“Jidaigeki” is a great visual culture

Last modified date

The Edo Period was a peaceful time in which a samurai family called, Tokugawa came to power.

Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, various town cultures prospered in Edo (present-day Tokyo).

The Edo Period was exactly vintage Japan.

A category of TV series, that is mainly set in the Edo period, is called “Jidaigeki”.

One or two generations ago, tons of Jidaigeki were produced.

But the present is the complete opposite.

Jidaigeki is not popular with modern Japanese people.

I love Jidaigeki, and I subscribe to a premium Jidaigeki channel.

I think that Jidaigeki is a great visual culture.

The original landscape of Japan is now disappearing year by year.

It’s clear from today’s Kyoto.

Whenever I see Jidaigeki from decades ago, I find many beautiful landscapes were used as filming locations.

Unfortunately, most of these changed into asphalt pavement roads or buildings.

Bountiful forests were cut down, the mountains were cultivated, and the banks of clean rivers were covered with cement.

Jidaigeki suggested to me that Japan was more beautiful then compared to now.

I think that Jidaigeki is a kind of video recording of original Japanese landscapes that we cannot get back.

Jidaigeki is very valuable.

A premium channel of Jidaigeki called, SAMURAI DRAMA CHANNEL mainly broadcasts various Jidaigeki from the past.

I prefer past works to modern works.

Today, the filming of Jidaigeki seems to be done mainly in an exclusive film studio.

It must be related to the decrease in the number of original Japanese landscapes that are used as filming locations.

But it cannot bring out a sense of presence.

That is something that cannot be helped.

The present environment is bad for creating Jidaigeki.

I want to write down a lot of things about Jidaigeki, but maybe I will do this some other time.

Follow me!

Tate

Share