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53-601: Keisuke Kinoshita was born Masakichi Kinoshita on 5 December 1912, in Hamamatsu , Shizuoka Prefecture , as the fourth of eight children of merchant Shūkichi Kinoshita and his wife Tama. His family manufactured pickles and owned a grocery store. A film fan already in early years, he vowed to become a filmmaker, but faced opposition from his parents. When he was in high school, a film crew arrived in Hamamatsu for location shooting one day. He befriended actor Bando Junosuke when

106-399: A Wild Chrysanthemum to be "among the most purely moving of Japanese films" despite its "occasional naivety", attributing it to Kinoshota's "simple techniques," including "judicious choice of camera position," and to the excellent performances. Joseph L. Anderson also commented on the film's photography, particularly the "rich blacks", and Kinoshita's "evocation of [the] area." Richie regarded

159-644: A Wild Chrysanthemum , or partial tinting to evoke the impression of Japanese woodblock prints in The River Fuefuki . In A Japanese Tragedy , he interspersed newsreel footage, and drew upon kabuki stage effects in The Ballad of Narayama . The Snow Flurry told its story in a fragmented, nonlinear manner, preceding the New Wave . In 1946 Masaki Kobayashi became Kinoshita's assistant and later formed with him, Akira Kurosawa, and Kon Ichikawa

212-425: A certain span of time. Also, his films often concentrated on the sufferings of children in oppressive circumstances, and showed a general sympathy with the socially marginalised. Working less on an analytical but an intuitive level, Kinoshita's films showed, according to Alexander Jacoby, an occasional simplicity and naivety, yet in the cases of Twenty-Four Eyes and You Were Like a Wild Chrysanthemum , they were among

265-455: A directors group called Shiki no kai ( The Four Horsemen Club ). The goal was to produce films for a younger audience, but only one project was realised, Kurosawa's Dodes'ka-den (1970). Director Tadashi Imai was an outspoken admirer of Kinoshita's work, and Nagisa Ōshima named The Garden of Women as the film which led to his decision to become a filmmaker himself in his 1995 documentary 100 Years of Japanese Cinema . Kinoshita received

318-426: A family commemorates the first Obon holidays after the death of a loved one, they may request that a dainenbutsu (Buddhist chanting ritual) be performed outside their house. This is one of the local performing arts of the region. The group always forms a procession in front of the house led by a person carrying a lantern and marches to the sound of flutes , Japanese drums and cymbals . Hamamatsu Kite Festival

371-523: A non-profit organization have established Japanese-language classes and native language classes for foreign children. Long ago, Mount Akiha was believed to have supernatural powers to prevent fires. Bow and arrow, sword, and fire dances are performed at the Akiha Shrine. At the Akiha Temple, a firewalking ceremony is performed where both believers and spectators celebrate the festival. When

424-609: A novel by Sachio Itō . 73-year-old Masao is taking a river boat to pay his remote home village a visit. On his way, he reminiscences in flashbacks his youth during the Meiji era and his first great love Tamiko. Tamiko works in the household of cousin Masao's parents. The families and the villagers are suspicious of the close, yet innocent relationship between the teenagers. While some people mock their spending time together, Tamiko's sister-in-law acts openly hostile. The contact between

477-566: A significant non-Japanese population. The population of Nikkei foreigners, especially Brazilians, increased after a 1990 change in Japanese immigration law allowed them to work in Japan. At one point, Hamamatsu had the largest Brazilian Nikkei population of any Japanese city. Many foreigners work in the manufacturing sector, taking temporary jobs in Honda , Suzuki , and Yamaha plants. As of 2008

530-419: A steady group of co-workers around him: Takamine, Kinuyo Tanaka , Yoshiko Kuga , Keiji Sada and Yūko Mochizuki had repeated starring or bigger supporting roles, while his brother Chuji (also credited Tadashi) scored, and cinematographer Hiroshi Kusuda photographed many of his films. His sister Yoshiko Kusuda, wife of Hiroshi Kusuda, wrote the screenplay for Farewell to Dream (1956). The mid-1950s marked

