Japanese storyteller's mission to keep art of ‘kamishibai’ alive

‘I don’t remember the stories I heard but I remember being in a group with other children and excitedly waiting to hear the stories. Usually, adults wouldn’t have time to spend with children, but the kamishibai man would always have time for us,’ recalls Etsuko about her early memories tied to this traditional storytelling medium from Japan. Photo: Brigitte Rozario

She was five years old and playing on the street in front of her grandfather’s house in downtown Tokyo in the 1960s. Along came a kamishibai performer on a bicycle. He stopped nearby and was quickly surrounded by several small children, some came with coins to buy treats.

The kamishibai man took their money and handed out candy. While they ate it, he entertained them with kamishibai (Japanese paper theatre) storytelling. The little girl didn’t have any money to buy the candy. So, she had to sit at the back of the group as she watched the man slide picture boards through a butai (wooden mini stage) and share stories.