Masked swordsmen from the 1920s

This 1926 promotional flyer from the Nishiki-za movie theater in Kobe, Japan features some sweet hooded misadventure!

From the text, this Nikkatsu production was called Teru Hi Kumoru Hi: Zenpen, (roughly Sunny Day, Cloudy Day: Chapter 1) based on a novel by Kurama Tengu originator Jiro Osaragi. Don’t know a thing about this film, other than an obvious visual kinship to Tengu, Kurozukin and ilk.

A photograph from the same film. I love how defined and expressive the silent-era heavy eye make-up looks with the hood.

The magenta/rose ink and 85-plus years aging of what was already cheap thin stock makes this piece a bit frustrating to make out. Converting the images to B&W helped a bit though.

From the flyer text, here’s the rundown on this film:

Director: Hisayasu Takahashi, Camera: Ihaya Eiichi
Cast:
Goro Kawabe as Haku’unsai (Fortune teller)
Denjiro Okochi as Kano Hachiro
Haruko Sawamura as Shiramine Ogin (Woman thief)
Umeko Sakuragi as Iwamura Otae
Yayoi Kawakami as Tsuruya Orin (Geisha girl)
Yuzuru Kume as Hosoki Toshio
Rizaemon Arashi as Iwami Kido
Sennosuke Nakamura as Mshira no Genji
Kakumatsuro Arashi as Hosoki Shinnojo
Setsuo Satsuki as Musashiya Rokubei

______________________________________

Many thanks to Aizu Shingo.

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