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Kamishibai (紙芝居), literally "paper drama", is a form of storytelling that originated in Japanese Buddhist temples in the 12th century, where monks used e-maki (picture scrolls) to convey stories with moral lessons to a mostly illiterate audience. It endured as a storytelling method for centuries, but is perhaps best known for its revival in the 1920s through the 1950s. The gaito kamishibaiya, or kamishibai storyteller, rode from village to village on a bicycle equipped with a small stage. On arrival, the storyteller used two wooden clappers, called hyoshigi, to announce his arrival. Children who bought candy from the storyteller got the best seats in front of the stage. Once an audience assembled, the storyteller told several stories using a set of illustrated boards, inserted into the stage and withdrawn one by one as the story was told. The stories were often serials and new episodes were told on each visit to the village.

The revival of kamishibai can be tied to the global depression of the late 1920s when it offered a means by which an unemployed man could earn a small income. The tradition was largely supplanted by the advent of television in the late 1950s but has recently enjoyed a revival in Japanese libraries and elementary schools. Some Americans have translated traditional kamishibai into English and offer them as part of a "balanced literacy" teaching philosophy.

On the web

Kamishibai also exists in an electronic format for use on a computer. Stephen P. Lepisto and Jennifer Diane Reitz of Accursed Toys created a computerized version of the art form. Anybody is free to download the program and create his or her own story. However the site charges a subscription to download and read other authors' work. The program differs from actual kamishibai with the use of animation, midi music and sound effects. A majority of the stories in this format use an anime or manga style storyline and artwork. The genres range from magical girl to horror and everything in between.

In 2005, the Mount Helicon contest brought in 5 new stories for kamishibai, Small Paper World, Wings, the precursors of series Blue Cathedral and 7th Moon, and the winner Unmotivated about a girl who is so lazy she even makes the god of motivation give up.

Also of note are round robin compilations the Guardians and the more recent Go Green Go. Both series are ongoing and involve many authors and artists writing the story.