Origin of 'Hentai'! The Hunt for the Phantasmic Anime 'Suzumi-Bune'!(Part1)
Source:『映画秘宝』2024年5月号
By Mushizuka Mushizou (虫塚虫蔵)
Two-dimensional ero (ero-anime, ero-manga, eroge, etc.) is popular all around the world. In particular, Japan's ero-anime is known as 'Hentai', and 'Hentai' has been the most searched word for 3 consecutive years on Pornhub, the world's largest porno-site, and as of 2024, Wikipedia's 'Hentai' page has individual articles in 58 languages, not counting the Japanese version, making it akin to a cultural invasion.
Its popularity is supported by what we call 'anime art'. Anime art is an abstraction of a human's external charm, that is to say its healthy and symmetrical beauty, brought to its maximum potential. Its beautiful, simple outline is, with or without eroticism, highly sexual. In that sense, 'Hentai' can be said to be the 'final destination of sexual expression' that's accepted throughout the world. 'Hentai' is like a collective unconscious, surpassing language barriers and penetrating beyond them, the true Cool Japan resulting from humanity's common wisdom, or perhaps it should be spoken of as a symbol of Japan's underground pop culture.
Hence why our country holds the name of 'Hentai Kingdom', but what exactly was the origin of Japan's first ero-anime, so-to-speak, its 'Hentai'?
Those who know, know. It's known by the name 'Suzumi-Bune' (すヾみ舟).
What's the First Domestic Ero-Anime 'Suzumi-Bune'?
Japan's first ero-anime 'Suzumi-Bune' is an illegal porno film, also known as a Blue Film (ブルーフィルム).
It's said an enigmatic animator, who lived in Koishikawa Tokyo, poured his heart and soul into creating this work over a three-year period in a studio he set up in the basement of his home. It was originally planned to be made into two volumes, but when the first volume was completed, it was confiscated by the authorities, but later, prints that were reduced to 16mm circulated the underground mainly before the war (incidentally, Hasegawa Takuya [長谷川卓也], known for his masterpiece 'Itoshi no Blue Film' [いとしのブルーフィルム)], said he watched 'Suzumi-Bune' after the war, but it's uncertain in what form it was screened).
It's said to have been produced around 1932 (Showa 7), but the exact date is uncertain. Some even say it's 1929 (Showa 4), 1930 (Showa 5), or 1937 (Showa 12). In any case, at the time Suzumi-Bune was produced, kissing and hugging were prohibited in movies, and even the slightest ero-depictions were not permitted.
In particular, 'Suzumi-Bune' was considered the 'greatest masterpiece of Blue Film' along with 'Kaze Tachinu' (風立ちぬ) and 'Yuzukko' (柚子っ娘) produced after the war by the film group 'Tosa no Kurosawa' (土佐のクロサワ), but before and during the war, its existence was never spoken about publicly. Its very existence was illegal and its nature as a private work made it difficult to turn into a discourse. The turning point was an article in the 1952 July issue (volume 27) of the monthly sexology magazine 'Ningen Tankyuu' (人間探求) (Daiichi Publishing), which was launched by Takahashi Tetsu (高橋鐵) and others after the war. In this issue, the painter Mouri Yaku (毛利厄九) contributed a review of 'Suzumi-Bune', which became the source of information for later books. It's thanks to this appreciation record this work has not been lost to history and is still talked about to this day.
As there's practically no mention of what shape or form the film Mouri saw was screened, this remains unclear. All that is known is he watched it before 1937, and it was on 16mm film that was in very poor condition. Additionally, the condition of the projection equipment was so poor, it was impossible to determine what school or style the art belonged to, but nevertheless, he says its skeleton was conveyed with a tone that was rare for the Ukiyo-e style after the Meiji period. However, by this point, around 15 years had passed since the creator of Suzumi-Bune left the anime world, and around 20 years had passed since the film was confiscated by the authorities, and Mouri himself said, "Anyways, that was a long time ago", signifying the details were missing from his memory. Whereas, as it happens, it's thanks to the editor of 'Ningen Tankyuu' who asked a special film (Blue Film) company for the synopsis of 'Suzumi-Bune, and managed to write down an appreciation record, he said, "The separated parts came together all at once, and my memory of the whole became very clear".
