Shōwa Modan

[1] As Japan — victorious from World War I, and the only developed nation in Asia — entered the Shōwa era in 1926, a mass consumption society began in earnest, mainly in the large cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Kobe.

Continuing from the Taishō era, Yumeji Takehisa's paintings of bijin and Kasho Takabatake's illustrations of beautiful boys and girls gained immense popularity; and due to Japan's unique high literacy rate, lyrical poems written by Hakushū Kitahara and Yaso Saijō were much read and sung.

In addition, general interest magazines such as Kaizō, Kingu, and Bungei Shunjū, and low-priced book series known as Iwanami Bunko and Yen-pon were published, which advanced the popularization of culture.

In magazines such as Shinseinen, mysterious fantasy works such as those of Edogawa Ranpo and Yumeno Kyūsaku, or a style called Ero guro nansensu, prevailed during this period (the pioneer in this field was Jun'ichirō Tanizaki during the Taishō era), and Kōnosuke Hinatsu introduced romantic and gothic poetry patterned after English literature.

In addition, period drama stars such as Kanjūrō Arashi, Denjirō Ōkōchi, and Tsumasaburō Bandō appeared in movies, while composers such as Ryōichi Hattori, Masao Koga and Shinpei Nakayama, and singers such as Noriko Awaya, Ichirō Fujiyama, Taro Shoji, Dick Mine, etc.

It was also a time when many food and drink products which are still loved today, such as children's lunch, Morinaga Milk Caramel, Mitsuya Cider, Calpis, instant coffee, and Suntory Whisky, were developed.

Afterwards these cultures were dismissed as "soft and luxurious" and "anti-'new system' ", and Shōwa Modan had come to an end, but until the start of the war against Britain and the United States in 1941, Western movies, music, clothes, etc.