583-609: A succession of daimyō rulers as a castle town , and as a post town on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto . After the Meiji Restoration , Hamamatsu became a short-lived prefecture from 1871 to 1876, after which it was united with Shizuoka Prefecture. Hamamatsu Station opened on the Tōkaidō Main Line in 1889. The same year, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, Hamamatsu became

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636-407: A telegram by his mother, asking him to come home quickly. Upon returning, he learns of Tamiko's unhappy marriage, divorce, and recent death due to an illness. The family, grieving the loss, tells Masao that the dead Tamiko held a letter from him in her hand, pressed against her heart. Again in the present, the old Masao has reached his destination and visits Tamiko's grave, contemplating her fate with

689-627: A town. Hamamatsu is 260 kilometres (160 mi) southwest of Tokyo . Hamamatsu consists of a flat plain and the Mikatahara Plateau in the south, and a mountainous area in the north. It is roughly bordered by Lake Hamana to the west, the Tenryū River to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The climate in southern Hamamatsu has a humid subtropical climate with cool to mild winters with little snowfall; however, it

742-493: A troubled mother-daughter-relationship over a span of 4 decades, as the director's last notable works. Alexander Jacoby also found the 1960 satire Spring Dreams noteworthy, which he called "quirkily enjoyable". Like directors of the previous generation as Ozu and Naruse, Kinoshita stayed loyal to one film studio (Shochiku) before turning to television, and often worked for Shochiku even in later years, while other directors of his generation as Yoshimura and Kaneto Shindō , and even

795-510: A university education, however, Kinoshita was not allowed to work as an assistant director and had to start as a photographer; he applied to the Oriental Photography School and graduated before he was finally admitted into Shochiku. There, he first worked in the film processing laboratory, then as a camera assistant, before he became assistant director for Yasujirō Shimazu and later Kōzaburō Yoshimura . In 1940, Kinoshita

848-461: Is also called Hamamatsu Festival. Hamamatsu Kite Festival held from May 3 to May 5 each year, includes a Tako Gassen , or kite fight, and luxuriously decorated palace-like floats. The festival originated about 430 years ago, when the lord of Hamamatsu Castle celebrated the birth of his first son by flying kites. In the Meiji Era, the celebration of the birth of a first son by flying Hatsu Dako , or

901-658: Is common for Brazilian children attending Japanese schools to switch to a Brazilian school and vice versa. By 2010, many Brazilian parents had lost their jobs due to an economic decline, and many were unable to afford the Brazilian school monthly tuitions of ¥30,000 to ¥40,000. As of 2010, about 50% of Brazilians of high school age in Hamamatsu do not attend high school . The inability to afford high school and difficulty with Japanese resulted in lower high school attendance rates. Hamamatsu NPO Network Center has made efforts to increase school attendance. In Hamamatsu volunteers and

954-471: Is windy in winter because of the dry monsoon called Enshū no Karakaze , which is unique to the region. The climate in northern Hamamatsu is much harsher because of foehn winds . Summer is hot with the highest temperature often exceeds 35 degrees in the Tenryu-ku area, while it snows in winter. Per Japanese census data, the population of Hamamatsu has been increasing over the past 70 years. Hamamatsu has

1007-725: The Jōmon period and Kofun period having been discovered within the present city limits, including the Shijimizuka site shell mound and the Akamonue Kofun ancient tomb. In the Nara period , it became the capital of Tōtōmi Province . During the Sengoku period , Hamamatsu Castle was the home of future shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu . Hamamatsu flourished during the Edo period under

1060-555: The National Defense Academy of Japan wrote that the municipal and prefectural schools in Hamamatsu "follow traditional views of education and enforce rigid school rules" despite the reputation of open-mindedness in the residents of Hamamatsu, causing some foreigners to send their non-Japanese children to foreign private schools. As of 2008, many Brazilian parents have difficulty in deciding whether to send their children to Japanese schools or Brazilian schools, and it

1113-698: The Order of the Rising Sun in 1984 and was awarded the Order of Culture and Person of Cultural Merit in 1991 by the Japanese government. In 1999, he received the Blue Ribbon Special Award and the Mainichi Film Concours Special Award for his life achievement. His birth town Hamamatsu established the "Keisuke Kinoshita Memorial Museum" to commemorate him. A retrospective on Kinoshita with 15 of his films

