Pioneers

The first Japanese animators, working nearly alone between 1917 and the early 1930s. Oten Shimokawa, Junichi Kouchi and Seitaro Kitayama made the earliest films; Namakura Gatana survives because a print turned up in an Osaka antique shop in the summer of 2007. Noburo Ofuji worked in cut paper and chiyogami, Kenzo Masaoka brought sound to the form. Most of what they made is lost.

Part of Anime

89 moments in this segment.

  1. - Sarukani Gassenn 1917. A surviving fragment of the folk tale of the monkey and the crab, animated by Kitayama Seitaro at the Nikkatsu Mukojima studio. It stands among the earliest Japanese animated films still held in any archive.
  2. - Namakura Gatana (1917) [With music and text]. A samurai buys a sword he believes is fine steel, then discovers the blade is blunt when he tries it on passers by who fight back. Four minutes of slapstick survive from the Junichi Kouchi short, found by film historian Matsumoto Natsuki at an Osaka antique market in summer 2007 and screened after restoration by the National Film Archive of Japan in April 2008.
  3. - Hanasaka jiji - The Blossom Man - (1917). An old man makes withered trees blossom, and his greedy neighbour fails at the same trick. The material here is Hanasaka jiji The Blossom Man.
  4. - 1917 The Dull Sword Junichi Kouchi 1080p. A samurai buys a sword he believes is fine steel, then discovers the blade is blunt when he tries it on passers by who fight back. Four minutes of slapstick survive from the Junichi Kouchi short, found by film historian Matsumoto Natsuki at an Osaka antique market in summer 2007 and screened after restoration by the National Film Archive of Japan in April 2008. The material here is The Dull Sword Junichi Kouchi.
  5. - Anime cell 1917. A frame from the oldest surviving Japanese animated film, recovered from a toy-format print and restored in 2008.
  6. - 1918 Urashima Taro Seitaro Kitayama 1080p. The fisherman rides a turtle to the dragon palace beneath the sea and returns to find lifetimes have passed on shore. An early treatment of the folk tale in line drawing.
  7. - 浦島太郎 Urashima Taro (1918 Japanese Classic). The fisherman rides a turtle to the dragon palace beneath the sea and returns to find lifetimes have passed on shore. An early treatment of the folk tale in line drawing. The material here is 浦島太郎 Urashima Taro.
  8. - NonkinaTosan. A frame from the comic strip character Nonki na Tousan brought to the screen, running ten minutes on 35mm under the direction of Kimura Hakuzan.
  9. - Tako No Hone - The Octopus Bone - (1927). An octopus pursues a bone it cannot possibly have, in a Yasuji Murata cutout comedy. The material here is Tako No Hone The Octopus Bone.
  10. - [1929] Kogane no Hana. Cut paper figures move through a tale staged in Ofuji's layered patterned paper. The material here is Kogane no Hana.
  11. - 煙突屋ペロー（1）. Shadow puppetry cut from paper and lit from behind, the technique that carried Japanese animation through the years before cel work became standard.
  12. - 煙突屋ペロー（2）. Silhouetted figures arranged against a pale ground, the chimney sweep story unfolding in cut paper rather than drawn line.
  13. - 煙突屋ペロー（3）. Layered paper cutouts create depth in a medium with no camera move to rely on, the foreground reading darker than the wash behind it.
  14. - 煙突屋ペロー（4）. A crowd scene assembled from individually cut figures, each one repositioned by hand between exposures.
  15. - 煙突屋ペロー（5）. The closing passages of the shadow film, its characters reduced to outline against an open field of light.
  16. - Ugokie Kori No Tatehiki (1933) - B&W / 11:25 mins. A fox and a badger try to out transform each other around an old farmhouse, each shapeshift topping the last.
  17. - 【日本のアニメ】 村田安司 Murata Yasuji 1933 のらくろ二等兵・教練の巻 Japanese Old Anime. A stray black dog enlists and works his way up through an animal army in an adaptation of Suiho Tagawa's comic strip. The material here is 【日本のアニメ】 村田安司 Murata Yasuji のらくろ二等兵・教練の巻 Old.
