As prelude to this establishment, in April of 1928 Tokujiro YAMAZAKI of Sankyo, which had been distributing Makino's films in the Shikoku area, conspired with the top executive of Bando Tsumasaburo Productions named Ryosuke TACHIBANA to ask 150 independent theater owners throughout Japan, such as Kikumatsu OSHIMA of Kikusui Kinema in Kobe that had dealt with independent works by moviemakers, to cooperate in establishing 'Nihon Katsudo Josetsukan Kanshu Renmei Eiga Haikyu Honsha' (Distribution Company Headquarters for Movie Theater Owners in Japan) (also known as "Kanshu Renmei" [the Theater Owner's Association]) in Osaka and declaring policies of the direct release of movies as well as funding for production costs of independent productions.
そもそも、同年4月、当時マキノの四国ブロック配給を行っていた三共社の山崎徳次郎が、阪東妻三郎プロダクションの経営者・立花良介と計画し、従来から映画作家のインディペンデント系作品を手がけていた神戸市の菊水キネマ商会の大島菊松を中心とした全国150館の独立系映画館主に呼びかけ、大阪に「日本活動常設館館主連盟映画配給本社」を設立、独立プロダクションへの製作費の出資と作品の直接公開の方針を打ち出したことがきっかけであった。