Ubasuteyama

Plot

In this early Japanese animated short, a cruel lord decrees that all villagers aged sixty and older must be abandoned on a remote mountain to die. A devoted son, unable to bear abandoning his beloved mother, carries her up the mountain as commanded but secretly brings her back home and hides her in a cellar. When the village faces a crisis that requires wisdom beyond the younger generation's capabilities, the elderly mother's experience proves invaluable in saving the community. The lord eventually discovers the deception but, moved by the mother's wisdom and the son's devotion, revokes his cruel decree and recognizes the enduring value of the elderly. The film concludes with a powerful message about respecting elders and the irreplaceable wisdom that comes with age.

Historical Background

The film was created in 1925 during Japan's Taishō period (1912-1926), a time of significant cultural transition and modernization. This era saw Japan embracing Western influences while maintaining traditional values, creating a unique cultural synthesis. Cinema was still a relatively new medium worldwide, and animation was in its absolute infancy. In Japan, filmmakers were developing their own distinct animation style while learning from Western techniques. The story of ubasute, while dark in its traditional form, was chosen for animation likely because it resonated with traditional Japanese values of filial piety and respect for elders, even as society rapidly modernized. The film emerged just before Japan's shift toward militarism in the 1930s, representing a moment when cultural expression was relatively free. The 1920s also saw growing literacy and urbanization in Japan, changing how stories were told and consumed. Animation offered a new way to preserve and share traditional folklore in a modern format that could reach increasingly urban audiences.

Making Of

The production of 'Ubasuteyama' in 1925 required immense creativity and dedication from Sanae Yamamoto and his small team. Working with primitive animation equipment, they employed cutout animation techniques, creating characters from paper or similar materials that were carefully moved frame by frame. Each second of animation required numerous individual adjustments, making the process incredibly time-consuming. Yamamoto, as one of Japan's animation pioneers, had to develop many techniques himself, learning through experimentation rather than established methods. The film was likely created in a small studio or even Yamamoto's home, as dedicated animation facilities were rare in 1925 Japan. The team would have worked under significant technical constraints, with limited access to quality materials and equipment. Despite these challenges, they managed to create a film that effectively conveyed emotion and narrative, demonstrating remarkable innovation in the face of technical limitations.

Visual Style

The film's visual style was created using cutout animation techniques, which involved crafting figures from paper or similar materials and photographing them frame by frame to create movement. This technique, while limiting in terms of fluid motion, allowed for distinctive visual effects and was practical given the resources available in 1925 Japan. The visual composition shows influences from traditional Japanese art forms, particularly ukiyo-e woodblock prints, in its use of space and perspective. The backgrounds were likely hand-drawn, creating a contrast between the more static backgrounds and the moving cutout characters. Despite the technical limitations, the animation effectively conveys emotion and narrative progression through careful staging and character positioning. The visual style represents an early fusion of Japanese artistic traditions with emerging animation techniques, creating a unique aesthetic that would influence later developments in Japanese animation.

Innovations

The film represents significant technical achievements for Japanese animation in 1925. The successful use of cutout animation to tell a complete narrative with emotional depth was innovative for the era. The film demonstrates early attempts at character animation and visual storytelling in Japanese animation, establishing techniques that would be built upon in later works. The preservation of traditional Japanese artistic styles within the animation format was technically notable, requiring adaptation of two-dimensional artistic traditions to the medium of moving pictures. The film's ability to convey complex emotions and moral themes using limited animation techniques shows remarkable technical skill. The production itself, likely accomplished with very limited resources and primitive equipment, represents an achievement in determination and creativity. The film also demonstrates early understanding of animation timing and rhythm, crucial elements that would become fundamental to Japanese animation.

Music

As a silent film from 1925, 'Ubasuteyama' would have been accompanied by live musical performances during theatrical screenings. The specific musical accompaniment is not documented, but it likely consisted of traditional Japanese instruments like the shamisen and shakuhachi, or popular songs from the era. Many Japanese theaters of the period employed a benshi (live narrator) who would provide narration, character voices, and emotional commentary throughout the screening. The benshi was particularly important for animated films, helping to clarify the story and enhance emotional impact. Some theaters might have used Western instruments or a combination of Japanese and Western music, reflecting the cultural fusion of the Taishō period. The absence of recorded sound meant that each screening could have a unique auditory experience depending on the musicians and benshi involved.

Memorable Scenes

• The emotional opening where the cruel lord announces his decree banishing all elderly villagers
• The heartbreaking scene of the son carrying his elderly mother up the mountain to abandon her
• The pivotal moment when the son decides to hide his mother instead of leaving her to die
• The touching reunion when the son secretly brings his mother back home and hides her in the cellar
• The crisis scene where the village faces a challenge that requires the mother's wisdom to solve
• The confrontation with the lord when the deception is revealed and the mother's value is proven
• The emotional conclusion when the lord revokes his decree and recognizes the importance of elders

What Critics Said

Contemporary critical reception from 1925 is not well documented, as film criticism in Japan was still developing and specialized animation criticism did not exist. However, modern film historians and animation scholars universally recognize 'Ubasuteyama' as a significant work in the history of Japanese animation. It is praised for its technical achievements given the limitations of the era, its effective storytelling despite primitive animation techniques, and its role in preserving traditional Japanese folklore. Scholars note the film's importance in understanding the early development of anime and its reflection of Japanese cultural values. The film is now studied in academic settings as a crucial example of early Japanese animation techniques and cultural expression. Animation historians particularly appreciate how the film manages to convey emotional depth and narrative complexity using the limited cutout animation techniques available in 1925.

What Audiences Thought

Audience reception from 1925 is not thoroughly documented, but the film's story would have resonated strongly with Japanese audiences of the time. The ubasute legend was familiar folklore, making the narrative immediately accessible and culturally relevant. The film's moral message about respecting elders aligned with traditional Japanese values of filial piety, which remained important even during modernization. Original screenings would have featured a benshi (live narrator) who would enhance the emotional impact and ensure the story was clearly understood. Modern audiences who have had the opportunity to see the film typically appreciate it as a historical artifact that provides insight into early Japanese animation and cultural values. Animation enthusiasts and film historians particularly value the film for its rarity and historical importance, often viewing it with admiration for what was accomplished with the limited technology of the era.

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