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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.
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.
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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).
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.
Mar 1, 2021 · Kamishibai flourished in Japan in the 1930s and 1940s, offering storytellers and artists an easy way to make money during a period of economic depression, according to the website Kamishibai for Kids.
This highlights the reality of early kamishibai: that it was child consumer-centric. While the most accessible and inexpensive daily entertainment for young masses, kamishibai became popular largely because they were not ideological, but practical. They did not preach to the children, as teachers or religious leaders might.
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.”
