー三部作 Igaku to shite no Minamata-byō: Sanbusaku) (1974–1975)
- The Shiranui Sea (不知火海 Shiranuikai) (1975)
- Remembering Nakano Shigeharu (偲ぶ・中野重治 Shinobu Nakano Shigeharu) (1979)
- Tsuchimoto Noriaki's Nuclear Scrapbook (原発切抜帖 Genpatsu kirinukichō) (1982)
- Afghan Spring (よみがえれカレーズ Yomigaere Karēzu) (1989)
- Another Afghanistan: Kabul Diary 1985 (もうひとつのアフガニスタン カーブル日記 1985年 Mō hitotsu no Afuganisutan: Kāburu nikki 1985-nen) (2003)
- Traces: The Kabul Museum 1988 (在りし日のカーブル博物館1988年 Arishihi no Kāburu Hakubutsukan 1988-nen) (2003)
External links
- Shine Asoshie - Tsuchimoto's production company (includes full text of some Tsuchimoto articles) (in Japanese)