Yurakuza Theater
2-2-3 Yurakucho,
Chiyodaku,
Tokyo
2-2-3 Yurakucho,
Chiyodaku,
Tokyo
1 person
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The Yurakuza Theater is located in the Gina area of downtown Tokyo. It opened on June 7, 1935 as a live theatre. It was closed on 5th March 1944 when it was used as a ballon factory. On 10th March 1945 it suffered minor damage, mainly to the stage end, when Tokyo was hit in a bombing raid. It reopened on 3rd November 1945.
It began screening movies as well as stage productions in 1949 and became a full time cinema in January 1951. It was operated by the Toho Cinemas Ltd. chain for many years and they equipped it with 70mm projection. They closed it on November 11, 1984 with Clark Gable in “Gone With the Wind”.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
This was the Cinemascope palace. Saw “The Robe” and all subsequent Fox flicks of the ‘50s although occasionally one would materialize at the nearby Hibiya (3 Coins in the Fountain)
This theater is part of the Toho Theaters chain. It is in the Yurakucho area near Yurakucho Station and adjacent to the Ginza. It’s address is 2-2-3 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Yurakuza
Photo of 1935 aerial view of Yurakucho with the Yurazuka labeled “C” added to Photos.
The Yurakuza Theater is a 1,572-seat single-screener and started life as a live performance house, opening on June 7, 1935 with four live performance acts (“Thirteen Strokes #3”, “Everything In The World Is Filled With Gold”, “The Blind Brother and His Sister”, and “Schubert’s Love”).
On March 5, 1944, the Yurakuza Theater closed for a year when it became a balloon bomb manufacturing factory. Unfortunately, the theater suffer minor damage during the Bombing of Tokyo on March 10, 1945 when the stage equipment was struck by a nearby bullet. It took time to repair, and reopening on November 3, 1945. The theater partially began screening movies in 1949, but didn’t fully converted into a movie theater until January 1951.
In its later years, the Yurakuza is a Toho-operated theater that housed 70mm projection with Dolby Stereo sound. Unfortunately due to the aging of the building, the Yurakuza Theater closed for the final time on November 11, 1984 screening “Gone With The Wind”.