Newsletter Vol.20
The International Kamishibai Association of Japan- Contents From IKAJA in Tokyo

1

The Story of a Mother and Chihiro’s Wish by Takeshi Matsumoto2
6About Chihiro Iwasaki and the Chihiro Art Museum

IKAJA’s Recommended Kamishibai: 							 7The Chimpanzees’ Concert (Chinpanji no Ongakukai) by Hiroshi Abe
Worldwide Activity Report
Spreading Kamishibai Culture in Seoul by Chae Kyung-hee
Noriko Matsui and the Heart of Vietnam by Eiko Matsui
What is French Kamishibai? (in French and English) by Yuiko Tsuno
Kamishibai around the World during the Pandemic Period by Etsuko Nozaka11131416

New Seminar Report
Attending the Kamishibai Special Seminar by Hideko Sugiyama			

World Kamishibai Day
Voices of Performers in Tokyo by Jia Shan / Baasansuren Bolormaa / Saori Katagiri

Kamishibai Supply Information
What is IKAJA?
Membership Application FormIKAJA's International Members and Friends in the World

18
1920
21
22
23
24

From IKAJA in Tokyo
The television shows people strolling leisurely down a path of blooming hydrangeas.
But despite the peace constitution, it seems Japan is becoming a country capable of war.
What can kamishibai do at a time like this?
IKAJA was established with the desire to share, study, and perform kamishibai for thesake of peace.
We have wonderful compositions, created in the hope of happiness.
Let us perform them widely.
This newsletter starts from the introduction of Mr. Matsumoto’s lecture, which he gave
at IKAJA Kamishibai Seminar “Let’s go out with Butai for Peace” on 11 Nov, 2023
in Tokyo. His lecture features Chihiro Iwasaki, who left us a wonderful body of work
wishing for happiness and peace for children.

1

Kamishibai Supply Information￼￼￼￼￼￼*Standard dimensions of kamishibai sheets:26.5 x 38.2 cm

Kamishibai Sheet*Standard number of sheets in publishedkamishibai:
8, 12, 16, 24, etc.

Kamishibai Stage

34.5cm*Dimensions of a kamishibai stage(in brown wood):
W 42.5 x H 34.5 x D 8.3 cm
ISBN 4-494-07300-8Japanese retail price (tax excluded): ¥ 11500

50cm

42.5cm24.7cm8.3cm

Back side view with kamishibai sheets

34.6cm
85.4cmKamishibai Stand

table*Dimensions of a kamishibai stand:W 63.5 x H 110 to 167 x D 41 cm
ISBN 4-494-07304-0
Japanese retail price (tax excluded): ¥ 55000

clothstand67 to 110 cm
Height adjustable

table(steel stand, black table and cloth)cloth

If you would like to order kamishibai
supplies, please use the following links:
http://www.doshinsha.co.jp/kamishibai/translations/
Librairie Japonaise Junku
http://www.junku.fr/
To read synopses in English ofnearly 40 recommended Japanesekamishibai, visit this link:
https://www.kamishibai-ikaja.com/
documents/Recommended-kamishibai-un.pdf

What is IKAJA?
Activities

The International Kamishibai Association ofJapan (IKAJA) is Japan’s largest kamishibai
association. The spokesperson is Kyoko Sakai,chair of the publishing company Doshinsha. Thelate Noriko Matsui is our eternal honorary leader.
Since the establishment of IKAJA in 2001, wehave held 40 domestic kamishibai seminars andissued 43 semiannual Japanese newsletters as well
as 20 annual English newsletters. We are holding
a series of kamishibai performance workshops
and creation seminars. (Both series will continue
over half a year.)English-Language Website

Please visit IKAJA’s English-language website.
It has been revamped so it caneasily be viewed by cell phone.
http://www.kamishibai-ikaja.com/en/Doshinsha Publishing Co., Ltd. also has an
English-language page on its website:
http://www.doshinsha.co.jp/
kamishibai/translations/

