Two New Early “Anime” Films Discovered

A researcher from Tokyo’s National Film Center has announced that two early examples of Japanese animation have recently been discovered at an antique store in Osaka.

“Nakamura Katana”, a two minute long silent movie by animator Junichi Kouchi, tells the story of a samurai tricked into buying a dull-edged sword. The film was first released in 1917.

Seitaro Kitayama’s “Urashima Taro” is a 1918 adaptation of the classic Japanese fairy tale.

The oldest existing example of Japanese animation is estimated to have been made around 1907. The first commercial Japanese animation is thought to be Oten Shimokawa’s 1917 short “Imokawa Mukuzo, The Janitor.”

Source: Reuters