Japan Society

https://japansociety.org/film/shiguehiko-hasumi/ Filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car, Evil Does Not Exist) introduces the importance and legacy of critic and theorist Shiguéhiko Hasumi—a scholar described by Kiyoshi Kurosawa as having “dramatically reshaped the course of Japanese cinema history”, credited with reviving Ozu and nurturing a whole new wave of filmmakers in the post-studio era—in advance of Hasumi’s carte blanche series “Shiguéhiko Hasumi: Another History of the Movie in America and Japan”—running Oct. 9-18, 2025. ------ Visit: https://japansociety.org/events-and-exhibitions/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/japansociety Follow: https://www.instagram.com/japansociety/ Watch: http://www.youtube.com/user/JapanSocietyNYC Join: https://japansociety.org/join-support/become-a-member/ Learn: https://japansociety.org/language-center/

Shiguéhiko Hasumi: Another History of the Movie in America and Japan https://japansociety.org/film/shiguehiko-hasumi/ October 9—18, 2025 Since the 1960s, the revered critic and theorist Shiguéhiko Hasumi has yielded an extraordinary body of work extending far beyond his initial beginnings as a scholar of French literature. Once instrumental in introducing Foucault and Deleuze to Japan, Hasumi has lent his interdisciplinary approach to a wide breadth of cultural and literary criticism, from Soseki to Madame Bovary, revolutionizing the field of film studies during the 1970s with his writings and fabled lectures at Rikkyo, and later, the University of Tokyo. Counted among his former students are master filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa along with other celebrated cineastes of the Rikkyo New Wave, or Second Japanese New Wave, including Shinji Aoyama, Masayuki Suo and Akihiko Shiota; Hasumi’s direct influence spreads further, having maintained rapports with Pedro Costa, Hou Hsien-Hsiao and Jean-Luc Godard as well as the contemporary face of Japanese cinema with auteurs Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Sho Miyake (who will attend the program’s second weekend). The perceived canon of Japanese cinema has long been dominated, not surprisingly, by the voices of Western critics: Bordwell, Schrader, Richie, with little focus made in the sphere of Japanese scholarship, often compounded by the hurdles of language. Hasumi, whose writings constitute a dominant force in Japan, has only just received the first English-language translation of one of his long-form works last year: the landmark 1983 publication Directed by Yasujiro Ozu—considered one of the greatest works ever written on film and noted as having “single-handedly resurrected the status of Ozu”. Distinguished by his unique critical perspective, stylistic prose, and proposition of thematic systems (a focus on gestures such as John Ford’s use of throwing or Ozu’s focus on eating or laughing), the introduction of Hasumi’s texts to English-speaking audiences is not merely welcomed, but inarguably crucial and vital. On occasion, Japan Society has invited influential public figures to present curated programs, these include critic and essayist Susan Sontag, Donald Richie, Hiroshi Sugimoto and avant-garde composer John Zorn among others. Offered a carte blanche, Hasumi has proposed Another History of the Movie in America and Japan, which suggests the line drawn between the two world cinemas is much less realized than one could imagine. Guest-curated by Shiguéhiko Hasumi ------ Visit: https://japansociety.org/events-and-exhibitions/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/japansociety Follow: https://www.instagram.com/japansociety/ Watch: http://www.youtube.com/user/JapanSocietyNYC Join: https://japansociety.org/join-support/become-a-member/ Learn: https://japansociety.org/language-center/

Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) is a centuries-old art form and Zen practice evoking harmony, beauty and balance. During our Shodo for Beginners workshop last month, students practiced using a brush and learned how to write the kanji character for “summer” (夏), with everyone completing a piece to take home! Join us online or in-person at Japan Society’s Language Center—classes are open to all levels, with options for beginners and those with experience. #Shodo #JapaneseCalligraphy #LearnShodo ------ Visit: https://japansociety.org/events-and-exhibitions/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/japansociety Follow: https://www.instagram.com/japansociety/ Watch: http://www.youtube.com/user/JapanSocietyNYC Join: https://japansociety.org/join-support/become-a-member/ Learn: https://japansociety.org/language-center/

