World KAMISHIBAI Day

What Is World KAMISHIBAI Day?

December 7th is "World KAMISHIBAI Day," marking the anniversary of the founding of the Kamishibai Culture Association on December 7, 2001. The call to observe this day began in 2018.

What Is the Kamishibai Culture Association?

The Kamishibai Culture Association was formed by people seeking to establish kamishibai (paper theater storytelling) as a recognized cultural art form.

• Founders: centered around organizers of "traveling kamishibai university" programs held across Japan, along with members of the "Kamishibai Theory Group," which studies the art form academically
• Purpose: to research and study kamishibai together, and help its appeal take root around the world
• The name: the anniversary deliberately uses the romanized spelling "KAMISHIBAI," with an eye toward international exchange

What Is Kamishibai?

Kamishibai is a uniquely Japanese storytelling art form in which a narrator tells a story while sliding out a series of illustrated cards, one by one. It spread as street-corner entertainment in the early Showa era, and later became a beloved storytelling method in kindergartens, nurseries, and libraries. Part of kamishibai's distinctive charm is that the performer and audience share the same space, and the rhythm of the story is shaped by the timing of each card's reveal.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Attend a kamishibai storytelling session at a library or children's center
• Create your own kamishibai and perform it for family or friends
• Learn about the history of kamishibai, including stories from its street-corner heyday
• Look back on memories of kamishibai stories told to you as a child

The Universal Power of Story, Told Through a Single Illustrated Card

Kamishibai is a form of expression that can move people's hearts through pictures and narration alone, crossing barriers of language and culture. Let December 7th be a day to reconnect with this Japan-born art form and feel the power that a story can hold.