Kaguya Hime (1935)

Interesting facts

• Based on: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

Princess Kaguya is a 1935 Japanese musical drama film directed by Yoshitsugu Tanaka, with cinematography and special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by J.O. Studios, it is based on the 10th century Japanese literary tale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. In the film, Princess Kaguya was raised by a couple who spread rumors that she had ascended a mountain in order to deceive suitors and ran away with her son and the princess. The film was considered lost until the British Film Institute found a 35mm cut in May 2015.

Production

Famed special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya worked on the film's effects, which are regarded as a major advancement in Japanese visual effects. They are described as follows: "Tsuburaya used special effects and multiple exposures to make it appear as though the Princess Kaguya was glowing inside of a bamboo shoot as the centuries-old tale states, with projections and more for the moon and sky effects.

Kenzō Masaoka supervised the miniature effects for the film. He would later recall in Kinema Junpo: "We tried to create our own frame-by-frame shots for the oxcarts, which I think was the first time this [technique] was attempted in Japan. We shot about ten plaster figures of oxen in various stages of movement, and then animated them by replacing these static models frame-by-frame.

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