A funeral so dangerous it had to be shot in secret. 1929 Japan's most wanted cinema.
After his Tokyo farewell ceremony, Yamamoto's ashes were sent to Kyoto on March 9. Many friends and citizens gathered at his home in Uji. On the 15th a worker-farmer funeral was held at the Sanjo YMCA. Prokino's Kyoto Branch shot these five days of activities. The long line of cars is filled with taxis, whose drivers deeply admired Yamamoto. The Watanabe in the title refers to the head of the Communist Party of Japan. Watanabe was returning to Japan from Taiwan when he was stopped by authorities. He committed suicide in their custody. Yamamoto and Watanabe were mourned together.
Direction
Five directors risking prison to capture illegal mourning.
Production
Hidden cameras, secret locations, pure underground courage.
Director
Genjū Sasa
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Prokino (Proletarian Film League of Japan) was banned within months of this film; most members were arrested or went underground.
The YMCA as funeral venue wasn't random—Christian spaces offered rare neutral ground where leftists could legally gather in 1929 Japan.
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