The problem with showing short films by Japanese masters is that most did
not make short films.
Ozu made some 3 and 4 reel comedies when he was starting out, only one of
which survives in partiality: Tokkan Kozo (1929). You should contact
either the National Film Center in Tokyo (fax 81-3-3561-0830) or
Shochiku, which I assume still claims copyright over it.
In the silent era, Japanese film companies sold abridged 9.5mm Pathe Baby
prints of some of their famous films for home use, and (unfortunately) it
is often these versions that still exist of some of the early
masterpieces. This probably does not fit your definition of short, but
you can ask the Film Center about some of these prints.
Someone mentioned Oshima's Yunbogi, but it should be noted that both
Oshima and Imamura made short documentaries for Japanese television in
the 1960s, some of which are very important. I particularly remember one
great 30-minute documentary Imamura made about his mentor, the director
Kawashima Yuzo, which features Imamura not only venturing to Kawashima's
birthplace, but even visiting Osore-zan (a sacred mountain nearby known
as a crossingpoint between life and death) in hopes of talking to the
dead Kawashima. A delightfully irreverent hommage.
Imamura has his own home page:
http://www.issay.com/shohei-imamura/english/e_index.html
Aaron Gerow
Associate Professor
International Student Center
Yokohama National University
79-1 Tokiwadai
Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501
JAPAN
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Phone: 81-45-339-3170
Fax: 81-45-339-3171
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