  18. - Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka screenshot. Screenshot from Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka a 1933 anime short film by Kenzō Masaoka , released in Japan by Shochiku .
  19. - Benkei tai Ushiwaka upscaled (1939) 弁慶対牛若. The warrior monk Benkei meets the young Ushiwakamaru on Gojo bridge and loses their duel to a far smaller opponent.
  20. - くもとちゅうりっぷ (1943). A spider courts a ladybird who shelters inside a tulip as a storm breaks over the garden. Kenzo Masaoka's 1943 short is built on full animation and synchronised song at a moment when most studios were producing military commissions. The material here is くもとちゅうりっぷ.
  21. - The spider and the tulip (くもとちゅうりっぷ by Kenzo Masaoka 1943). A spider courts a ladybird who shelters inside a tulip as a storm breaks over the garden. Kenzo Masaoka's 1943 short is built on full animation and synchronised song at a moment when most studios were producing military commissions. The material here is The spider and the tulip.
  22. - アニメ　くもとちゅうりっぷ 1943年製作. A spider courts a ladybird who shelters inside a tulip as a storm breaks over the garden. Kenzo Masaoka's 1943 short is built on full animation and synchronised song at a moment when most studios were producing military commissions.
  23. - Kumo To Tulip - The Spider And The Tulip - Japanese Animation 1943. A spider courts a ladybird who shelters inside a tulip as a storm breaks over the garden. Kenzo Masaoka's 1943 short is built on full animation and synchronised song at a moment when most studios were producing military commissions. The material here is Kumo To Tulip The Spider And The Tulip.
  24. - Kujira (Whale) c.1952 : First Asian animation at the Cannes Film Festival. Silhouette figures cut from paper move against colour washes as a whale surfaces. Noburo Ofuji worked in chiyogami, layering patterned Japanese paper instead of drawing cels.
  25. - Noburou Oofuji - Kujira (1952) - DVD. Silhouette figures cut from paper move against colour washes as a whale surfaces. Noburo Ofuji worked in chiyogami, layering patterned Japanese paper instead of drawing cels. The material here is Noburou Oofuji Kujira DVD.
  26. - Kujira 1952 Animê antigo produzido por Noburo Ofuji. Silhouette figures cut from paper move against colour washes as a whale surfaces. Noburo Ofuji worked in chiyogami, layering patterned Japanese paper instead of drawing cels. The material here is Kujira Animê antigo produzido por Noburo Ofuji.
  27. - Japanese Classic Cartoon(1933). An early Japanese animator's short survives in a print that shows the wear of its age. The work here is Classic Cartoon.
  28. - Japanese Classic Cartoon(1947) 1/3. An early domestic production, made when studios were small rooms rather than industrial operations. The work here is Classic Cartoon 1/3.
  29. - Japanese Old Animation (1917). Hand worked animation from a period when a short was often finished by one person with an assistant.
  30. - Japanese Old Animation (1929). A silent piece from the first decades of Japanese animation, its timing built around gags rather than dialogue.
  31. - 1917 A cartoon depicting Karl Von Bulow captured by Joseph Joffre after the First Batt. Figures move a few frames at a time in one of the shorts that established animation as a working practice in Japan. The work here is A cartoon depicting Karl Von Bulow captured by Joseph.
  32. - Anime documentary: show-by-show anime history, 1907 - 2010, part 1 of 8. Paper cutouts and brush work carry a short from the decades before cel animation became the standard method in Japan. The work here is documentary show by show history part 1 of 8.
  33. - Bizarre Animation (1930) Wow, it's Amazing! - Charley Bowers. Hand worked animation from a period when a short was often finished by one person with an assistant. The work here is Bizarre Wow it's Amazing! Charley Bowers.
