Beautiful Japan
odd: label: Local Number
content: HSFA 1982.3.1
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Morris, Roland S. (Roland Sletor), 1874-1945
setName: label: See more items in
content: Roland S. Morris films of Japan
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 5 Film reels (1 hour 40 minutes, black-and-white silent; 3600 feet, 16mm)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1917-1918
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Human Studies Film Archives
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Film reels
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Edited film, shot under the auspices of the Imperial Japanese Railways, represents various aspects of Japanese life as it existed around the turn of the century. Depicted are a wide variety of subjects including scenes of daily life in Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokahama, Hakodate, Kobe, Nagasaki, and other cities. Points of ethnographic interest include market and street scenes, the caves and tombs of the Ainu at Matsushima, the Bear Festival of the Hokkaido Ainu, cormorant fisherman on the Nagara River, a hiwatari-shiki (firewalking) ceremony performed by Shinto priests, the festival of the water goddess Benten, and a temple procession in Hakodate. Other scenes of interest include: a sumo wrestling tournament, school ceremonies and athletic competitions, Yokahama shipyards, cement factories and steel mills at Moji, pottery making, working of rice terraces, pearl industry in Omura, harvesting tea in Shidzuoka, the health resort at Unzen, cherry blossom festival, the coaling of a United States ship by Japanese laborers, and rail travel through the "Japanese alps."

Legacy Keywords: language and culture ; Ritual bear festival Ainu Japan ; Markets vendors Japan ; Shrines Kasuga shrine Nara Japan ; Tea harvesting of Japan ; Palaces defenses moats Tokyo ; Food preparation noodle making Tokyo ; Music ; Statuary religious Buddha Nara ; Ceremony fire walking hinatari-shiki Japan ; Priests shinto fire walking Japan ; Pottery manufacture of Japan ; Fishing use of comorants Nagara River Japan ; Ethnic groups Ainu Shiraoi Japan ; Tattooing ; Sports wrestling sumo Tokyo ; Diving pearls Omura Japan ; Agriculture rice tea Japan ; Japan ; Tokoyo (Japan) ; Kyoto (Japan) ; Yokahama (Japan) ; Nara (Japan) ; Hakodate (Japan) ; Kamiiso (Japan) ; Shidzuoka (Japan) ; Nagasaki (Japan) ; Kōbe-shi (Japan) ; Beppu (Japan) ; Chuzenjii (Japan) ; Asia