Between Presentation and Representation

“Katsudō-Actresses”　in Early Japanese Cinema, or the Prehistory of Film Actresses

Abstract

In the early 1910s, when stage actresses emerged, the so-called “Katsudō-

Actresses” appeared i n the cinema scene. I examine how they differed from

contemporary film actresses and how they were received by audiences back

then. I analyzed the earliest film magazine of Katsudōshashinkai from 1909 to

1912. The activities of Katsudō-Actresses were not limited to acting on screen.

They also performed on stage as actors of chain-dramas, and dancers of side

shows played i n movie theaters. Katsudō-Actresses appealed to the audience

through both presentation and representation. Such uniqueness was sustained

by the circumstance of the early Japanese cinema.