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Manga Kamishibai
The Art of Japanese Paper Theater
More in our next
Newsletter
Kamishibai:
A Versatile Tool to Develop
Reading, Writing
and Oral Storytelling Skills
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Quick Links
Caldecott Medalist
Allen Say
Remembers
Asian Zodiac Postcards
2 examples:
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 Kamishibai for the New Year
An interesting way to talk about new year's customs is to introduce the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. Any child who has been to a Chinese restaurant probably knows what the animals are and which animal represents the year he or she was born. But do they know why the mouse (some say rat) is the first animal in the cycle or why the cat was not included?
One of our most popular kamishibai, How the Years Were Named,describes how the Chinese emperor decides the order of the animals by having a race. The tiny mouse wins by using its wiles to outsmart the powerful ox, who starts the race before any of the other animals. This tale, which is popular in China, Japan and other parts of Asia, also describes how the cat oversleeps, misses the race and thus, is not included in the cycle. A variant of this tale has the Buddha holding the race, not the Chinese emperor.
The illustrations of this story are in beautiful, vibrant tones and the movements of the animals are depicted dynamically. Students not only enjoy learning "how the years were named," but are also intrigued to find out what animal represents their birth year and what the traits of their animal are (a list is included for each animal). |
| The Year of the Tiger
By the way, do you know what animal represents the year 2010? Yes - it's the Tiger! Although the emperor in our kamishibai variant thinks that the tiger or its traditional rival, the dragon, will win, these powerful animals get so involved in wrestling each other that they forget about the race and are passed by the other animals. People who were born in 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 and babies born in 2010 are tigers and are said to be energetic, independent, competitive and strong-willed.
Although the tiger is a native of Asia, it is not indigenous to Japan, and ancient Japanese artists drew the animal by looking at tiger skins and imagining what the animal looked like. The creatures often had gentle facial features and looked like overgrown cats! The tiger is often represented as the most powerful animal on land and the dragon the most powerful in the sky. Warriors often used tiger skins as a part of their regalia, and the fearful oni (ogres) of Japanese folklore as well as the thunder god wear pants made of tiger skin. The tiger appears often in popular culture, too. There is a professional baseball team called the Hanshin Tigers, and anime character named Tiger Mask, and a folk-rock group from the 60s was called The Tigers. |
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Unlike the Chinese who observe the lunar calendar, the Japanese welcome the New Year on January 1. They clean their homes thoroughly and prepare a lot of special dishes. On New Year's Day people wear their finest clothes and visit a shrine or temple to make a wish for the New Year. They often visit relatives, close friends or associates during the long holiday (it lasts officially until January 15) and children often receive small envelopes containing money, especially from relatives. No one minds going to see his or her grandparents!
People send their greetings by postcard as well. The cards are held by the post office and delivered all together on the morning of January 1. Many people still design their own cards, and one of the most popular motifs is the animal for which the year is named. Postage stamps also bear images of the animal. People decorate their homes with folk toys, paintings or statuettes depicting the animal during the festivities. | |
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