Kamishibai-Japanese Story Telling

Sun, 02/10/2013 - 4:46pm by Beth Manuel

Learn about and experience Kamishibai Storytelling with Masanari Nohara of the Ann Arbor Japan House this Sunday, February 10th, 1:00-2:00 PM at the Traverwood Branch.

Kamishibai originated in Japanese Buddhist Temples in the 12th century, where monks used emakimono, or picture scrolls, to convey stories with moral lessons. In the 1930's the gaito kamishibai (street kamishibai) storytellers first made the scene, riding their bicycles to Japanese towns and villages with their paper drama stages.

Kamishibai storytelling involves a set of illustrated boards inserted into a small stage that, in Japan, was usually mounted on a bicycle and taken out one by one as a story is told. This program is co-sponsored by Ann Arbor Japan House. Ann Arbor Japan House was established with the goal to create a place where people would have opportunities to increase their familiarity with various aspects of Japanese language and culture. The event is for youth (grade K and up), teens, and adults.