  34. - 1929 Kobu Tori subtitled HD restoration 4k-ish hard subbed EARLY ANIME. An old man with a lump on his face dances for demons who take it away, and his neighbour tries the same and fails. The material here is Kobu Tori hard.
  35. - [1956] Yūreisen. A ghost ship sails through a silhouette fantasy assembled from cut and layered paper.
  36. - Kuro Nyago (1929) [English Subtitles]. Cats dance to a song in a short built around recorded sound.
  37. - 大藤信郎「煙り草物語」A Story of Tobacco（1926）. An early Japanese animator's short survives in a print that shows the wear of its age. The work here is 大藤信郎「煙り草物語」A Story of Tobacco（ ）.
  38. - Namakura Gatana 1917 FULL subtitled HD 4K-ish Restoration. Blunt Sword. EARLY or FIRST ANIME. A samurai buys a sword he believes is fine steel, then discovers the blade is blunt when he tries it on passers by who fight back. Four minutes of slapstick survive from the Junichi Kouchi short, found by film historian Matsumoto Natsuki at an Osaka antique market in summer 2007 and screened after restoration by the National Film Archive of Japan in April 2008. This copy runs 5 minutes.
  39. - TAKO NO HONE (The Octopus' Bone/Skeleton) 1927 animated short by Yosuji Murata. An octopus pursues a bone it cannot possibly have, in a Yasuji Murata cutout comedy.
  40. - Corporal Norakuro (1934) - Animê Antigo. A stray black dog enlists and works his way up through an animal army in an adaptation of Suiho Tagawa's comic strip.
  41. - Kobu Tori - The Lump - 1929 English Subtitle NEW RESTORATION - remember to turn on subs :). An old man with a lump on his face dances for demons who take it away, and his neighbour tries the same and fails. The material here is Kobu Tori The Lump NEW remember to turn on subs ).
  42. - 100 Jahre Anime: 1917 - 2017 (Die komplette Dokumentation). Paper cutouts and brush work carry a short from the decades before cel animation became the standard method in Japan. The work here is 100 Jahre.
  43. - japanese cartoon 1917. Line drawn figures move in the earliest surviving register of Japanese animation, made when the whole craft was a handful of people working alone. The work here is cartoon.
  44. - 1926 A Story of Tobacco Noburo Ofuji 480p. Paper cutouts and brush work carry a short from the decades before cel animation became the standard method in Japan. The work here is A Story of Tobacco Noburo Ofuji.
  45. - [1929] Tarou-san no Kisha. Hand worked animation from a period when a short was often finished by one person with an assistant. The work here is Tarou san no Kisha.
  46. - [1928] Nihonichi Momotarou. A silent piece from the first decades of Japanese animation, its timing built around gags rather than dialogue. The work here is Nihonichi Momotarou.
  47. - [1929] Issunboushi no Shusse. A boy no bigger than a thumb sets off downriver in a bowl to make his way in the capital.
  48. - [1936] Osaru no Kantai. Surviving footage from the decades when Japanese animators were adapting folk tales and comic strips to film. The work here is Osaru no Kantai.
  49. - Kobu tori (1929) | The Lump | Rare Japanese Animation. An old man with a lump on his face dances for demons who take it away, and his neighbour tries the same and fails.
  50. - Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki 1917. A caretaker character appears in one of the three shorts from 1917 that competing studios released as Japanese animation began. The material here is Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki.
  51. - Yuureisen OST (1956). An early Japanese animator's short survives in a print that shows the wear of its age. The work here is Yuureisen OST.
  52. - Imokawa Mukuzō Genkanban no Maki 1917. A caretaker character appears in one of the three shorts from 1917 that competing studios released as Japanese animation began.
  53. - Japanese Lanterns Cartoon 1935. An early domestic production, made when studios were small rooms rather than industrial operations. The work here is Lanterns Cartoon.
  54. - [1917] Hanasaka Jijii. An old man makes withered trees blossom, and his greedy neighbour fails at the same trick.
