Kamishibai
A teaching resource created by Jennifer Tighe.
Teaching Overview
Subject: Art
Topic: Japanese kamishibai theater
Grade level: 4-5 (easily adapted though)
New York State Art Standard(s):
1 - Create, perform, and participate in the arts (meet this standard by continuing on with unit)
4 - Understand cultural dimensions and contributions of the arts (met in the accessible text)
Syracuse Benchmarks (for K-6):
1.2.1 Create artwork in a variety of themes, symbols, and events
1.3.1 Use the Principles of Art and the Elements of Design
1.5.1 Participate in the design, production, and exhibition of art
4.3.1 Create artwork that shows the influence of a particular culture
Baldwinsville Benchmarks (for 4-5):
VA5.1.3 and VA4.1.3 - Uses different media, techniques and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories
VA5.2.1 - Uses the elements of art
VA5.2.3 and VA4.2.2 - Uses principles of design to communicate ideas
VA5.3.1 and VA4.3.1 - Selects ideas for works of art
VA5.3.2 and VA4.3.2 - Knows how subject matter, symbols, and ideas are used to communicate meaning
VA5.4.2 - Knows that specific art belongs to particular cultures, times, and places
Goals/Concepts Covered Through Kamishibai Unit:
- Learn what kamishibai theater is
- Realize that kamishibai originated from the Japanese culture
- Listen to/read multicultural tales from Asia
- Look at examples of kamishibai through internet resources and books
- Understand how the art of kamishibai is told through the illustration of pictures along with oral communication
- Formulate opinions and ideas to create your own kamishibai story card(s) for a story given (or students can create/imagine their your own!)
- When we illustrate our own kamishibai cards, students will be practicing the elements of art and principles of design
- Practice oral communication when students share their kamishibai story aloud, visual literacy through looking at/listening to other students’ kamishibai stories, writing and reading literacy when students are creating their own story line or re-creating a current multicultural tale from their own perspective
How to use this book
There is a glossary to help you understand unfamiliar vocabulary and also provide you with the pronunciation of the Japanese vocabulary that we will be using. A word in the glossary will be highlighted. You may click these words to see its definition in the glossary.
The characters that line the bottom of the book are there for you to click.
Emerald will read the book aloud for you.
Cube might ask you a question to think about, maybe even give you a hint.
McRuff will help you answer the question or provide further information.
Kamishibai
The art of storytelling through illustration and performance
Kamishibai, what is it?
Kamishibai is a story telling form that originated in Japan. A kamishibai performer is both an artist as well as a storyteller. Illustrated picture cards are displayed while a performer is telling a story to an audience. The process of kamishibai is related to theater and filmmaking.
History of kamishibai
Kamishibai was everywhere in Japan from around the 1920s to the 1950s. During hard economic times, some Japanese families needed another way to make a living.
Kamishibai gave artists and storytellers an alternate way to earn money for their families. Unfortunately, when the television was invented kamishibai began to disappear.
A day in a kamishibai performer's shoes
A kamishibai performer's goal is to earn money by selling their audience candy before each performance begins.
Candy, sweets, and illustrated cards are stored in the drawers of a small portable stage, which gets strapped to the back of a kamishibai performer's bicycle for traveling. When a kamishibai performer gets off their bicycle and clanks their hyoshigi together, they are letting the children know that there is a performance about to begin.
A kamishibai performer uses their stage as a portable theater to display the illustrated cards to the audience. The illustrated cards are rotated in and out of the stage to go along with the story being told.
The children who bought candy from the kamishibai performer would be allowed to stand in the front row for the best view, but even the children who came with no money would be allowed to watch and listen to the story as well.
Kamishibai stories
Kamishibai may have originated in Japan, but performances are not limited to just the Japanese culture. Some of the most popular kamishibai stories do happen to be Japanese folktales such as The Peach Boy and The Boy Who Drew Cats, but other Asian countries have told their own folktales through the art of kamishibai.
Example of a kamishibai story
Little One-Inch
One day, a couple in Japan had been wishing that they could have a child when they stumbled upon something making a noise in the grass. To their surprise, they found a baby boy who was no bigger than a thumb! They happily took him home and named him Little One-Inch.
As Little One-Inch grew older, he told his parents that he wished to venture off and explore the world to make his own fortune. Before his parents let him go, they gave him a few things: a needle to use as a sword, a rice bowl to use as a boat, and a chopstick to use as an oar. With that, Little One-Inch floated away down the river.
Example of a kamishibai story (continued)
When Little One-Inch had floated down the river for a long time he came across a frog who flipped his boat over! Little One-Inch swam to the shore to find that he was near a great lord's house.
He went to the lord's house and when the lord saw him, Little One-Inch announced that he would like to be one of his warriors. The lord looked skeptical because of Little One-Inch's size, but he told him that he could guard his daughter, who was the princess.
Example of a kamishibai story (continued)
The princess and Little One-Inch grew to become great friends. One day, they were going to a nearby temple when an ogre popped out and threatened the princess!
Little One-Inch bravely took out his needle to protect the princess, but the ogre considered him to be no threat and swallowed him whole!
Amazingly though, Little One-Inch was fine and he began attacking the ogre from the inside. He poked his needle everywhere inside the ogre until the ogre was hurting so bad that he spit Little One-Inch out and ran away, leaving his magical hammer behind.
Example of a kamishibai story (continued)
The princess picked up the magical hammer and asked Little One-Inch what he wished for because she was grateful that he saved her life. He replied by telling the princess that he wished to be full size. With every swing of the magical hammer, Little One-Inch grew to be very tall.
The princess and Little One-Inch returned back to the lord's house and the lord was very thankful that his daughter was safe.
Little One-Inch, who was now as tall as he was mighty, and the princess were married and lived happily ever after.
Where did kamishibai go?
When the television was invented, kamishibai began to disappear. Kamishibai was considered to be the "poor man's theater" because of its popularity in the hard economic times. A lot of Japanese did not want to be associated with poverty so they did not value kamishibai as much anymore.
The kamishibai performers and artists eventually had to look for other jobs. Many of these people found a job by drawing manga, Japanese comic books. A lot of manga series eventually got turned into television shows which are called anime.
Manga and anime are both art forms that can be found all over the world today, including our own stores and televisions in America!
Works Cited & Further Resources
Say, Allen. Kamishibai Man. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. Print.
de Las Casa, Dianne. Kamishibai Story Theater. Westport, CT: Teacher Ideas Press, 2006. Print.
Folktales from around the World: Yoshi, the Lantern Maker (Japan). Colman Communications, 2008. Full Video. 11 April 2010. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.
Feudal Japan. Discovery Education, 2004. Video Segment. 11 April 2010. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.
Kamishibai for Kids - http://www.kamishibai.com/index.html
Kamishibai.org - http://www.kamishibai.org/index.htm
Story Card Theater - http://www.storycardtheater.com/index.html
Japanese American National Museum (watch an interactive multimedia example of kamishibai!) - http://www.janm.org/janmkids/kamishibai.php
A teacher’s blog about kamishibai in her classroom - http://www.storybike.com/