Kawasaki Mitsubishi Strike (1921)

In the summer of 1921 (Taisho 10), a major labour dispute broke out at the Kawasaki-Mitsubishi shipyard in Kobe. The Kawasaki-Mitsubishi dispute is said to be the largest labour dispute in the pre-war period, with an unprecedented scale of 30,000 participants. The dispute, which had been fiercely fought for more than 40 days under the scorching sun, ended with the declaration of defeat by the workers. This live-action film, only nine minutes long and silent, provides a glimpse into the grand demonstration on July 10th, when the dispute was at its peak. Filming was done by the Nikkatsu film crew at the request of the Ohara Institute for Social Research.