This silent, 16mm home movie was shot by American serviceman in Japan during the era of the Occupation (1945-1952). It shows footage of what we believe to be the town of Zushi, which has now grown to be a city-sized beach resort. Zushi is located in the Kanagawa prefecture, straight across the peninsula from Yokohama and Yokosuka and across the bay from Mount Fuji. The film ends with some New Year shots of Kamakura and the Japanese young women dressed for the Coming-of-Age Day.
0:06 – 0:24 People, possibly women-divers carrying their shellfish and sea sponges catch in baskets. Or, they might be carrying coal in the large baskets.
0:42-1:10 People carrying firewood and thin branches for making wicker baskets.
1:12 A girl with an infant in a traditional sling on her back
1:28 Women, one carrying an infant, the other’s rolling a toddler in a small produce chariot.
1:45 Children bringing the reeds home for straw-mat and pillow-making.
2:00 A town or a village street, a couple on a bicycle rides by, a building with a painted calligraphy.
2:08 A man, aided by two women, is dragging a cart full of wood and clothing scrap, probably for paper making.
2:18 Another, similar group with a cart.
2:30 A young woman wearing wooden geta on her feet, carrying two children walks by talking with an elderly woman laden with a heavy basket. She trips over her own leg, but fortunately catches herself.
2:48 A man with a cow-driven cart full of tatami
3:11 A farmer with some pigs in his cart, possibly for sale
3:33 A wagon
pulled by a cow
3:38 Another one, except now it’s dragged along by human muscle power…
4:01 Loading bales of rice onto a horse-driven cart, for threshing, or maybe bales of hay for daub construction.
4:33 Loading more tatami flooring for sale onto a wood-powered gas generator truck, number plate 6.048. (Wood powered trucks were not uncommon in the wartime and post-war era due to a shortage of gasoline).
4:44 A wood-powered gas generator bus, parked by the “Ebara/Ehara/Yemoto Barbershop” .There’s a salon by the name in Zushi city, Kanagawa prefecture
4:59 Motor hearse car from the funeral services company. The sign says “Phone number. 30998 long, something-something Hearse Limited Company”
5:11 Trams
5:24 Train passing by too quickly to read its destination
5.41 Fishing boats in a village, fishing village panorama and shots of its street
6.29 Going fishing
6.53 Longshoreman pulling a barge along the quai
7:00-7:27 Seaside panorama, hills, possibly the snowy summit of Mount Fuji far in the distance.
7:28 More seaside shots, mountains barely visible through the haze and Fuji at 8:01
7:48270-degrees panorama
8:44 Pebble beach, which more or less confirms this to be Zushi city, with a snacks and refreshments with a sign reminding patrons about about bathing before going for a swim. Cliffs and an island in the distance.
9:05 the building bearing a sign “1st Cavalry Brigade Officers Club Beach”, followed by footage of a sand beach elsewhere, and US officers and their wives.
10:12 Two Japanese or maybe – Japanese-American, toddlers on the beach
10:38 Winter footage of a temple grounds, Kamakura.
11:29 Kamakura Daibutsu – the Colossal Buddha
11:31 Three Japanese young women wearing festive winter kimono and with their hair arranged in formal adult wareshinobu-style, possibly maiko, but more probably – because they’ve turned 20 the previous year and the dress is for the lunar Coming-of-Age Day (January 2nd – 14th) when the 20 year olds are recognized as adults
12:11 Family of the US serviceman, probably the person who filmed this movie, sitting at a Christmas or New Year’s holiday table.
The End.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
