Japan Studies: Film & Television

A research guide detailing Japan studies resources in English and Japanese.

Find films using UW Libraries Search

Print Resources - Film & TV

Critical handbook of Japanese film directors : from the silent era to the present day
Dorama encyclopedia: a guide to Japanese TV drama since 1953
Historical dictionary of Japanese cinema
Japanese filmography: a complete reference to 209 filmmakers and the over 1250 films released in the United States, 1900 through 1994
日本映画作品辞典. 戦前篇｜Nihon eiga sakuhin jiten. Senzen hen｜Complete dictionary of Japanese movies from 1896 to 1945 August
日本映画作品辞典. 戦後篇｜Nihon eiga sakuhin jiten. Sengo hen｜Complete dictionary of Japanese movies from 1945 August to 1988 December
映画年鑑 Eiga nenkan
現代日本映画人名事典. 女優篇｜Gendai Nihon eiga jinmei jiten. Joyū hen｜Illustrated who's who of modern Japanese cinema actresses
現代日本映画人名事典. 男優篇｜Gendai Nihon eiga jinmei jiten. Dan'yū hen｜Illustrated who's who of modern Japanese cinema actors

Recommended Subject Headings

Find more print resources by searching with the following subject headings..

Actors -- Japan
Japan -- History -- In motion pictures
Japan -- In motion pictures
Motion picture actors and actresses -- Japan
Motion pictures -- Japan
Motion pictures -- Japan -- History
Motion picture industry -- Japan
Motion picture producers and directors -- Japan
Motion pictures -- Production and direction -- Japan
World War, 1939-1945 -- Motion pictures and the war

Free Video Streaming

Kobe Film Archive : Research Project Online excerpts of a number of their rare films, from jidaigeki to color home movies from the 1930s. Click the images or the titiles (in blue letters) to watch the video.
Japanese Animated Film Classics 日本アニメーション映画クラシックス
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This site was established to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japanese animation, which is believed to have first been publicly shown in 1917. 64 videos of early Japanese animation from the National Film Archive of Japan are shown in this site. In the page, Noburo Ofuji Memorial Museum, you can find old documents and production materials from NFAJ's Noburo Ofuji collection and follow the artist's footsteps. Both English and Japanese version of this site is available. Click the right top to change the setting.
Japanese Film Festival Has many recent indie films streaming for free. English, Japanese, and Chinese version of this site is available.
映像でみる明治の日本　Meiji Period Film of Japan This website was set up to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of Japanese cinema. As well as teh oldest existing Japanese film Momijigari (Important Cultural Property), you can stream Japanese films shot in the Meiji era and the surviving 35 mm film frames enlarged in high resolution from some of the lost "oldest Japanese films"
National Film Board of Canada Streams award-winning documentary, animation, and shorts that inlcude about 50 titles related to Japan
NHKアーカイブス NHK Archives Provides 20,000 abridged clips primarily broadcast by NHK since 1920s. Several filters, such as theme, year, etc. works ONLY in Japanese. (Some contents require paid subscription to watch)
沖縄県公文書館 Okinawa Prefectural Archives
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Streams moving images primarily created by the U.S. armed forces during and after W.W.II.
世田谷クロニクル　Setagaya Chronicle Features home movies shot in Setagaya, Tokyo, between 1936 and 1983
松竹チャンネル Shochiku Channel Youtube channel with various contents including the ones about the films distributed by the company Shochiku.
国立劇場 National Theatre, Tokyo Youtube channel with the contents regarding Japanese traditional performance art.

Video Streaming (UW restricted)

Asian Film Online This link opens in a new window
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Interdisciplinary collection of narrative feature films, documentaries and shorts curated by film scholars and critics.
Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
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Educational films and documentaries on a variety of subjects.
Kanopy This link opens in a new window
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Step by step guide for viewing Japanese Films on Kanopy: https://tinyurl.com/kanopyjapanese