Shall I go ahead and tentatively write its synopsis?
The story begins on a summer night by the banks of the Sumida River. Fireworks are rising up into the night sky, and small boats are passing by looking for Suzumi (涼; cool air). Meanwhile, the two heroines appear by the shore. One was an Ojou-san-type woman, and the other was an elderly wet nurse. Just then, a young handsome man approaches on a Choki-bune (a small roofless boat with a long, narrow bow).
The wet nurse immediately mediates the relationship between the two, and the young woman, although shy, entrusts her body to the man on the boat. It seemed an Ukiyo-e-ish exaggerated expression was boldly used here, and it was very much a breathtakingly excellent work. In the climax scene, a boatman with a cigarette in his mouth performs comedy relief by falling into the river saying, "I can't bear to watch this", which eases tension to elicit laughter. Shortly after, a light rain begins to drizzle and the man and woman board a Yakata-bune (houseboat) to avoid the rain and resume their act.
Meanwhile, the boatman, who had come out of the river, was feeling dizzy by the river's edge. Then he coincidentally encounters the wet nurse who was waiting for the young woman. The lustful boatman tries to flash his penis at the wet nurse, but she presses the boatman's genitals with her folded umbrella. When his erection subsides, the wet nurse takes advantage of that and hurries to the two lovers. The screen switches to inside the boat again. The wet nurse cuts a hole in the shoji screen to see what the man and woman were doing, but the boatman from earlier also follows her. And the two couples plunge into a love affair. The storm-like climax of female bodies were depicted over and over, again and again, and it was described to be the perfect climax for a finale. The last scene ends with a comb (櫛) rolling around. According to Mouri, the story went something like this. I'm certain I'm not the only one who can visualise the overwhelming sight filling the screen through imagination alone.
Based on the above, Mouri said the following about the value of 'Suzumi-Bune'. "This work is without kin in its generation and without a successor anywhere in the world even to this day. And though it's unknown how many prints remain or where, supposing any have survived, it can be stated it truly deserves the same level of cultural protection as an important work of art...". I believe you, reading this far, can roughly agree.
The Most Mysterious Animator 'Kimura Hakusan'
In the 1952 July issue of the aforementioned 'Ningen Tankyuu', an interview article with someone in the Blue Film business 'Man Who Projects Secret Movies' (秘密映画を映す男) was also included. Towards the end of the interview, the interviewer asks, "What about ero-anime?", and the interviewee answers, "Such works are expensive and not worth it" before quickly adding, "Kimura Hakusan's 'Suzumi-Bune'". According to the interviewee, he said he obtained the 35mm film of 'Suzumi-Bune' from a friend's bookstore, but when he was arrested in another case, the film was confiscated by the police, and the film was taken away to the central government office without ever being screened. During the interview, there was an anecdote he was slapped on the head by the police inspector, who later became Sunamachi's police chief, saying, "Creating so many works that haven't once been released into the world, you're most unlucky!". In fact, there's no evidence other than this testimony to attribute the creator of 'Suzumi-Bune' to 'Kimura Hakusan' (木村白山), but for the time being, I shall proceed with the assumption Kimura is the creator of 'Suzumi-Bune'.
What sort of person is Kimura Hakusan, the progenitor of ero-anime, and how did he create 'Suzumi-Bune'? Unfortunately, there are no comprehensive records regarding Kimura, but when compared to his remaining works and achievements, he's a writer with many mysteries; it's no exaggeration to say he is the 'most mysterious animator'. There are no records of his birth or career, nor any statements or portraits of him, except for his name and works, only fragmentary records remain. It is not even clear how to read his name, and some have even pointed out the possibility it's a shared penname between a 'Kimura' and a 'Hakusan', making it a 'trade name' rather than a personal name.
