How to Read Kamishibai

Kamishibai stories are read from the back of illustrated cards. However, you can also tell
the story from memory or even improvise a little to add to the story.
Move the front card to the back after you finish one part of the story. The text now
showing will be the story for the card that is at the front.
The text for the title image (card 1) goes on the back of the last card, so when showing
the title image to the audience, you can read the corresponding text without turning
the card around.
When you finish the story for card 1, move it to the back of the pack. The story for card
2 which is on the back of card 1 will now be at the back for you to read. Once you havetold that part of the story, you move this card to the back and again the story for thecard 3 will now be at the back for you. You continue this for each part of the story until
the end.
Remember, the text on the back of a card does not correspond to the illustration on
its front!

The Japan Society | Education Resources | www.japansociety.org.uk | education@japansociety.org.uk

Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 2

Momoko hates England. She arrived around a month ago with her family - Mum, Dad and... that. ʻThatʼ appeared
when they were still living in Japan. Itʼs her new brother Koji. Everybody was so excited about him, but Momoko was
not impressed. He never stops crying and demanding Mumʼs attention. Whenever Mum isnʼt watching, Momoko has
noticed he looks at her meanly, as if to say: “Ha! Mum isnʼt yours any more. Sheʼs mine now.”

Momoko hates him as much as she hates England. They arrived in the middle of winter and the sky was so grey andheavy compared to Japan where it was sunny and dry. Momoko misses the bright winter sky. It was cold in Japan too,but here it feels more sinister, like itʼs creeping up to you and going right inside. And itʼs so quiet here; the walls of thehouses are so thick that you canʼt hear anything outside. In her home in Japan, sounds from the neighborhood would
trickle in and fill up the air.

1Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 3

She misses her old nursery in Japan where the nursery teachers were always smiling and kind. Here, sheʼs already goingto school and she canʼt understand what the teachers are saying ‒ it sounds like a lot of instructions. The few words
she knows arenʼt much help to ask questions or talk to her classmates. On the first day she missed lunch as she didnʼtunderstand what was going on - it was a very hungry day.
Itʼs not just the language, but thereʼs something else that Momoko isnʼt used to. In her old nursery everyone wasJapanese like her and had dark hair and olive skin. The children in her school here have so many different shades of skinand hair colour. Mum said some of her classmates moved to England from other countries too, but Momoko doesnʼtfeel like she fits in. She used to be very lively - sometimes too lively - but she has become very quiet. She misses her
old teachers and her friends in Japan that she could talk to so much... She feels lost and alone.

2Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko HohkiIllustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 4

Noticing Momokoʼs distress, Mum suggested they put out her hina dolls earlier than usual this year. Momoko loves thesedolls. Theyʼre old - they used to be her mumʼs, and before that they belonged to her grandma - but are well-made withbeautiful details. Mum insisted on bringing them to England, saying it would be bad luck not to put them up for the DollFestival.
So one Sunday, Mum and Momoko set to work. First, they set up the shelves where the dolls would sit, the hina dan. Thenthey took out the dolls one by one. They started from the top with the noble Emperor and the elegant Empress. Bothof them are wearing luxurious outfits, with gold and silver woven into them. The Emperor has a sword and a hat with along tail sticking up, which looks funny, but Momoko knows she shouldnʼt laugh. The Empressʼs long hair, which expands
magnificently on both sides, is tied up at the back. Momoko and Mum take care unwrapping a small fan and golden hairaccessory and placing them very carefully on the Empress so as not to break anything. Momoko adores her clothes, herhair and her graceful expression.

3Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 5

Next they set up the dolls on all the other platforms. Sitting below the Emperor and Empress are the dignified Three Court
Ladies. Each of them has a utensil to serve the royal couple and they all look very sincere, as if theyʼre working hard. Belowthem are the mischievous Five Musicians, all young boys. Three of them hold drums of all different sizes; one has a flute;and the final one, with a fan, is a singer. It was a fiddly job putting the tiny utensils and instruments into the small dollsʼ
hands, but as soon as theyʼre there the dolls look so alive.

The next step down is occupied by two solemn ministers, the protectors of the royal couple. They have stern faces and lookinvincible, with bows in their hands and arrows on their backs. The step below that belongs to the lively Three Servants,
who sit between a cherry blossom tree and a mandarin orange tree. The one with a parasol looks angry, the middle one
with a shoe rack looks like heʼs about to cry, and the one with an umbrella is laughing. Momoko wonders why.

Finally they place all the extras: food trays, furniture, utensils, plants, lights and some carriages. There we are! A magnificent
miniature palace has appeared in Momokoʼs room.

4Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 6

It was wonderful to spend a day with just Mum, while Dad looked after Koji. Theyʼd worked hard and Momoko felt very tired
at bedtime. Sometimes she feels a bit lonely in her new room and asks Mum and Dad to leave the door slightly open, buttonight she has all the hina dolls to keep her company. So, after Dad finished her bedtime story and Mum said goodnight,
she let them close the door.

Momoko snuggled up in bed. She could see the moon shining through the window, beyond the big tree. Usually the tree
looks rather menacing with its bare branches extending out like bony arms, but tonight it made a nice background for thehina dolls. The two small bonbori lamps cast a soft light on the royal couple who looked calm and peaceful. The gracefulsmile on the Empressʼ face was so enchanting and reassuring. Momoko fell asleep...

She was woken up by a strange sound ‒ it sounded like someone murmuring in a very low voice, accompanied by a fluteand some percussion. It reminded her of the music played at her local shrine in Japan during festivals. She turned her headtowards the sound.

5Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko HohkiIllustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 7

It was coming from the hina dolls! There, Momoko saw the five musicians playing their instruments, moving their littlearms and mouths. Momoko was fascinated. Above them, the three court ladies were busy preparing food and drink andthe three male servants were passing them utensils from the steps below, standing on some of the furniture so they could
reach.

Then Momokoʼs eyes moved to the top tier. The Emperor was standing there in his usual noble manner and next to him
was the elegant... wait, the Empress was missing! Her clothes were there, but the Empress herself was not! Momoko looked
around, puzzled until she spotted the Empress on the floor in front of the display. She was wearing only a white garment
which looked like old-fashioned underwear and moving very slowly with a serious face. Momoko thought she had seenmasked performers doing a dance like that on Japanese TV before ‒ was it called noh dance? Suddenly the Empress tripped
and almost fell head over heels. She looked a bit shocked then burst out laughing.

6Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 8

Momoko was amazed and sat up so she could see better. The five musicians had joined in with the Empressʼs laughter.
The three court ladies looked very worried and crowded around the Empress but she waved them away saying, “Iʼm fine!
Iʼm not used to this thing called carpet!”. The angry servant man said angrily, “Yes, what a stupid thing that is!” The crying
servant said, almost crying, “Please be careful Empress, imagine if you hurt yourself!” And the laughing servant said,laughing, “The Empress is OK. Sheʼs a tough lady.”

The Empress noticed Momoko and turned to her. Momoko was scared they might change back to lifeless dolls, but theydidnʼt. The ministers swiftly moved their hands to the arrows on their backs. The Empress stopped them with a wave ofher hand and said in a very friendly manner, “Oh hello, Momoko-san! Thank you so much for bringing us out today.”

Momoko was thrilled the Empress was talking to her. She had a very warm, clear voice. Momoko had never talked to a doll
before (or to an empress) so she wasnʼt sure what to say for a while, but eventually she said, “Youʼre welcome.”

7Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 9

The Empress looked around her and said, “I like this room, itʼs big but cosy. Is this your new room?” When Momoko told
her it was and that they had moved to England recently, the Empressʼs face lit up with excitement. She turned around andcalled out, “Weʼre in England now! Can you believe it?”Everyone started talking all at once. The Emperor was still on the shelf and looked like he was making a big effort to lookcalm in the midst of this chaos. The Empress shouted up to him, “Darling, did you hear? Weʼre in England, would you liketo come down and have a look?”

The Emperor answered in rather quiet voice, “I can see much better from up here, thank you.” The Empress turned toMomoko and whispered, “Heʼs afraid of coming down as the steps are quite steep. Heʼs a bit of a scaredy cat!” and shewinked. She continued, “Also he doesnʼt want everyone to see him in his underwear. You canʼt climb up and down in thatridiculous costume!” Then she laughed heartily.

8Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 10

That night, Momoko and the Empress talked and talked. The Empress wanted to know what it was like to live in England.
She was most excited about Momokoʼs school and she wanted to know everything about it. In the end, the three ladies
called to inform her that it was terribly late, and she should let Momoko sleep. The Empress agreed and, as she hurried backto the shelves, she asked Momoko to remember everything that happened at school the following day and report back toher. Momoko asked if that meant she could see the Empress again tomorrow. The Empress turned round and smiled: “Ofcourse! At bedtime. But keep it secret, please!”

She winked at Momoko again then she swiftly climbed the shelves using the furniture the three servants had set up assteps. At the top, she quickly put her elaborate costume back on and sat on her throne. As soon as she sat down, shebecame lifeless. Momoko got out of bed to check; all the hina dolls were exactly as she had set them up that afternoon,
except there was a little bit of carpet fluff on the Empressʼs hair. Momoko smiled and whispered, “See you tomorrow.”

