Hanshinkan modernism
A term for the modern art, culture and way of life that grew up from the late Meiji period to the early Showa period, centered on the "Hanshinkan", the area between Osaka and Kobe, and for the conditions of the age that produced them. The 1920s and 1930s are regarded as its golden age, and its range extends roughly to around 1940 (Showa 15). Against the background of the opening of private railways and the development of suburban residential areas, Osaka's wealthy and others moved in, and a distinctive culture flowered. It was proposed as a concept in regional cultural history through an exhibition held in 1997※1.
Background
Hanshin Electric Railway opened in 1905 and the present Hankyu Railway in 1910, completing the transport network between Osaka and Kobe. In Osaka, pollution accompanying industrialization had become a problem, and the wealthy, seeking a good living environment, moved to the suburbs of the Hanshinkan. The private railway companies developed residential areas, entertainment facilities and sports facilities along their lines as an integrated whole, and Ichizo Kobayashi of Hankyu is the representative figure in this.
The extent of the Hanshinkan is generally taken to center on the cities of Nishinomiya and Ashiya and the eastern part of Kobe, but there is no clear definition and views differ.
Representative culture
- Takarazuka Revue: the Grand Theater opened in 1924, and in 1927 it staged Japan's first revue, Mon Paris
- Koshien Stadium: a large baseball stadium built in 1924
- Mount Rokko: developed as a resort for golf, mountain climbing, skiing and the like
In art, Narashige Koide, Jiro Yoshihara and the photographer Iwata Nakayama, and in literature Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, are closely connected with the region. Among those who lived there at the time were many collectors who gathered masterpieces of art, and museums connected with Hanshinkan modernism include the Nishinomiya City Otani Memorial Art Museum, the Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum, the Kosetsu Museum of Art and the Tekisui Museum of Art.
The name and the exhibition
From October 18 to December 7, 1997, the exhibition "Hanshinkan Modernism" was held at four venues, the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, the Nishinomiya City Otani Memorial Art Museum, the Ashiya City Museum of Art and History, and the Ashiya Municipal Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Memorial Museum, and the concept took hold from this occasion. The catalogue, Hanshinkan Modanizumu: Rokko Sanroku ni Hanahiraita Bunka, Meiji Makki–Showa 15-nen no Kiseki, was published the same year by Tankosha.
To verify
- Examples of architecture representative of Hanshinkan modernism (the Yodoko Guest House is sometimes cited, but information on dates and architects differs between sources)
References
- Mentioned in
- none
- Similar