His works use rather unique styles. He uses a wide variety of painting styles, from manga to gekiga, from shadow art to live-action, and even though his works are deformed, they have a strange freshness that's eye-catching. In addition, among manga-style characters, they coexist with gekiga-style characters and poster-style beauties, creating a nonsense-gag-style. Furthermore, the richly shaded backgrounds give the worlds of his work a profound feeling, it is not hard to imagine 'Suzumi-Bune' was also a very glossy work in both the depiction of its characters and its backgrounds.
Below is a summary of his currently known history:
●Year of Death: Unknown. The reading of his name is 'Hakusan' (ハクサン).
●When he was young, he worked as an artist painting movie theatre signboards and backgrounds for exhibitions.
●He received technical guidance from Hashiguchi Hisashi (橋口壽) (a mysterious figure whose work history, and year of birth and death are unknown) of Kitayama Eiga Seisakujo.
●Made his anime debut in 1924 (Taisho 13) with 'Akagaki Genzou: Tokuri no Wakare' (赤垣源蔵徳利の別れ).
●At Asahi Cinema, he worked with Uchida Tomu (内田吐夢) and Okuda Hidehiko (奥田秀彦) to create some of the earliest shadow art anime in Japan.
●He was also commissioned to create an anime of the yonkoma manga 'Nonkinatousan' (ノンキナトウサン) by Asou Yutaka (麻生豊) and films for the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture (文部省).
●Around 1932 (Showa 7), he was arrested for Japan's first ero-anime, Suzumi-Bune, he self-produced.
●In 1938 (Showa 13), he left the anime world after creating 'Arawashi' (荒鷲) for Satousen Film Productions (佐藤線映画製作所).
●During the war, he worked as an illustrator for picture albums to raise fighting spirit such as 'Koua no Hikari: Seisenbidan' (興亜の光: 聖戦美談) and 'Daitoua Kessen Gashuu' (大東亜決戦画集)
●He's found to be credited as 'Illustrator: Kimura Hakusan' in postwar Magic Lantern (幻燈機) works.
As a side note, much of the materials related to the early days of anime were scattered during the chaotic period before the war, during the war, and the postwar, and has only been passed down in fragments. So, while there's an aspect where these mysteries being many cannot be helped, in recent years, research has progressed and the details are gradually becoming clearer. In 2017, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of domestic animation, the website 'Japanese Animation Film Classics' (日本アニメーション映画クラシックス) was launched under the initiative of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo's Film Centre (currently the National Film Archive). On this site, 64 works from 1917 to 1942 have been digitalised, including the oldest domestic anime film 'Namakura Gakana／Hanawa Hekonai Meitou no Maki' (なまくら刀／塙凹内名刀之巻) (1917), as well as one of Kimura's existing works that can be viewed.
Little progress has been made in understanding Kimura's postwar trail. What is worthy of special mention are the credits where 'Illustrator: Kimura Hakusan' were found in recent years among the Magic Lantern works produced by 'Okuda Shoikai' (奥田商会), a magic lantern maker. Okuda Shoikai (Formerly Acme Shoukai Tokyo Branch Okuda Shoukai) is said to be the place where Hashiguchi Hisashi, Kimura's mentor, changed jobs, so that may be where they're connected. Here, Kimura worked on many 'Acme Slide' series from 1945~1955 (Showa 20~30). Among them, 'Zenkouji Engi Nyoze Hime' (善光寺縁起 如是姫), which was based on a Buddhist setsuwa*, is an extremely gorgeous work that uses 52 frames in all natural colours. Topless beauties are also depicted throughout the work, and you can see Kimura's passion for depicting women throughout his life.
In this way, his many years of investigative research and promotional work have borne fruit, and though the viewing environment for early anime works has improved; nevertheless, many mysteries still remain about Kimura Hakusan. This is pretty much all the information known about Kimura Hakusan.
I'm jumping topics, but I would like to share a few words about 'Creation Theory' (創作論). Creation means creating new works, but I believe the imitation of previous works is essential for this purpose. However, in a period where there aren't any previous works, all the more a period where ero was forbidden, Kimura created ero-anime from zero. This may always be the case for the progenitors of any field, but we cannot show anything but respect for his courage and talent to step beyond the line. Kimura's initial urge of 'wanting to create this kind of thing' gave birth to a legendary work filled with intense passion, and that passion has not waned even after nearly a century has passed. Even though no one can view his work, his legend continues to be passed down to this day, not only because of his insight, but also because of his boldness in challenging an expression of the unknown, this extraordinary passion, reminisce of Henry Darger, attracts people regardless if they agree or disagree. As a result, though he was banished from the anime world and was unable to make a name for himself, surely he took joy as an anonymous creator, distancing himself from a desire for fame, dedicating his life to drawing beauties? That's what I believe.