  55. - Hare and Tortoise - The 1924 Anime with superb line art - Sumerias HD Restoration. The race between the hare and the tortoise is staged with clean line work for its date.
  56. - みんな観てな〜日本最古のアニメ動画 (1917年)！！. Surviving footage from the decades when Japanese animators were adapting folk tales and comic strips to film. The work here is みんな観てな〜日本最古のアニメ動画 ！！.
  57. - The Roots of Japanese Anime Until the End of WWII 2008. Figures move a few frames at a time in one of the shorts that established animation as a working practice in Japan. The work here is The Roots of Until the End of WWII.
  58. - Tora-chan no kankanmushi 1950. A stray kitten is taken in and causes domestic havoc, drawn by Kenzo Masaoka with unusually full movement for its date. The material here is Tora chan no kankanmushi.
  59. - The Donkey 1930 Animê antigo produzido por Yasuji Murata. An early domestic production, made when studios were small rooms rather than industrial operations. The work here is The Donkey Animê antigo produzido por Yasuji Murata.
  60. - Anime (1917 - 1945). Surviving footage from the decades when Japanese animators were adapting folk tales and comic strips to film.
  61. - Dos Mundos (1929). Yasuji Murata. (Subs eng- spa-jap). Yasuji Murata cuts his figures from paper and moves them against painted backgrounds.
  62. - Genroku Koi Moyou: Sankichi to Osayo [1934]. A period romance is staged as a cutout piece set in the Genroku era.
  63. - Momotarou no Umiwashi [1943]. Figures move a few frames at a time in one of the shorts that established animation as a working practice in Japan. The work here is Momotarou no Umiwashi.
  64. - Kyouryoku Boukuusen [1942]. Hand worked animation from a period when a short was often finished by one person with an assistant. The work here is Kyouryoku Boukuusen.
  65. - The Evolution of Japanese Animation日本のアニメの進化1917〜2016. Paper cutouts and brush work carry a short from the decades before cel animation became the standard method in Japan. The work here is The Evolution of 日本のアニメの進化 〜.
  66. - Indiscreet (1931) Pre-Code Drama | Romantic Comedy Musical | Full Length Movie. A silent piece from the first decades of Japanese animation, its timing built around gags rather than dialogue. The work here is Indiscreet Pre Code Drama Romantic Comedy Musical Length.
  67. - Noburo Ofuji 1926-1931. Paper cutouts and brush work carry a short from the decades before cel animation became the standard method in Japan. The work here is Noburo Ofuji.
  68. - 【日本のアニメ】 村田安司 Murata Yasuji 1931 空の桃太郎 Japanese Old Anime. Yasuji Murata cuts his figures from paper and moves them against painted backgrounds. The material here is 【日本のアニメ】 村田安司 Murata Yasuji 空の桃太郎 Old.
  69. - The Tiny One Makes It Big (anime made in 1929). Line drawn figures move in the earliest surviving register of Japanese animation, made when the whole craft was a handful of people working alone. The work here is The Tiny One Makes It Big.
  70. - 【日本のアニメ】村田安司 Murata Yasuji 1927 猿蟹合戦 さるかにがっせん Japanese Old Anime ＜無声映画＞. The crab is cheated by the monkey over a rice ball and a persimmon seed, and the household objects take revenge in the folk tale.
  71. - Fate/Grand Order - Memorial Movie 2023 English Ver.. Hand worked animation from a period when a short was often finished by one person with an assistant. The work here is Fate/Grand Order Memorial Movie Ver.
  72. - Saru to Kani Gassen (1917) - Kitayama Seitarō elveszett anime klasszikusa. The crab is cheated by the monkey over a rice ball and a persimmon seed, and the household objects take revenge in the folk tale. The material here is Saru to Kani Gassen Kitayama Seitarō elveszett klasszikusa.
  73. - Noroma na Jiji (1924) - Ōfuji Noburō úttörő papírkivágásos anime klasszikusa. A slow moving old man becomes the subject of a paper cutout comedy. The material here is Noroma na Jiji Ōfuji Noburō úttörő papírkivágásos.
