Stream ‘Momijigari’: Japan’s Most Ancient Film from the Meiji Period More Than a Century Ago

Film has evolved significantly since the initial grainy, black-and-white visuals that graced the screen. Yet, in spite of contemporary innovations such as technicolor, CGI, and HD cameras, an essence persists in the earliest films ever crafted. A paramount illustration is *Momijigari* (1899), acknowledged as the oldest extant Japanese film. Directed by Shibata Tsunekichi, this 3-minute, 50-second piece offers a unique insight into the Meiji period, and is freely accessible on YouTube.

*Momijigari*—which translates to “maple leaf viewing”—captures a kabuki performance featuring the illustrious actors of the time, Onoe Kikugorō V and Ichikawa Danjūrō IX. Kabuki is a classic form of Japanese theater that originated in the early 1600s. It typically merges drama, music, and dance, and is renowned for its highly stylized acts, intricate costumes, and vivid makeup. The film presents a dramatic confrontation between a samurai and a demon posing as a woman. Similar to the works of Shakespeare, every female character in kabuki was performed by male artists, who were believed to portray femininity more authentically.

*Momijigari* is regarded as a vital cultural relic and was nominated as an Important Cultural Property in 2009. It was produced to document the stage performances of Kikugorō V and Danjūrō IX, both of whom died in 1903, the same year the film was publicly screened for the first time.

View *Momijigari* in the video above.

Sources: [Watch Momijigari, Japan’s Oldest Surviving Film (1899)](https://www.openculture.com/2025/08/watch-momijigari-japans-oldest-surviving-film-1899.html); [1899 – 紅葉狩り Momijigari – Shibata Tsunekichi (Nihon Sossen Katsudo Shashinkai)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELJlQ2o6NzQ)

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