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When first introduced to kamishibai, most Americans hear about the street-performance artists who typically sold candy or treats to crowds of children on busy urban street corners in Japan from the early 1930s until the 1950s when the arrival of television all but extinguished this unique form of popular culture.
It became especially popular during the 1920s because of the growth of the silent film industry, which was actually narrated in Japan, and took on the characteristics of silent film dialogue and stage set aesthetics. Kamishibai became so popular that television was first called “electric kamishibai.”
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During the 1930s, Ogon Batto (The Golden Bat) enjoyed phenomenal popularity. Resembling a caped Phantom of the Opera with a grimacing skeleton head and holding aloft a gold sword, the Golden Bat fought for peace and justice. His superhuman powers included the ability to fly through the air.
From the 1930s until the 1950s, kamishibai was the most popular form of entertainment for children, so much so that when television came to Japan in the 1950s, it was referred to as “denki kamishibai” (electric kamishibai).
Jun 14, 2023 · A traditional Japanese Storytelling art Kamishibai. 06/14/2023. Kamishibai means paper play in Japanese and is a traditional storytelling art that was popular during the 1930s and post-war period in Japan but is still performed today.
Particularly popular with post-war audiences were the adventures of the Prince of Gamma, a boy from Atlantis who disguises himself as a Tokyo street urchin (see Children in SF ). In the dying days of the medium, there were even Lone Ranger and Batman kamishibai. Occupation censors noted the power of kamishibai as a popular medium, but also ...
During Japan’s Fifteen Year War (1931–1945), kamishibai was a crucial medium for the dissemination of propaganda to a variety of audiences, adults as well as children. This chapter asks: How did the characteristics of kamishibai function in the context of prowar, imperialist propaganda to make that propaganda effective?