  74. - Kenzou Masaoka's Tora-chan #vintageanime - Suteneko Tora-chan (1947) #vintagejapanesecartoons. A stray kitten is taken in and causes domestic havoc, drawn by Kenzo Masaoka with unusually full movement for its date.
  75. - Kenzou Masaoka's Tora-chan #vintageanime Tora-chan to Hanayome (1948) #vintagejapanesecartoons. A stray kitten is taken in and causes domestic havoc, drawn by Kenzo Masaoka with unusually full movement for its date. The material here is Kenzou Masaoka's Tora chan vintageanime Tora chan to.
  76. - Slow Old Man (Noburō Ōfuji, 1924) - Film Secession Teaser. A slow moving old man becomes the subject of a paper cutout comedy.
  77. - Kenzou Masaoka's #vintageanime Tora-chan no Kankan Mushi (1950)#1920s #vintagejapanesecartoons. A stray kitten is taken in and causes domestic havoc, drawn by Kenzo Masaoka with unusually full movement for its date. The material here is Kenzou Masaoka's vintageanime Tora chan no Kankan Mushi.
  78. - 【パブリックドメイン】1940年。日本。アニメ。瀬尾光世『あひる陸戦隊』。作曲：服部正。. Figures move a few frames at a time in one of the shorts that established animation as a working practice in Japan. The work here is 【パブリックドメイン】 年。日本。アニメ。瀬尾光世『あひる陸戦隊』。作曲：服部正。.
  79. - 【パブリックドメイン】1941年。日本。アニメ。瀬尾光世『アリチャン』. An ant works through a small adventure in a Mitsuyo Seo short. The material here is 【パブリックドメイン】 年。日本。アニメ。瀬尾光世『アリチャン』.
  80. - Japanese Paper Films | Trailer. An early Japanese animator's short survives in a print that shows the wear of its age. The work here is Paper Films.
  81. - 約100年前の京都の女の子 昭和4年 KYOTO GIRLS in 1929. Line drawn figures move in the earliest surviving register of Japanese animation, made when the whole craft was a handful of people working alone. The work here is 約100年前の京都の女の子 昭和4年 KYOTO GIRLS in.
  82. - 【パブリックドメイン】1930年。日本。政岡 憲三「難船ス物語 第壱篇 猿ヶ嶋」。 Nonsense Story, Vol 1 Monkey Island.. A monkey island episode from Kenzo Masaoka's early sound work.
  83. - 【パブリックドメイン】1935年。日本。瀬尾光世「いなばの国の兎さん」。昔のアニメ。映像。Mitsuyo Seo. A silent piece from the first decades of Japanese animation, its timing built around gags rather than dialogue. The work here is 【パブリックドメイン】 年。日本。瀬尾光世「いなばの国の兎さん」。昔のアニメ。映像。Mitsuyo Seo.
  84. - べんけい対ウシワカ (1939). An early domestic production, made when studios were small rooms rather than industrial operations. The work here is べんけい対ウシワカ.
  85. - (1943 Anime Movie) Kumo to Tulip. An early Japanese animator's short survives in a print that shows the wear of its age. The work here is Kumo to Tulip.
  86. - (1925 Anime Movie) The Pot. A pot becomes the centre of a small transformation gag in a silent cutout piece.
  87. - 🎬 Vintage Japanese Animation | Issunboshi no Shusse (1929). A silent piece from the first decades of Japanese animation, its timing built around gags rather than dialogue. The work here is 🎬 Vintage Issunboshi no Shusse.
  88. - Bagudajo no tozoku - Burglars of "Baghdad" Castle - (1926). Thieves work a castle in a silhouette piece, the earliest of Ofuji's films built from chiyogami paper.
  89. - Kogane no hana - The Golden Flower - (1929). Cut paper figures move through a tale staged in Ofuji's layered patterned paper.
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