Yamagata Venusography 2: Shinjuku, Tokyo
The Shinjuku area of Tokyo used to be an intellectual “lawless zone,” a mixture of chaos and radicalism. Later, that same lawless zone of Shinjuku transformed into a kind of stateless, postmodern space. Nagisa Yoko (born in Shirataka, Yamagata Prefecture) “deconstructed” that new, directionless Shinjuku with the violence (German: “Gewalt”) of her Showa popular songs. Kawanaka Nobuhiro directed Shinjuku Legend: Nagisa Yoko Shinjuku Koma Gewa-gewa Recital, a film that combines Nagisa’s life and her recital at the Shinjuku Koma Theater with the director’s own past.
(Tomitsuka Masaki)
Shinjuku Legend—Nagisa Yoko Shinjuku Koma Gewa-gewa Recital
(“Shinjuku densetsu: Nagisa Yoko Shinjuku Koma Gekijo geba geba recital”)
2009 / Japanese / Color / Video / 73 min
Director, Photography, Editing, Source: Kawanaka Nobuhiro
Editing Support: Shirao Kazuhiro
Photographs: Moriyama Daido
Appearances: Nagisa Yoko, Wakamatsu Koji, Yamaya Hatsuo
Since she was a little girl, Nagisa Yoko had two dreams: one was to have a song written for her by Aku Yu; the other was to sing at the Shinjuku Koma Theater.
Aku Yu had already had written an original song for her. When Nagisa heard that the Shinjuku Koma Theater was to close down, she decided that she would have to rent the hall herself, in order to realize her dream. The concert was a great success, aided by many of her friends, including Wakamatsu Koji, Yamaya Hatsuo, Naito Chin, and Mikami Kan, who grew up in Shinjuku.
Director Kawanaka Nobuhiro has fond memories from decades ago, when he was delivering milk and had a chance to talk with the Shinkokugeki actor Ogata Ken in the Shinjuku Koma Theater dressing room. He returns to that room in this film.
Interview