Benshi

Benshi (弁士) were Japanese performers who provided live narration for silent films (both Japanese films and Western films). Benshi are sometimes called katsudō-benshi (活動弁士) or katsuben (活弁).^[1]

^ All these forms are abbreviations of katsudō-shashin-benshi (活動写真弁士), where katsudō-shashin (活動写真) means "moving pictures", i.e., an old term for films, and benshi (弁士) is an orator or public speaker; see "katsuben" 活弁. 広辞苑 (Kōjien) (in Japanese) (5th ed.). 岩波書店 (Iwanami shoten). 2000; "benshi" 弁士. Shin-waei-daijiten (新和英大辞典, New Japanese-English Dictionary) (in Japanese) (5th ed.). 研究社 (Kenkyūsha). 2004.

[1] All these forms are abbreviations of katsudō-shashin-benshi (活動写真弁士), where katsudō-shashin (活動写真) means "moving pictures", i.e., an old term for films, and benshi (弁士) is an orator or public speaker; see "katsuben" 活弁. 広辞苑 (Kōjien) (in Japanese) (5th ed.). 岩波書店 (Iwanami shoten). 2000; "benshi" 弁士. Shin-waei-daijiten (新和英大辞典, New Japanese-English Dictionary) (in Japanese) (5th ed.). 研究社 (Kenkyūsha). 2004.

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