most of the scans i've been uploading to the site so far have been japanese theatrical pamphlets, so i thought i'd talk a bit about what these things are.

japanese theatrical pamphlets are magazine-like booklets that contain information about a film, similar to a programme or a playbill. they have bios on the cast & crew, plot descriptions, behind-the-scenes details, reviews, the occasional essay, and images from the movie. in japan, film production and distribution companies like shochiku and toho make and sell them to accompany the screening of a film, whether that's a brand new domestic release, the japanese debut of a foreign film, or a special screening of an older movie.

theater programs have existed in some form in europe since the 1600s, possibly earlier. they began as simple leaflets and flyers, often hand-written or letterpressed, made to advertise upcoming plays and other events. the earliest versions were sometimes printed in newspapers and lean very text-heavy.

playbill for the theatre royal's production of macbeth from 1853 / source: archive.org

by the mid-1800s, with the advent of lithography and other advances in printing technology, it was easier for theaters to produce posters and brochures with more detailed illustrations. around this same period, theaters in japan were releasing illustrated booklets called ezukushi 『 絵尽し』 in the kansai region and ehon banzuke 『絵本番付』 in edo, or what is now modern-day tokyo.

like modern film pamphlets, these also included information about the performance's actors and descriptions of scenes. the one below was made from a woodblock and stencil technique called kappazuri 『合羽摺』 in 1822 and illustrates two plays from an osaka theater.

playbill for two japanese plays from 1822 / source: the british museum

since the earliest versions of these booklets were produced by the theaters themselves, it was common for them to feature more than one production, as they were essentially catalogs of what they had coming next. this was true for movie theaters as well. by the early 20th century, as cinema took root in japan, theaters were releasing short weekly pamphlets called "movie programs." these were typically free and would sometimes include advertisements for local businesses.

a catalog for the historic subaru-za theater. / image credit

isao chōsa, the owner of jimbocho vintage, identifies rhapsody in blue (1945) as the first film to properly receive the modern theatrical pamphlet treatment in japan—a single booklet, centered on a specific film, for purchase at the theater where it was being shown. that was in 1947, as part of the musical's japanese debut at the marunouchi subaru-za in tokyo. according to minatomachi cinema street, that pamphlet cost about 15 yen at the time.

the marunouchi subaru-za's 1947 rhapsody in blue theatrical pamphlet / image credit

quick aside!

the marunouchi subaru-za was a historic roadshow theater in tokyo's yurakucho district. opened on new year's eve 1946, it was one of the first of its kind in japan. the building's two-story layout could accommodate over 800 people. its early screenings of international films drew thousands of moviegoers and within a few months it had gone fully reservation-only.

people line up to see rhapsody in blue at the subaru-za in 1947/ source: subaru kogyo

because the original theater was built shortly after WW2, its materials were cheap and of poor quality, and it lacked important safety protocols like indoor sprinkler systems and other infrastructure later required by law. on september 6, 1953, a fire broke out in a storeroom during a screening of byron haskin's the war of the worlds. luckily nobody was killed, but the building—basically a giant plywood chimney, according to reports—was completely destroyed.

the billboard for easy rider outside the new subaru-za in 1970 / source: withnews

the theater shut down and was reopened as the yurakucho subaru-za in 1966, on the third floor of the new yurakucho building. smaller and with significantly fewer seats, it was still an incredibly important theater. its screening of dennis hopper's easy rider set its highest attendance record, bringing in over 170,000 people total. subaru kogyo's website has a whole timeline on the history of the theater, from the early days to its closure in 2019, if you want to know more.

before rhapsody in blue, it was rare for theaters to charge for programs, according to film archivist hidenori okada. up until WW2, these movie programs were distributed for free. it wasn't until the wartime paper shortage made the feasibility of free programs difficult that theaters began regularly charging money for them, which ended up having a couple effects over the ensuing years.

pamphlets became longer, more detailed, and could center on a single film, like the one for rhapsody in blue. by the '70s, theatrical pamphlets had evolved from the small, narrow catalogs of the '40s and '50s to the larger and more standardized 20- to 24-page A4-sized publications we mostly see now, though it isn't uncommon for newer pamphlets to be irregularly shaped or have some creative design that diverges from convention. charging for the programs ended up elevating them into a class of object all their own, beyond their original function as pure advertisement and into something of a cultural artifact.

random pamphlets from my collection

japanese theatrical pamphlets are still produced today. some older films have received several pamphlet treatments over the years for different screenings. some films never got a pamphlet at all, but you may be able to find flyers, handbills, or illustrated ticket stubs. there seems to be a thriving subculture dedicated to collecting and preserving the relics of classic hollywood in tokyo, and these pamphlets and mini-posters (also called chirashi) are some of the most commonly traded. several bookstores in the jimbocho area specialize in them, like vintage jimbocho and @wonder—two of my favorite book & magazine stores in tokyo.

it's really a shame we don't have anything like this in the united states. i think it's a cool way to memorialize films, make an event out of special screenings, and make theaters some extra money, especially at a time when theaters are struggling.

where to find japanese theatrical pamphlets outside of japan

if you're looking for a particular pamphlet online, there are a few things you can do to make searching easier. find the japanese title of the film and search for that, plus program booklet 『プログラム冊子』 or pamphlet 『パンフレット』 on google. i've found decent prices on ebay and sites like suruga-ya, though most of my pamphlets were purchased in japan. i'll make a post one day about some of my favorite bookstores in tokyo.

the only places i've been able to track these down in the united states have been at antique book fairs and shops that specialize in japanese imports. two that come to mind are osara commissary in pike place market in seattle (there is a very tiny section in the back with some vintage movie pamphlets and records) and billy galaxy over in portland—which is about as close to a nakano broadway-style thrift store that i've ever seen here in the states.

if you do decide to start collecting pamphlets, the one thing i'd ask as a random nobody on the internet who you don't have to listen to but you should because i'm right: don't be a dick and bulk buy them just to flip them in the states for a profit. last time i was in tokyo, i overheard an australian guy in jimbocho talking about buying a bunch of vintage sumo magazines for 100 yen and selling them at his shop in sydney for $20 bucks each. tourists have been doing the same thing with retro games, which devastates the local collector scene. don't do that.

if you want to learn more about japanese theatrical pamphlets, i'd recommend reading that hotaka sugimoto's interview with isao chōsa and hidenori okada i linked earlier, and also checking out the website for pamphlet uchuda, an organization dedicated to preserving the culture and history of movie pamphlets. the latter has a useful "A to Z" post that lists some of the main publishers (corporate and independent) and links to some places where you can buy them online.

thanks for reading!

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