The current obsession kids these days have with Japan’s wonderful storytelling is hardly new. I didn’t realize quite how far it went back, though, or the closeness of the forms. Anime my children watch – there’s even a streaming service for anime – parallels with the fairy tale books published over a century ago. I stumbled across a lovely article on the Japanese Fairy Tale series, twenty books published spanning the late nineteenth century into the twentieth. Looking at that from the twenty-first century, I am very appreciative of the works which are as much art as literature.
The illustrations are lovely, and the stories are simple, as these were intended for children, and some, as the article explains, were chosen by English sensibilities for moral values rather than any sort of popularity. Still, I enjoy seeing them, and the discussion of the paper was interesting. When I was looking for more, the article having piqued my interest, I was delighted to discover that a relatively local library has a copy. I may have to go see it.
Really, the art is just… I could spend hours leafing through these tales and making little sketches to attempt my poor imitations of it.
It’s easy to see where manga, and graphic novels came from. The roots go back a very long way, and I’m delighted to have found this out, so I can explore the wellspring of creative history they represent.
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11 responses to “Japanisme”
On the topic of paper, I think that it would be fun to make handmade paper. That was one thing I wanted to use my galvanized wash tubs for. I have several books on paper making. Maybe next summer sometime when you are coming down, we should plan on trying that.
I wonder how marketable works printed on homemade paper, with original art by the author, could be.
As art prints? Very!
Some of yours, especially, would be very suitable as art prints on handmade paper.
Handmade paper and handmade inks with the walnut and pokeberry. Very fun idea!
Yes! We will have to make a plan and do that!
That would be fun! I’ll get down to your place after Thanksgiving, but I think that will be clean-up after the house work you’re having done. This may have to wait for spring.
I think we will need warm weather – without a shop or garage, we’ll need to work outside. And there is some paper making equipment that needs to be found or made.
If we can make up alist of that, I can start looking for it.
I will work on that after the house is back together. But I know we will need the framed screens that you dip in the pulp, and a place to dry the sheets of paper.
I love the story of “The Boy Who Drew Cats”.
One of these days, he’s going to make an appearance in my Dungeons and Dragons campaign.