Kamishibai: A Secret Weapon for Wartime Propaganda

When most people from Western nations think of Japan, their first thoughts are likely of anime and manga. This is an art and animation style that is so unique to Japan, it has become a driving force for their economy. But surely this defining medium grew from something else. Sumi-e paintings and similar mediums can easily be attributed to the overall style that developed, but paneling and animation, too, have their own origin story in Japan. So, what sort of early contributor could possibly be credited with the massive anime and manga industry that garnered the country so much attention?

The answer lies in 19th century Japan, the fifteen year war, and old-fashioned propaganda.

Kamishibai is an art form that was particularly popular from the 1920s-1960s in Japan. It’s a very specific method of storytelling, often translated as “paper drama”, which involves often self-illustrated story cards which are placed in a portable stage. In this medium, the storyteller is as important as the story: their role is to engage the audience and build excitement with the crowd.

The kamishibai man, as the storyteller was called, traveled by bike and used these stories to gather customers who would in turn purchase candy from him. Though his primary profession was selling candy, he was better known by the tales he told. The stories began with once upon a time and ended in the heat of action, leaving customers wanting more.

Kamishibai was more than entertainment for the masses, it was a way to entertain those who struggled during the Japanese depression, and it provided jobs for the unemployed. The pay was meager, but it was enough to live off of. In this way, paper theatre played an important role in the economy during a time of war and depression. More so, Kamishibai grew to be a learning tool, teaching children valuable lessons through stories.

Paper theatre may be a medium particular to Japan, but its influences are international. Even when Japan went through it’s isolation period, modern technology from Europe still made its way to the islands. One specific influence is early Dutch projection technology, but Japanese influences date as far back as the 10^th century, when Buddhist picture scrolls were common.

But why are stories told by a candy salesman so important when we look back at the fifteen years war?

In the 1930s, tensions were rising between japan and China, and while war hadn’t officially broken out between the two countries, preparation was vital. So began the draft. Some performers were drafted, but the best service the government could think of for these storytellers was to change their narrative.

Rather than the educational narratives meant to drive children to learn valuable lessons for the future, Kamishibai men were threatened into drafting pro-war imperialist propaganda pieces. The medium was perfect for wartime encouragement: It offered an easily digestible narrative, an eager audience searching for entertainment, and a reputation of being wholesome and educational. 

Aside from a change in message, propaganda use for kamishibai changed the way the shows were performed. Scripts would be printed on the back of the cards for easy reference, and performers were carefully monitored. Gone were the days of spontaneous, unpredictable changes. Creativity was limited for the sake of the message. As were serialized stories that ended on cliffhangers. Instead, each narrative was its own, complete story.

The draft also hurt the selection of professional storytellers, leaving alternative professionals and women in town to take the role of kamishibai man.

There are many ways of categorizing the types of propaganda performances. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll break these down into three categories that are commonly attributed to these tales.

The first is informative, in which the narrative focuses on actual events or gives instructions on practical wartime activities like building a bomb shelter. The second is exhortation, wherein the goal is to encourage a certain activity from the audience, like purchasing war bonds. The final type, Emulation plays, were meant to encourage certain heroic behaviors the characters within the story exhibit.

Despite the glorification of wartime activities, these stories spared no expense at portraying realistic scenarios. The horrors of war were evident in the narratives, partially for believability’s but also due to Japan’s close ties with death. Even as far back as the Tale of Genji, one of the earliest and most famous recorded tales in Japan, suicide and death were common themes.  Furthermore, bushido code states that death in combat is the most honorable way to die, making self-sacrifice a worthwhile endeavor.

The government saw kamishibai as a vital method for spreading a positive message about the war, but ultimately the art form was much more than an outlet for wartime propaganda. Before the war, it was an important teaching tool for kids, and the modern era is seeing a return of kamishibai to its roots. And while the stories originated in Japan, they are currently being adapted to Western classrooms, used by teachers to help students tell their own stories.

Sources

Orbaugh, Sharalyn, “’Kamishibai’ and the Art of the Interval.” Mechademia, vol. 7, 2012, pp.78-100.

Horner, Emily, “’Kamishibai’ in Wartime Japan.” Storytelling, Self, Society, vol. 2, no. 1, 2005, pp. 21-31. 

McGowan, Tara, performing Kamishibai: An Emerging New Literacy for a global Audience. Routledge, 2015. 

Daily Fig Staff, “Rediscovering Japan’s Forgotten Storytellers in Kamisibai Man.” Daily Fig, unknown date.
McGowan, Tara M., “The Many Faces of Kamishibai (Japanese Paper Theater): Past, Present, and Future.” About Japan, 2018.

Ho, Oliver, “Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese paper Theater by Eric P. Nash.” Pop Matters, 2009.

De Las Casas, Dianne, Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling. Libraries Unlimited, 2006.