The Magic Lantern Show and Its Spectators during Late Nineteenth-Century Japan:

Control of Perception in Lantern Shows for Education and News Report of Sino-Japanese War

抄録

  This article analyzes the magic lantern show and its spectators during late nineteenth-century Japan, through an examination of two types of lantern shows and their different spectators.

  In Japan, magic lanterns (gentô) began to be used as an educational tool during lectures in elementary schools in the late 1880s. During these educational lantern shows (Kyôiku gentô kai), the devices, the lecture's explanation and the instructions were managed in such a way that the students were encouraged to concentrate on the projected images in silence.

  However, during Sino-Japanese War lantern shows (Nisshin sensô gentô kai), which were held between 1894 and 1895, the spectators clapped their hands, shouted banzai, sang military songs, and even played music instruments. In addition, the role of the benshi in the Sino-Japanese War lantern shows was different to that of the lecturer who merely gave instructions using slides and textbooks in the educational lantern shows. Indeed, the benshi's skill in narrating and performing had a direct effect on the spectators' emotions and reaction. Moreover, auditory stimuli such as music, songs, and narration all helped to keep their attention during the shows.

  These two types of lantern shows were completely different in terms of the spectators' reaction. However, they were similar in that they were both organized to produce a homogeneous reaction by managing the spectators' perception.