Katsudō Shashin

1907 AnimationFamily 3 seconds

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About Katsudō Shashin

A boy in a cadet uniform writes the characters 活動写真 across the top of the frame, takes off his hat, and bows. The strip is about three seconds long and was made to run as a loop.

More about Katsudō Shashin

The maker is not named. The strip was found in Kyoto in 2005, in a collection of films and projectors. Evidence places the work between 1905 and 1912.

Themes

  • A boy writing on the frame
  • A cap tipped to the audience
  • A loop that repeats
  • animation
  • cadet
  • bow
  • Katsudō Shashin
  • Meiji

Technique

The pictures were stencilled onto a filmstrip and fastened in a loop so the bow repeats.

Preservation

The strip was found in Kyoto in 2005. It is the oldest known Japanese animation.

Notes

  • The frames were stencilled in red and black with a device used for magic-lantern slides.
  • It is also called the Matsumoto fragment.
  • 活動写真, katsudō shashin, means moving picture.

Also available

  • Wikimedia Commons (Katsudō Shashin (1907).webm)