Kamishibai

A History:

Kamishibai endured as a storytelling method for centuries, but is perhaps best known for its
revival in the 1920s through the 1950s. The gaito kamishibaiya, or kamishibai storyteller, rode
from village to village on a bicycle equipped with a small stage. On arrival, the storyteller used
two wooden clappers, called hyoshigi, to announce his arrival.
Children who bought candy from the storyteller got the best seats in front of the stage. Once an
audience assembled, the storyteller told several stories using a set of illustrated boards,
inserted into the stage and withdrawn one by one as the story was told. The stories were often
serials and new episodes were told on each visit to the village.

The revival of kamishibai can be tied to the global depression of the late 1920s when it offered
a means by which an unemployed man could earn a small income. The tradition was largely
supplanted by the advent of television in the late 1950s but has recently enjoyed a revival in
Japanese libraries and elementary schools. Some Americans have translated traditional
kamishibai into English and offer them as part of a "Balanced Literacy" teaching philosophy.

Kamishibai is considered a precursor to modern manga and anime. They often featured art
styles, including a wide-eyed look, similar to what would later characterize manga and anime.
Some of the most famous kamishibai characters included gon Bat (debuted 1930) and Prince
of Gamma (?) (debuted early 1930s), considered as Japanese superheroes,
appearing earlier than the later American comic book superheroes Superman (debuted 1938)
and Batman (debuted 1939).

It is now possible to find street kamishibai activity also outside Japan. Artists are
presently[when?] active in Italy, while in New Zealand, Tanya Batt, an Indian
storyteller/children's author and cycling enthusiast, used it to combine two of her passions and
built a replicated kamishibai "Spoke N' Word" theatre for use by her local community trust.[5]
In South Africa, award winning performer Jemma Kahn has used this art to create a series of
cult theatre pieces that have traveled globally and won multiple awards.
1

The first show "The Epicene Butcher and other Stories for consenting adults" was launched in
2012. The show's sequel, "We Didn't Come to Hell for the Croissants: Seven Deadly New Stories
for Consenting Adults" was launched in Johannesburg in 2015, and is currently on a global tour.