Membership Fee

Annual membership fee is explained in thefollowing link:
The 2024 IKAJA Kamishibai Seminar will https://www.kamishibai-ikaja.com/
take place on November 9 (from 1 to 5:30 en/regist-eng.htmlp.m.) and on November 10 (from 9:30 a.m. to2:30 p.m.) at the Shuppan (Publishing) Club If you would like to invite your friends to join
Building in Kandajimbocho, Tokyo. We will IKAJA, you can use the following link
inform you of the detailed program by email. The https://www.kamishibai-ikaja.com/documents/
participation fee of international member is free. Membership-Application-Form.pdf
There will be no interpreter, but UD talk powered or the Membership Application Form
by Google translate will assist you. Please kindly on the next page.
check the immigration restrictions in Japan before
your departure on your own responsibility. We Kamishibai Members and Friends
intend to record, subtitle, and share part of the In addition to the Overseas Membership, theseminar with our entire membership, so please status of Friends has been established. For
Members who have not paid their dues forbe looking forward to it!
more than three years, their status will be
automatically changed to Friend. Friends will
Membership
get information about IKAJA's seminar justDomestic individual members: 562
once a year. If Friends wish to read IKAJA's
Domestic group members: 12
newsletters or watch the lecture videos, theyInternational individual members: 301
can return to full Membership at any time
(Members 130, Friends 171)
upon payment of one year’s membership fee.
International group members: 21
Once they become Members again, they can(Members 12, Friends 9)
join IKAJA's kamishibai seminar in November
Total: 896 (as of August 2024)
basically free of charge.

Contact

Etsuko Nozaka (Ms.) and Hina Nagase (Ms.)
International Project TeamThe International Kamishibai Association ofJapan (IKAJA)
E-mail: kamishibai@ybb.ne.jp

If you would like to become a member of IKAJA, please photocopy this page and fill in the form.
Send the form to our FAX number: 81-422-49-8990.
Or contact us by e-mail: kamishibai@ybb.ne.jp

Membership Application Form
I would like to be an Individual / Group Member of IKAJA. (Please choose.)
Date:
Mr. / Ms. / Dr.
First Name:
Family Name:
Date of Birth (D/M/Y):
Nationality:
Home Address:
Home TEL/FAX:Home E-mail Address (if any):
Profession or Main Activities:
Office Address (if any):
Department/Position:
Office Tel/FAX
Office E-mail Address (if any):

Benefits of Becoming a Member
After we receive your Membership Application Form and Membership Fee, you will receive
Kamishibai Newsletter Vol.10 in digital format as a welcome gift. It is a useful beginner’s guide
about the theory and history of kamishibai offered by IKAJA. The latest issue of the Kamishibai
Newsletter will be sent to you in autumn via e-mail. In addition, all International Members who live
outside of Japan can join our annual November kamishibai seminar basically free of charge.

IKAJA’s International Members and Friends in the World***Kurdistan (a part of Iraq)

Our membership grew to include 574 domestic members and 322 international
members and friends, for a grand total of 896 members. Members in 57 countriesand regions were represented in our organization (as of August 2024).

5

Kamishibai Newsletter Vol. 20
Limited Digital Version
Issue date: 17 September 2024
Edited by:
Etsuko Nozaka
Yumi and Katsunori Michiyama
Hina Nagase
Translations by:

Alexander Brown and Etsuko Nozaka
Original Texts:

The articles on p.13 appeared in IKAJA’s Japanese-language journal Kamishibai Bunka noKai vol.42 (December 2023).

The articles on pp.18-20 appeared in IKAJA’s Japanese-language journal Kamishibai Bunka
no Kai vol.43 (June 2024).
Illustration:
Cover art © Seiichi Tabata(from Kamii the Robot series published by Doshinsha)

Copyright © 2024 The International Kamishibai Association of Japan (IKAJA)
No part of this newsletter except the Membership Application Form may be reproduced in any form, by print,
photo print, microfilm or any other means, without written permission from The International Kamishibai
Association of Japan (IKAJA), 3-32-15-1F Inokashira, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-0001 Japan.

E-mail: kamishibai@ybb.ne.jp
Website: http://www.kamishibai-ikaja.com/en/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IKAJA.kamishibai
6E-mailWebsiteFacebookIKAJA

7