Issue No. 118

BEFORE ANIME, JAPANESE PAPER THEATER ENTERTAINED 1-MILLION KIDS A DAY

Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater

by Eric P. Nash

Abrams ComicArts

2009, 304 pages, 8.6 x 9.2 x 1.1 inches

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Manga Kamishibai tells and shows the fascinating history of Japanese paper theater, a lost storytelling form and the link between Edo-era Japanese ukiyo-e prints and modern day manga and television. I say “and shows” because this art form combined the spoken word with compelling visuals in uniquely Japanese storytelling performances and this book is rich with many wonderful reproductions of the hand-painted artwork.

Picture this: In devastated post-WWII Tokyo, a man stops his bicycle on a street corner. On the back of his bike is mounted a large, sixty-pound wooden box. The man flips a few panels around to reveal a stage-like picture frame. He noisily clacks together two wooden sticks, hiyogoshi , to call the neighborhood children.…