iPad gives 'kamishibai' stories a new lease on life

A traditional "kamishibai" storyteller is using modern tablet computers to introduce new elements of improvisation and interactivity to his craft.

"Kamishibai" (picture card show) storytelling has a long tradition in Japan, using large picture boards to illustrate stories told on the street, and used to be a popular form of children's entertainment.

Now, modern technology is giving the neglected tradition a new lease of life.

At a performance in November in Kunitachi city, Tokyo, Yuta Sasaki asks his audience to give him the names of their favorite TV celebrities, and gets an unexpected answer from a young girl in the audience: "Papa!"

The 28-year-old storyteller is unruffled, quickly shooting a photo of her father's face with his cellphone and importing it into the iPad that forms the center of his act. The tablet computer displays the images that punctuate his narrative, replacing the picture boards of tradition.

Sasaki proceeds to spin a yarn about the girl's father fighting and defeating a villain, complete with illustrations of him in the center of the action.

While storytelling has always integrated elements of improvisation and interaction with audiences, Sasaki says modern technology is far more flexible than the old picture boards, allowing him to improvise narratives and add images from the Internet and his camera as he talks to his audience.

A feeling of spontaneity runs throughout his work. Musicians who accompany his performances improvise their music, and the performers make a point of not discussing what they are going to do before a story begins. It is all done by the seat of the pants.

"That is part of the fun in it," Sasaki says, laughing.

A graduate of Tokyo-based Keio University, Sasaki works as a freelance IT worker, making websites and animated videos, and gives kamishibai performances once a month at the Shitamachi Museum in Taito Ward, which is dedicated to traditional downtown Tokyo culture.

He was first captivated by kamishibai at a university festival, aged 23, and became a disciple of the late Masao Morishita, known as "Mr. Kamishibai." Sasaki devoted himself to studying kamishibai and Morishita's unique style.

Morishita died in late 2008. But Sasaki is still trying to live up to a promise he made to his master to "make street kamishibai a normal sight once more."

The idea of using Apple Inc.'s tablet computer in his performances came to him in August 2010. He says the sliding movement of the operator's finger on the touchscreen of the iPad to bring up each new illustration fits perfectly with kamishibai tradition.

"It resembles the movement of kamishibai when taking out a card," he says. "This must be the right choice to make today's children happy."

要約　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　伝統的な紙芝居の話し手、森下は現代のタブレットコンピューターを使うことにより彼の技術の新しい要素、即興性や相互性を披露している。紙芝居とは大きな板に絵と話が書いてあり、それを道路上で話すものとして、かつては子供たちの娯楽として楽しまれた。今、現代技術によって圧倒されていた伝統が復活している。森下は紙芝居の話し手の一人の青年である。彼は「かつてのように紙芝居を一般的なものにしたい」と取り組んでいる。

単語　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　modern　　　現代の　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　movement　　　動き　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　right　　　権利　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　tradition　　　伝統　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　illustration　　　イラスト　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　entertainment　　　娯楽　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　downtown　　　中心街

感想　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　私も小さい頃紙芝居が大好きでした。紙芝居を子供たちがいつでも見られるようになると嬉しいです。