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1166-473: The Toda River . In the Edo period , princesses enjoyed traveling this road which came to be known as a hime kaidō ( princess road ). The Hamamatsu Samba Festival is held in the city. In Ryusui Garden there is a stream with seven small waterfalls and about 80 weeping ume trees pruned to give the appearance of dragons riding on clouds to the heavens. There are also 200 young trees planted along

1219-501: The Shizuoka Prefectural Assembly. Hamamatsu is administratively divided into three wards : On 1 January 2024, the number of wards will be reduced from seven to three as part of a municipal reorganization. Naka-ku , Higashi-ku , Nishi-ku , Minami-ku and Kita-ku will be merged into a new Chūō-ku , Hamakita-ku and Kita-ku will become Hamana-ku , while Tenryu-ku will remain unchanged. The reorganization

1272-434: The aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2008, with the Hamamatsu city government offering aid for some foreign nationals to return to their home countries. The foreign population was estimated as 25,084 as of August 1, 2019, per official city statistics. Hamamatsu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 46 members. The city contributes 15 members to

1325-678: The best young pianists from all over the world. It has been held triennially since 1991 at the Act City Concert Hall and Main Hall. This event takes place in Man'yō-no-Mori Park to commemorate the Man'yō period and introduce its culture. As part of the festival, people reenact the ancient past by wearing traditional clothes from the Heian period and presenting Japanese poetry readings. One of

1378-529: The city had an estimated population of 780,128 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, with a population density of 500/km (1,300/sq mi) over the total urban area of 1,558.06 km (601.57 sq mi). Hamamatsu is a member of the World Health Organization 's Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC). The area now comprising Hamamatsu has been settled since prehistoric times, with numerous remains from

1431-651: The city, is the second closest. Senior high schools operated by Shizuoka Prefecture: There is one senior high school operated by the city government: Hamamatsu Municipal Senior High School Elementary and junior high schools are operated by the city government. As of 2008 , the city had 117 public elementary schools and 52 public junior high schools. The city has the following Brazilian international schools : It has one combined Peruvian school ( ペルー学校 ) and Brazilian primary school, Mundo de Alegría . The city formerly hosted other Brazilian schools, Colégio Pitágoras Brasil and Escola Cantinho Feliz. As of May 1, 2009,

1484-528: The downtown streets. This festival is held in honor of Ryujin, the god believed to be associated with the Tenryū River , and features a wide variety of events such as the Hamakita takoage (kite flying) event and the Hiryu himatsuri (flying dragon fire festival) which celebrates water, sound, and flame. This festival celebrates Hamamatsu's history as a city of musical instruments and music, and brings dozens of

1537-553: The emotional intensity depicted between its male characters. Kinoshita died on December 30, 1998, of a stroke. His grave is in Engaku-ji in Kamakura , very near to that of his fellow Shochiku director, Yasujirō Ozu. Although not limited to a certain genre, the two main veins of Kinoshita's work were comedy and melodrama. A major theme was the depiction of national history in personal terms, chronicling families or communities over

1590-441: The end of that year. Like many Japanese filmmakers in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Kinoshita directed a film which on the surface endorsed the expansionist policy of the militarist regime , Army (1944). Yet, the famous final scene showed a mother grieving her son's departure for the front instead of cheering him. Although it passed the censors, Kinoshita met with harsh criticism and was not allowed to direct another film until

1643-563: The end of the Second World War . He later argued, "I can’t lie to myself in my dramas. I couldn’t direct something that was like shaking hands and saying, 'Come die.'" He returned to his hometown Hamamatsu, where he waited for the war to end. His first post war film was Morning for the Osone Family (1946) about a family torn apart by war and conflicts between its liberal-minded and pro-militarist members. The final scene, with

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1696-599: The fact that he "can’t help it. Ideas for films have always just popped into my head like scraps of paper into a wastebasket." Some of his scripts were realised by other directors, including the acknowledged directorial debut of actress Kinuyo Tanaka, Love Letter (1953). Kinoshita was also an avid stylist who experimented with cinematic form in his films. He used expressionist camera angles in Carmen's Innocent Love , daguerreotype -like framing of images in She Was Like

