One of the
highlights of Kōji Yamamura’s Retrospective
at Nippon Connection 2014 was the rare opportunity to see his short-short
animation Anthology with Cranes (鶴下絵和歌巻/Tsuru shitae
waka kan, 2011). During our Filmmaker’s
Talk, I learned that Yamamura did not come up with the concept for this
piece. It was commissioned by a
television series in which the producers were looking for artists to make works
inspired by famous pieces of art. Although the initial concept was not his own,
Yamamura told us that he enjoyed the project very much.
The
inspiration for this film is the celebrated early Edo period (17th century)
scroll painting of the same name, Anthology
with Cranes (鶴下絵和歌巻/Tsuru shitae
waka kan). The hand scroll has been
designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan ((重要文化財 / Jūyō Bunkazai) and
can be found in the Kyoto National
Museum. An online scrollable version
of the work with a description can be found on their website Kyohaku.
The scroll
is 34 cm tall and 1,356 cm wide and features fine calligraphy by Honami Kōetsu (本阿弥 光悦, 1558-1637), with decorative paintings Tawaraya Sōtatsu (俵屋 宗達, c. early 17th century, active as a painter
1602-35). The motif of cranes is painted
in silver and gold behind the calligraphy.
The slender forms of these graceful birds are delicately depicted in a
variety of poses from standing to flying.
In our
chat, Yamamura said that it was not always clear in what direction the
birds are moving, so he had to rely upon his own instincts in his interpretation
of this experimental work. Instead of
silver and gold paint he has used watercolour.
The camera mimics the gaze of the reader of the scroll by “tracking”
slowly from right to left (in the direction in which one would read a scroll in
Japanese). While screening the film, I
was reminded of animation director Isao
Takahata’s art book 12th Century
Animation (十二世紀のアニメーション―, 1999), in which suggests that ancient
scrolls are the ancestors of contemporary manga and anime.
Yamamura’s
interpretation of this elegant scroll is beautiful and entrancing. The added touch of the natural sounds of cranes
and lapping water recall the shallow bays where cranes might be found looking
for food. My only criticism was that the
commission called for such a short film, for I could have watched it for many
minutes more.
HD / 2011 /Japan
/ 1’55”/ Colour
Direction, Animation and Painting
Koji Yamamura
Inbetweening
Koji
Yamamura, Ayaka Nakata, Miki Tanaka
Assistant
Sanae
Yamamura
Sound Design
Koji
Kasamatsu
Sound Mix
Kenji Saito
Thanks to
Erika
Hashiguchi, Chiyoda Raft
Production Company
