“Kamishibai (kah-mee-she-bye) originated in Japan, but are part of a long, Asian picture storytelling tradition. Children of all ages - in fact everyone who experiences them, love them!

 

Each kamishibai consists of 12-16 stiff, oaktag cards (15" x 11"), beautifully illustrated by Japanese artists. The stories range from traditional to modern. Printed on the back of the cards are the original Japanese text and its English translation. In Japanese, "kami" means paper and "shibai" drama.

 

The text is written in dialogue form, and the audience is pulled immediately into the dramatic presentation. Because of their generous size, kamishibai can be used easily with both small and large groups.

 

Today's kamishibai have evolved from a form of street-storytelling which was popular throughout Japan from the 1920's into the 1950's.

 

The kamishibai storyteller was also a candy seller. Riding a bicycle equipped with a small stage for showing the story cards, he would enter a village or neighborhood, dismount and loudly strike together two wooden clappers or allow a lucky child to do so. The sound was a signal for children to run from their homes and gather around him for story time. Those who bought candy got to stand nearest to the stage. Then, in a dramatic manner, he would start to tell 2-3 kamishibai episodes. He would not tell the whole story! The stories were told as continuing serials, that is, he would always stop at an exciting moment, leaving the children impatient for his next visit.

    With the advent of television in 1953, the itinerant storyteller gradually disappeared from Japan's streets. In recent years, however, kamishibai have enjoyed a renaissance in Japanese schools, libraries and culture centers”