The Legend and its Aftermath
The aforementioned Mouri Yaku says the following about the splendour of 'Suzumi-Bune'.
"The richness on the screen, filling each frame with so much detail, was astounding enough to dazzle the eye, at least at the time. Well, for him to have completed such a large amount of difficult work on his own, his almost inhuman passion and perseverance alone is a wonder."
"I don't know any of the specifics about the production process, or even the name of the creator himself, other than what I learned from the editor that he was a mangaka who was once widely known among some folks. I have no idea what sort of person he was. However, as for what appears on the screen, his technique in the Ukiyo-e school conveys a level of skill that cannot be considered a simple hobby. I believe it may be a misrepresentation to call him a mangaka."
"When put into the projector, it only takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete, but it rotates at 26 frames per second, making it about 1560 frames per minute. Meaning there was a massive amount of images on the screen, ranging from 15,000 to 20,000. The creator took on this challenge alone, brush in hand. I heard it took him three years to complete the painting. Even if he drew every day, 365 days a year, 1095 days over three years, that would average 10 to 15 paintings per day. 〔……〕 It's astounding passion."
Mouri's review reaches the level of lavish praise. However, this praise did not always work as a plus for 'Suzumi-Bune'. At times, this praise turns into noise, an obstacle for discerning the true value of the work. The fact no one has ever seen it has led to misunderstandings and exaggerations.
For example, the following legends are related to 'Suzumi-Bune':
●Tezuka Osamu's father treasured it.
●Immediately after the war, Walt Disney saw the evidence at the Metropolitan Police Department and lavishly praised the work, asking to purchase it for 10 million yen.
●In 1945, the 35mm version went missing after the occupation army took it and previewed it, but the 16mm version was sold overseas as 'Utamaro Anime' (ウタマロ・アニメ).
●After being brought back to America by the occupation army, it was returned to Japan after peace was made, and it's being preserved by certain people related to it (apparently).
In conclusion, these are all baseless rumours. Even when compared to the contents of this article, such rumours are truly irrelevant, but when literature surveys were done, most of the discourse regarding 'Suzumi-Bune' were based on such hearsay and speculation. At any rate, I doubt we'll ever get a meaningful answer. In fact, so long as we cannot view this work, these legends will continue to live a life of their own, and what's worse, these legends themselves have become almost the main subject. The more I learn about these legends, the more I personally cannot help but remember the words of the former guitarist of 'Gaseneta' (ガセネタ), Hamano Jun (浜野純). He said, "It's easy for the underground to become a legend", and "Even though we're legends, I doubt there's more than 30 people who have actually seen Gaseneta". I feel something similar in the legend of 'Suzumi-Bune' as well. It doesn't matter whether these legends are based on fact or not. This is because uncertainty stimulates people's curiosity and creativity to bring more meaning than truth. Because of this, we'll probably never know the full story of 'Suzumi-Bune'. There's no longer anyone on this earth who has seen 'Suzumi-Bune'.
Our story was supposed to end nicely here, but now that the impossible has actually happened, that's no longer possible. This is because, about seven years ago, the 35mm version of Suzumi-Bune, which was confiscated nearly a century ago, was donated to the Film Centre (Currently: National Film Archive). The great discovery of this century hasn't been officially announced by the National Film Archive, and hasn't been covered by any media, so this short magazine article will be the first to report on it.
Escaping the pressure of the prewar, the great fires during the war, and the chaos of the postwar, why has this phantasmic film appeared now? The questions are endless. However, in any case, the editorial department asked the archives if they could somehow show us 'Suzumi-Bune', which has returned like a ghost in modern times.
But what was waiting was...... (To Be Continued Next Time.)
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