Abstract
This paper examines how Takahata Isao’s reputation as a filmmaker was established, focusing on the period between Horus: The Prince of the Sun (1968) and Only Yesterday (1991), using Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of “field” and “consecration”. Through detailed analysis of promotion strategies, popular and critical reception of his films, and his appearance in different types of media in the form of essays and interviews, I will discuss how Takahata and his films were “consecrated”, or came to be recognized as something respectable and deserve critical attention. Throughout the analysis the focus will be on the relationship between different “fields” rather than his films. I will contend that the process of his consecration is deeply related to that of the establishment of the field of anime and its fandom in the late 1970s, and its relationship with other fields with greater cultural capital, such as literature and live-action films as well as non-Japanese animations. The association of Takahata and his films with these fields was used by media, stakeholders in film productions including Studio Ghibli and publishing houses Tokuma shoten and Shinchōsha, as well as Takahata himself, to distinguish him and his films from other anime.
Highlights
One year after the death of Takahata Isao (1935–2018),1 a special exhibition was held at TheNational Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, one of the most prestigious venues in Japan for the exhibition of modern art
By mapping the position of a field within another larger field or different fields within a larger field using these two axes over a certain time period, we can see how the nature and position of a given field changed over time, focusing on the relationship between commercial success and acceptance of the field as an area that deserves recognition as “art.” This scheme is useful for examining the process of Takahata’s consecration because it is strongly connected with commercialism as well as power dynamics between/within different fields
Due to lack of space I cannot go into any detail, but the association of Takahata with grassroots activity and local governance started by Yamagawa is very significant in the process of his consecration, especially in relation to the period covered in this article, and this particular talk is another example of the establishment of his position outside the field of anime/film that increased his visibility as a bunkajin
Summary
One year after the death of Takahata Isao (1935–2018), a special exhibition was held at The. The special exhibition held in one of the most prestigious art museums in Japan and the positive view Takahata’s life and works enjoyed there is an example of such consecration Another useful point of Bourdieu’s field is its view of commercial and symbolic/artistic value and the concept of success. By mapping the position of a field within another larger field (e.g., field of anime within that of film in general) or different fields within a larger field (e.g., field of anime and that of literature within the field of Japanese cultural production in general) using these two axes over a certain time period, we can see how the nature and position of a given field changed over time, focusing on the relationship between commercial success and acceptance of the field as an area that deserves recognition as “art.” This scheme is useful for examining the process of Takahata’s (and that of Miyazaki as well as Ghibli’s) consecration because it is strongly connected with commercialism as well as power dynamics between/within different fields. I will contend that as a part of the process of consecration and what Bourdieu calls “position-taking,” namely how one strategically posits oneself within a given field for establishing a stronghold in it, Takahata as well as Ghibli skillfully built their own subfield within the field of anime, helped by, and actively using, media and promotion
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