More than one hundred years before the invention of film, during Japan’s Edo period, the Japanese magic lantern spectacle called Utsushi-e blended moving images, light, color, music, storytelling and traditional art into a dynamic entertainment. It represented one of the earliest forms of projection technology and in many respects was a forerunner of modern filmmaking.

The Dutch brought optical technology and the Western magic lantern to Japan in the 17th century. Historians believe that what later became the Utsushi-e tradition was created in Tokyo in the early 19th century by Kameya Toraku. In contrast to traditional Western magic lantern shows, which used single-lantern front projection, Japanese magic lantern shows relied on a combination of fixed and hand-held rear-projection techniques, drawing on some elements of European phantasmagoria and incorporating the traditions of Asian shadow shows and puppet theater.

Utsushi-e used six or more magic lanterns positioned behind a long semi-transparent paper screen. The lanterns and slides were constructed of balsa wood, making them lightweight and easy to manipulate; in some cases slides with moving parts were also used. Utsushi-e performers developed elaborate projection techniques whose effects might be described in filmmaking terms as cuts, fades, dissolves, double exposures and zooms.

A typical Utsushi-e performance consisted of a company of eight members that included magic lantern operators, musicians and a storyteller. Performances interpreted popular stories of that time, including titles from Edo-era entertainments such as Kabuki, Bunraku, Rakugo and Sekkyobushi. Improvisation was an important element of Utsushi-e, and performers often adjusted their presentations according to the reactions of their audience.

Led by Minwa-za of Tokyo director Fumio Yamagata, this special Academy performance will re-create the uniquely Japanese art form of Utsushi-e in the original theatrical manner, using reproductions of lanterns and slides of the Edo era. The evening will also include a technical presentation on the inner workings of this traditional rear-projection technology as well as a demonstration of the skills required for a performance.