Past Exhibitions

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Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon was released in theaters on August 26, 1950. Although the film was not a major box-office hit in Japan, the artistic ambitions that Kurosawa displayed through it attracted considerable attention. As a result, Rashomon earned worldwide acclaim that led to its receiving the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion in September 1951 and the Academy Awards’ Honorary Award in March 1952. The film put the high standards of Kurosawa’s work and, by extension, Japanese cinema as a whole on the international map and became a symbol of the nation’s post-war reconstruction.Rashomon was the product of not only Kurosawa’s extraordinary direction but also a supporting staff that brought revolutionary approaches to conventional Japanese filmmaking. Shinobu Hashimoto’s masterful screenplay, in which the characters’ contradictory accounts mask the truth. Kazuo Miyagawa’s innovative cinematography, distinguished by his use of locations and a camera deliberately pointed at the sun. The outstanding work of Takashi Matsuyama and his staff in building the gigantic Rashomon gate on an open set. And the music of Fumio Hayasaka, who boldly wove a bolero melody into a tale set in medieval Japan. The result is an ensemble of professional talents that makes Rashomon the masterpiece that it is.Featuring never-before-displayed items as well as digital exhibits, “Rashomon at the 70th Anniversary”  will present a true picture of what Rashomon’s distinguished production staff accomplished. It will also give attention to the renowned actors who created the film’s distinct characters: Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, and Takashi Shimura. In addition, the exhibition will display contemporary materials from Rashomon’s award-winning screening at Venice and consider the film’s impact on the world.We invite you to enjoy “Rashomon at the 70th Anniversary”  together with an associated program, “Toshiro Mifune Retrospective at His Centenary ,” which will include showings of Rashomon.