Facts about Kamishibai

1. 06

   Postwar kamishibai storytellers, known as gaito kamishibaiya, typically performed original serialized adventure and romance stories to build repeat audiences among neighborhood children.

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2. 05

   Buddhist monks used an early form of kamishibai called etoki to illustrate and explain religious narratives to illiterate audiences in medieval Japan.

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3. 04

   In modern education, kamishibai has been adopted internationally as a teaching tool to promote literacy and storytelling skills in children.

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4. 03

   The practice of kamishibai significantly declined after television became widespread in Japan during the 1950s.

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5. 02

   During the 1930s and 1940s, kamishibai storytellers traveled Japanese streets by bicycle, selling candy to children who then received free story performances.

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6. 01

   A form of Japanese street storytelling, kamishibai uses illustrated boards displayed in a wooden frame called a butai to narrate stories to audiences.

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