Did you know Japan Society’s Language Center was named one of the Best Language Classes in New York by NY Magazine We offer 13 levels of Japanese year-round, both online and in person—and with exhibitions, film screenings and other cultural events happening throughout the building, there’s always more to explore beyond the classroom. 📝 Registration is now open for our Late Summer (5-week) and Fall (10-week) Japanese courses! Learn more & register: https://japansociety.org/language-center/japanese-language/ ------ Visit: https://japansociety.org/events-and-exhibitions/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/japansociety Follow: https://www.instagram.com/japansociety/ Watch: http://www.youtube.com/user/JapanSocietyNYC Join: https://japansociety.org/join-support/become-a-member/ Learn: https://japansociety.org/language-center/

JAPAN CUTS 2025 Powered by GU - trailer July 10-20, 2025 https://japansociety.org/film/japancuts/ North America’s largest festival of contemporary Japanese film returns for its 18th year this summer at Japan Society! Join us July 10-20 for 30 curated films from across Japan featuring major award-winners, indie darlings, up-and-coming filmmakers, restorations, documentaries, experimental and short films and anime. JAPAN CUTS Powered by GU is a showcase of the latest in Japanese cinema, featuring both today’s most popular actors and directors as well as tomorrow’s pioneering talent. Become part of our passionate filmgoer community for premieres, parties and celebrity guests in the heart of America’s biggest city! Leading this year’s highlights: JAPAN CUTS Powered by GU will present legendary director Kiyoshi Kurosawa with the CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film, host the premieres of his new film Cloud and recent remake of Serpent’s Path, as well as showcase revivals of License to Live and a new 4K restoration of the original Serpent’s Path. Screenings with Receptions: $26 Nonmembers/ $18 Members / $23 seniors & students Screenings with Q&As: $24 Nonmembers/ $17 Member / $22 seniors & students All Other Screenings: $20 Nonmembers / $14 Members / $18 seniors & students Short Films: $10 Nonmembers / Free for Members / $5 seniors & students All-Access Pass: SOLD OUT ------ Visit: https://japansociety.org/events-and-exhibitions/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/japansociety Follow: https://www.instagram.com/japansociety/ Watch: http://www.youtube.com/user/JapanSocietyNYC Join: https://japansociety.org/join-support/become-a-member/ Learn: https://japansociety.org/language-center/

Mikio Naruse: The World Betrays Us | Japan Society x Metrograph - Series Trailer Part 1 at Japan Society - May 9 - 31, 2025 https://japansociety.org/film/mikio-naruse-the-world-betrays-us/ Part 2 at Metrograph - June 5 - 29, 2025 https://metrograph.com/category/mikio-naruse/ Often cited as the “fourth great master” of Japanese cinema, Mikio Naruse (1905-1969) crafted an austere world across his four-decade career, excavating the lives of women and the milieu of Japan’s working class, accentuated by his profound sense of despair. Once dismissed by critics as a “poor man’s Ozu”, the prolific studio craftsman would share some close thematic sensibilities with his contemporary early on, but his bleak realities and subtle style, informed by his own impoverished upbringing, would elucidate his pessimist beliefs. A longtime director for Toho, where his notoriously taciturn persona would earn the nickname “Yaruse Nakio” or Mr. Disconsolate, Naruse became a renowned master of the shoshimin eiga (common people’s drama) and was lauded as one of the great directors of women. The currents of Naruse’s cinema course through the constraints and deceptions of contemporary society, displaying the deep sorrows and failures found in life. Perhaps no more brilliantly exemplified than through his extensive collaborations with actress Hideko Takamine and kinship with the writings of Fumiko Hayashi, Naruse’s heroines reflect the personal histories of common women—mothers, daughters, wives—in Japan’s developing modernity, bringing an earth-shattering humanity to their troubles; one encircled by marital discord, deceitful men, economic disparity and a ruthlessly gendered society. Japan Society first presented a retrospective of Naruse’s work in 1973—then noted as the “first film series ever devoted exclusively to the work of Naruse”—and again in 1984 with the Museum of Modern Art. Today, in concert with Metrograph and The Japan Foundation, New York, we are proud to once again commemorate this golden age master on the 120th anniversary of his birth with his first New York retrospective in 20 years. Co-organized with Metrograph and The Japan Foundation, New York. ------ Visit: https://japansociety.org/events-and-exhibitions/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/japansociety Follow: https://www.instagram.com/japansociety/ Watch: http://www.youtube.com/user/JapanSocietyNYC Join: https://japansociety.org/join-support/become-a-member/ Learn: https://japansociety.org/language-center/