1749-425: The few puppet festivals held in Japan, featuring 60 performances of about 30 plays by puppet masters from all over the country. The shows provide a full day of enjoyment for both children and adults. This reenactment of a procession made by the princess in her palanquin along with her entourage of over 100 people including maids, samurai , and servants makes for a splendid scene beneath the cherry blossoms along

1802-404: The film as "one of the most nostalgically beautiful" of the director's works. In Klinowski's and Garbicz's Feature Cinema in the 20th Century , it is described as "one of the most sincere and purest films of its type in Japanese cinema," noting that it marks a return to "pastoral lyricism" for Kinoshota after focusing his films on social issues for the previous few years. Hiroshi Kusuda received

1855-429: The first kite, became popular, and this tradition has survived in the form of Hamamatsu Kite Festival. During the nights of Hamamatsu Kite Festival, people parade downtown carrying over 70 yatai , or palace-lake floats, that are beautifully decorated while playing Japanese traditional festival music. The festival reaches its peak when groups representing the city's various districts compete by energetically marching through

1908-404: The following Rochester is the only official sister city): Hamamatsu is twinned with: You Were Like a Wild Chrysanthemum She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum ( 野菊の如き君なりき , Nogiku no gotoki kimi nariki ) , also known as You Were Like a Wild Chrysanthemum or My First Love Affair , is a 1955 Japanese drama film written and directed by Keisuke Kinoshita . It is based on

1961-499: The latter came to his store for local products. Bando later helped him run away to Kyoto where most period films were made, but his grandfather came and took him back home the next day. His determination to become a filmmaker finally moved his parents into letting him pursue his career. His mother secured him an introduction to the Shochiku Kamata studios, where Ozu, Mikio Naruse , and other famous directors worked. Without

2014-660: The most purely moving of Japanese cinema. Donald Richie also pointed out the satire and comedy of character in Kinoshita's comedy films, and an emotional earnestness which exceeded sentimentality in his serious films. Sometimes critical of his later work, Richie detected an increasing traditionalism in films like The Ballad of Narayama , The River Fuefuki and Scent of Incense . Although he often adapted literary works from writers like Tōson Shimazaki , Kunio Kishida and Isoko Hatano , many of his screenplays were based on his original idea. Kinoshita explained his prolific output with

2067-487: The mountainside. The Hamamatsu Arena was one of the host arenas of the 2006 FIBA World Championship . Hamamatsu 3x3 FIBA: Placed Second at FIBA World Tour Final in ABU Dhabi in 2016. (Bikramjit Gill, Inderbir Gill, Chiro Kheda) Hamamatsu was one of the host cities of the official 2010 Women's Volleyball World Championship . Hamamatsu has ratified Music Culture Exchange Treaty with the following cities (however, of

2120-407: The municipal elementary and junior high schools had 1,638 non-Japanese students. As of 2008 , there were 932 Brazilians enrolled in Hamamatsu's municipal elementary and junior high schools: 646 Brazilians were enrolled in 61 public elementary schools, and 286 Brazilians were enrolled in 38 public junior high schools. Within public schools Brazilian students have the same academic programs and take

2173-508: The number of non-Japanese in Hamamatsu was 33,332, and by 2010 the number exceeded 30,000. The city has a lot of Portuguese signage. It includes a Brazilian school, and many businesses catering to Brazilians display Brazilian flags. However, Natsuko Fukue of The Japan Times wrote in 2010 that many foreign children have difficulty integrating to society in Hamamatsu because "Japanese and foreign communities live largely separate from one another." The foreign population dropped significantly in

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2226-497: The older Heinosuke Gosho , had started working independently for different studios by the early 1950s. Although few concrete details have emerged about Kinoshita's personal life, his homosexuality was widely known in the film world. Screenwriter and frequent collaborator Yoshio Shirasaka recalls the "brilliant scene" Kinoshita made with the handsome, well-dressed assistant directors he surrounded himself with. His 1959 film Farewell to Spring has been called "Japan's first gay film" for

2279-431: The release of two of Kinoshita's most acclaimed films, Twenty-Four Eyes (1954), a portrait of a school teacher who sees the dreams of her young pupils fall apart due to economical constraints and the war, and You Were Like a Wild Chrysanthemum (1955), a Meiji era period drama about the unfulfilled love between two teenagers. Also highly popular was the lighthouse keeper drama Times of Joy and Sorrow (1957), which

