Oldest Japanese Animation Found

J.sharp j.sharp
Sun Aug 21 07:10:30 EDT 2005


Judging from the retrospectives that played at the Tokyo National Film
Centre, Nippon Connection and Puchon Festival all in 2004, the oldest
surviving print seemed to be a version of The Hare and the Tortoise,
directed by Sanae Yamamoto in 1924. Prior to this, there were three men who
were said to have started anime in Japan around the same time, each
producing their first works in 1917.

I wrote a long two piece article for Midnight Eye about the history of
Japanese animation, as it was presented up until last year in various books,
brochures and articles. The first part can be found here:
http://www.midnighteye.com/features/pioneers-of-anime.shtml

Am I therefore the only person who is a little skeptical about this claim
that the first Japanese animation has now been discovered to predate these
three films by 10 years? Especially as J. Stuart Blackton's incredibly
primitive looking Humorous Phases of a Funny Face, a series of chalk
drawings, was only made in 1906? (this film can actually be viewed online,
though I can't seem to find the link offhand). This seems to be akin to
saying that Japan invented  animation. I, for one, am not convinced at all
by this discovery.

Jasper Sharp
www.midnighteye.com








--------- Original Message --------
From: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: Oldest Japanese Animation Found
Date: 20/08/05 19:45

>
> Many thanks to both of you! These items give me a great way to start my
anime course this year. I believe there's an old one of a cartoon animal
engaged in outdoor sports. Is that the one previously regarded as the
earliest?
>
> Michael McCaskey
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: M Arnold &lt;ma_iku at hotmail.com&gt;
> Date: Saturday, August 20, 2005 7:51 am
> Subject: Re: Oldest Japanese Animation Found
>
> &gt; &gt; http://mdn.mainichi-
> &gt; msn.co.jp/national/news/20050820p2a00m0et007000c.html
> &gt; Asahi also had a short article on it late last month:
> &gt;
> &gt; http://www.asahi.com/kansai/news/OSK200507300041.html
> &gt;
> &gt; It says that Matsumoto and Tsugata are planning to publish a paper
> &gt; in the
> &gt; &quot;Nihon Eizo Gakkai no kikanshi&quot;.
> &gt;
> &gt; Michael Arnold
> &gt;
>
>
>
>
>
>

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