Murayama Tomoyoshi's Contradictory Film Theory Reveals Japanese Empire's Racial Logics

Japanese avant-garde artist Murayama Tomoyoshi (1901–1977) produced extensive but overlooked film writing during the 1920s and 1930s. His work spanned criticism, theory, screenplays, and directing, yet he maintained an ambivalent stance toward cinema. Murayama believed film could never achieve art's political purpose due to what he considered its inherent limitations: an incorporeal nature and relentless stream of images. Despite this critique, he was repeatedly drawn back to the medium, fascinated by the moving image's vitality compared to static forms like photography. The article, published in ARTMargins Volume 13, Issue 2 (pp. 26-44) on June 1, 2024, analyzes his film essays within the context of his political commitments and aesthetic theories. This examination reveals that the contradictions in Murayama's "problem with film"—his conflicted relationship with the medium—expose his adherence to the racial ideologies of the Japanese empire. The analysis provides a critical perspective on the broader political implications of cinematic embodiment. The article is available through MIT Press with subscription access only, under DOI 10.1162/artm_a_00382.