Modern Zen Terror Presents: Japanese Horror Movies 1954-1964

As an important branch of type of art, horror art has a long history no matter in western or in eastern world. While in traditional words, horror art has been at the edge of the position,and is often thought as full of "the object of curious dent disorderly total being" nonsense. However, if making a detailed anatomy to the horror art, it is not hard to find horror art more than intimidation and fear. Human’s passion for monster created from the western vampire, werewolf to female ghost or fox demon which is full of oriental colour, and this imaginative creation about external other, always as the classic theme of the horror art. Human define themselves by monster, consequently, a monster appeared as a mirror of ourself. Indeed, culture can be interpretation through its representation on monsters, I’m afraid that what is the most important meaning of terror art.50s to60s of the last century, a lot of horror movies appeared over the world film industry, horror movies enter an unprecedented golden time. At the same time, a large number of modern horror films also began to appear in Japan, and with its unique theme, technique of expression and artistic characteristics win a high reputation all over the world. At this time, Japanese horror films not only inherited the classical tradition of ism, also create a lot of new types of monster. Therefore, based on Japanese horror films between1954to1964, clearing up the cultural ideological trend for the decade, and attempts to make a comparison by placing it in the political-culture of the broad between the eastern and western context, then depicting the characteristics of Japanese national character and spirit in culture, psychology, politics, entertainment, narrative aspects. This Paper is divided into three parts. The first part mainly to define "horror" of art aesthetic from three dimensions:psychoanalysis, epistemology and aesthetics. Second part takes three typical Japanese horror movie text for example, and from three angles:hunman, beasts, demons to clear up the steering and the root causes of the post-war Japanese horror cultural characteristics. Otherwise, in the case of Japan’s national suffered war frustrations, the loss of traditional culture and god’s faith, to analysis the identity of the cultural which builded up. The third part discuss as the meaning of a monster as other for self in the construction in the Japanese horror movies, and summarized the characteristics of national spiritual qualities which is hidden behind the monster culture in the Japanese horror movie.