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【Yanai Initiative】Paper Film Screening Event “The Hidden Origins of Japanese Animation” (June 14 – July 6)

Mon 19 May 25

In an age when most films were printed on celluloid, a few companies in Japan embarked on a startling experiment: producing and selling short, often animated films for children that they printed on paper. Sold as toys for just six years, from 1932 to 1938, these “paper films” were screened using special hand-cranked projectors. At a time when movies in theaters were still in black and white, paper films offered vivid, full-color images, bringing to life charming fairy tales that featured adorable characters and animals, comical samurai period dramas, and war-themed stories that reflected the times.

For decades, it has been almost impossible to see an actual screening of a paper film. The films themselves are so fragile that they couldn’t be digitized using conventional methods, and at the same time they were originally designed to be screened in homes and neighborhoods, rather than in large theaters. Thanks to the work of the Japanese Paper Film Project, based at Bucknell University; the Japan Society of Image Arts and Sciences’ Media Archaeology Study Group; and the collectors and archives that have put so much effort into preserving, studying, and digitizing these very special films, the Yanai Initiative has been able to plan “The Hidden Origins of Japanese Animation,” a national tour of screenings centered on paper films.

This special series of screenings includes two distinct programs: “From the Birth of Japanese Animation to Paper Films,” which places paper films within the broader context of early animation in Japan; and “The World of Paper Film,” which presents a rich and varied selection of 34 paper films, all digitally preserved using specially developed technology. Both programs feature live narration by celebrated benshi and live musical accompaniment.

We invite you to come immerse yourself in the enthralling yet little-known world of paper film, and to see Japanese animation in a whole new light!

INDEX

Tour Schedule
Programs
Lecture by Professor Eric Faden (Bucknell University)

Tour Schedule

6/13 （Fri）Tokyo　Ono Auditorium Waseda University
Opening Lecture by Eric Faden (Professor at Bucknell University) with live music performed by Duo Yumeno and benshi narration.
* Please check here for more detail.
6/14（Sat） Tokyo　Shin-Bungei-za　Program 1 & 2
6/21（Sat）・22日（Sun）Niigata　Takada Sekai-kan Program 2 & 3
6/24 (Tue) Osaka The University of Osaka Nakanoshima Art Center -Related event
*Please confirm here for more detail.
6/25（Wed）Kyoto　Kyoto Prefectural Center for Arts and Culture　Program 1 & 2
* Kyoto: Please click here to purchase. Flyer
6/26（Thu）Osaka　Theater Seven Program 2 & 3
6/28（Sat）・29 （Sun）Ehime Asahi-kan Program 1,2 & 3
7/6 （Sun）　Hiroshima　Hiroshima City Cinematographic and Audio-Visual Library　Program 2
※Please check deatils such as fees, opening times, programs and performers’ information by each venues’ web site.
※No English subtitles provided

Programs

Program 1　『日本アニメの誕生から紙フィルムまで』-From the Birth of Japanese Animation to Paper Films
This program offers audiences a rare opportunity to explore the riches of early Japanese animation with live benshi narration and live music, and to see how paper films fit into this broader context.

Program 2 『紙フィルムの世界』-The World of Paper Film
This program, focused entirely on paper films, introduces a wide variety of adorable films for children, but also period dramas and rare wartime footage. The films will be presented with live benshi narration and captivating performances on koto and cello by Duo Yumeno.

Program 3　Silent Film Screeining
This is a special program with narration by a benshi and live piano music. Please check the websites of each venue (Takada Sekai-kan, Theater Seven, and Asahi-kan) for the films to be screened.

Performers

Benshi (Narrator)

Ichiro Kataoka 　＜All venues＞
Kumiko Omori　＜Kyoto・Osaka・Ehime＞
Nanako Yamauchi＜Tokyo＞
Kenichi Bunazawa＜Tokyo＞

Musicians

Duo YUMENO　＜All venues＞
Yoko Reikano Kimura (Koto) Hikaru Tamaki (Cello)

Joichi Yuasa　 Guitar ＜Tokyo＞
Ayumi Kamiya Piano ＜Niigata＞
Ryo Torikai Piano ＜Kyoto・Osaka・Ehime＞
Kiasyo Katada Drums＜Kyoto・Ehime＞

Lecture by Professor Eric Faden (Bucknell University)

Prior to the tour, a lecture by Professor Eric Faden (Bucknell University), who is making efforts to digitize paper films, will be held on Friday, June 13 late afternoon, at Ono Auditorium, Waseda University accompanied with a demonstration by a benshi and the Duo Kotono. Details will be posted later.

Session 1 Lecture 6:00 pm
“Preserving and Reviving 1930s Japanese Paper Films”
Accompanied with music by Duo YUMENO & Kataoka benshi’s talk.

Session 2 Talk 7:10 pm
Professor Eric Faden, Duo YUMENO (Ms. Yoko Reikano Kimura/Mr. Hikaru Tamaki), and Mr. Ichiro Kataoka (Benshi)
*with Japanese translator

Event ends at 7:45 pm

Please confirm the detail here.

Organized by UCLA-Waseda University Yanai Initiative
Supported by Bucknell University
Cooporated by National Film Archive of Japan, Toy Film Museum, Kobe Planet Film Archive, Media Archaeology Study Group of the Japan Society of Image Arts & Sciences (JASIAS)