2332-603: The remaining family greeting the rising sun, was demanded by the American censorship board against Kinoshita's objections. In the following years, he worked in a variety of genres, including comedy, period and contemporary drama, ghost story, and thriller. Highly successful was the romantic comedy Here’s to the Young Lady (1949) starring Setsuko Hara . In 1951, Kinoshita travelled to France to meet his idol, French director René Clair . As Kinoshita stated, another reason for

2385-471: The same classes as Japanese nationals. Special teachers and assistants work with foreign students at municipal elementary and junior high schools with significant numbers of non-Japanese enrolled. In particular the schools use their part-time interpreters to assist Brazilian students. The interpreters are not formal teachers, yet Tsutsumi Angela Aparecida of Hamamatsu's Burajiru Fureai Kai wrote that "[t]heir assistance has become very useful". Toshiko Sugino of

2438-432: The travel was to see his home country from a different perspective. The same year saw the release of the musical comedy Carmen Comes Home , Japan's first colour feature. Due to technical and financial reasons, a black-and-white version was also filmed and released. Carmen Comes Home was the first collaboration of Kinoshita with actress Hideko Takamine , who appeared in many of his later films. Early on, Kinoshita gathered

2491-447: The two is more and more inhibited, and after Masao is sent away to a higher school in another town, Tamiko is pressured into an unwanted marriage. Tamiko first resists, but when Masao's mother declares that she will under no circumstances allow her to marry her son, she finally gives in. Omasu, the housemaid, meets Masao and gives him the news, at the same time reminding him that Tamiko will always love him. A few months later, Masao receives

2544-428: The words, "late autumn and the fields are lonesome, only crickets sing by her grave". The flashback sequences were framed with an oval-shaped mask typically associated with silent films . According to film historian Alexander Jacoby, this masking gives the film "an appropriately nostalgic tone." Film historian Donald Richie describes this device as representing "Meiji daguerrotypes ." Jacoby rated She Was Like

2597-494: Was US$ 41,470. There are no civilian airports in Hamamatsu. Shizuoka Airport ( 34°47′46″N 138°11′22″E  /  34.796111°N 138.189444°E  / 34.796111; 138.189444 ) is the closest, located 43 kilometres (27 mi) from Hamamatsu Station, between Makinohara and Shimada . Chūbu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture , located about 87 kilometres (54 mi) west of

2650-499: Was drafted into the Sino-Japanese War and went to China, but returned the following year due to an injury. Kinoshita re-entered Shochiku and was promoted to director in 1943. Adapting a popular play by Kazuo Kikuta, he made the comedy The Blossoming Port with a large cast and budget. The same year saw the emergence of another new director, Akira Kurosawa, but it was Kinoshita who won the much coveted New Director Award at

2703-650: Was held at the Lincoln Center , New York, in 2012. In 2013, five of Kinoshita's films — Jubilation Street (1944), Woman (1948), Engagement Ring (1950), Farewell to Dream (1956) and A Legend or Was It? (1963) — were screened in the Forum section of the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival . Hamamatsu Hamamatsu ( 浜松市 , Hamamatsu-shi ) is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture , Japan . In September 2023,

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2756-432: Was initially approved by a referendum held on April 7, 2019. Hamamatsu has been famous as an industrial city, especially for musical instruments and motorcycles . It also has been known for fabric industry, but most of those companies and factories went out of business in the 1990s. As of 2010, Greater Hamamatsu, Hamamatsu Metropolitan Employment Area , has a GDP of US$ 54.3 billion. 2014 Hamamatsu's GDP per capita(PPP)

2809-493: Was repeatedly remade in later years, including one version by Kinoshita himself. The Ballad of Narayama (1958), a highly stylised period drama about the legendary ubasute practice, was entered into the 19th Venice International Film Festival , but met with very mixed reactions. By the mid 1960's, Kinoshita had turned solely to television work. Film historian Donald Richie saw the period war drama The River Fuefuki (1960) and The Scent of Incense (1964), which follows

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