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Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 11

When Momoko woke up the next morning, the sky looked different. It was still grey but it was lighter and more
accommodating somehow. Over breakfast she thought Koji looked at her not meanly, but with respect, knowing that she
was now a friend of an empress.

School felt different too. From morning assembly to the farewell greetings, Momoko was keen to know everything thatwas going on. She was on a very important mission for the Empress. She even tried asking a few questions to gather more
information. That night, and then each night afterwards, Momoko met the Empress to tell her what had happened inschool that day. She loved watching the Empressʼs face light up with excitement. Momoko started to enjoy school moreand more.

Noticing the change in her, one day the teacher asked Momoko to speak about Japan for Show & Tell. Momoko thought
about it and then she had an idea - she could take the Empress to school! When Momoko mentioned her idea to theEmpress that night, she was overcome with delight. The three ladies showed their concern, and the Emperor expressedsome annoyance, but Momoko knew they couldnʼt stop the Empress.

10Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 12Momoko gave her presentation on the third of March which was the day of Hina Matsuri, the Doll Festival! Momoko waswell prepared; she had practiced her speech many times. She had a lot of pictures showing the Doll Festival in Japanand also a large picture of the hina dolls in her room ‒ Dad took ages to take the photo. And she had a shoe box whichcontained the Empress, wrapped in very soft cloth and tissue paper.

The presentation went very well. When she produced the Empress, with the fan and golden hair ornament, the wholeclass gasped in amazement. As Momoko walked around showing everyone the Empress, she felt very proud and happy
knowing the Empress would be thrilled to meet her classmates.

After school, some girls came up to Momoko and asked if they could come to see all her hina dolls. Mum was there topick her up and agreed straight away - she was delighted that Momoko was making friends. A few other girls overheardand asked if they could come too. In the end, a large group of girls and their mums all followed Momoko and Mumhome.

11Momoko and HinaStory by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 13

While the mums chatted to each other in the front room, the girls all went to Momokoʼs room to look at the hina dolls
and the Empress back on her throne. They were very impressed by the scale and all the details. They sat around thehina dolls and drank some squash instead of amazake and ate cookies instead of hishimochi sweets. It was the mostunusual Hina Matsuri Momoko had ever had. The most fun, too.

When no-one else was listening, the Empress whispered to Momoko ‒ “Wow! Your school is so international, just likethe Olympics. It must be amazing to have friends from all over the world!” Momoko looked around at her classmates.
She realized the Empress was right; she wasnʼt alone or lost in her new school in England, everyone was different andtogether they made something big and special ‒ just like the Olympics! She felt happy to be a part of it.

12

Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 14

That night, the Empress was the one who talked. She was so excited about the school visit and Momoko was happy tosee her so happy. Then the Empress said: “Thank you so much, Momoko-san, Iʼm glad our last day ended like this. I had
such a brilliant time this year. All thanks to you!”

Momoko couldnʼt believe it. How could it be their last day together? The Empress explained that all the dolls had to
go to sleep again after the festival - they had to be put away as soon as it was over. For a while Momoko was lost forwords. Then she asked, “So weʼll meet again next year?”“I would like that, but it all depends. You needed us this year, next year I hope you wonʼt,” said the Empress. “But donʼtworry - weʼll always be here if you need us,” she added.

With that, she turned to the hina shelf and began to climb it most gracefully. Momoko wanted to call her back, but she
knew she couldnʼt stop her. After all, she was the empress! When she arrived at the top, she put on her costume slowly
and smiled most warmly. Just before she turned back into a doll, Momoko could have sworn she saw her wink.

13Momoko and Hina
Story by Kazuko Hohki
Illustrations by Aya Burbanks

story text for card 1

About the festival
The Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri in Japanese) takes place every year on March 3 in Japan and celebrates the health and happinessof girls. In the run-up to the festival, families with daughters will usually display ornamental dolls at home and these dolls areoften passed down through families. Public displays are also common.
Both the dolls themselves and the displays vary from simple to extremely elaborate, however the tiered stands are usually red
and the Emperor and Empress will always be found at the top dressed in costumes from the Heian era (794-1192). Traditionally,
it is considered bad luck to leave the dolls out after the festival.

The Japanese words in this story are:Hina: Refers to dolls which are displayed during this festival

Amazake: A sweet traditional Japanese drink made from fermented

Bonbori: A paper lanternrice and associated with the festival.

Hishi-mochi: A Japanese sweet associated with the festival. They
are diamond-shaped, made from rice and have three layers which
are coloured pink, white and green.

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