Title: Katsudō Shashin Release Year: Circa 1907 Creator: Anonymous (Possibly a private hobbyist or early Japanese filmmaker) Country: Japan Runtime: Approx. 3 seconds (50 frames) Language: Silent Genres: Experimental, Animation, Short Film, Historical Artifact --- Overview: Katsudō Shashin — translated as "Moving Picture" — is often cited as the earliest known example of Japanese animation. Though incredibly short and rudimentary, this artifact holds a landmark place in both anime history and the broader evolution of global animated film. It is not a commercial or studio-produced work, but rather a handmade strip of film discovered in an old Kyoto home, believed to predate more formal Japanese animation by nearly a decade. --- Description: The film consists of approximately 50 hand-drawn frames on a celluloid strip. When run through a projector or flicked in sequence: A young boy in a school uniform appears to write the characters カツドウ写真 (Katsudō Shashin) on a chalkboard. He then turns to face the viewer and removes his cap, offering a slight bow — a common gesture of respect in Japanese culture. While simple in design and motion, the work is surprisingly fluid considering its age, using frame-by-frame hand drawing that predates cel animation technology in Japan. --- Production Context: Likely created as a home experiment or novelty item, possibly sold in early optical toy shops like those that distributed magic lanterns or flipbooks. The creator is unknown, and there's no clear evidence of commercial distribution. The piece was discovered on three strips of 35mm film inside a Kyoto collection and donated to a film archive in the early 2000s. --- Historical Significance: Katsudō Shashin predates other contenders for the first anime, such as Namakura Gatana (1917), by about a decade. Demonstrates that frame-by-frame animation was being explored in Japan independently of Western studios like Émile Cohl or Winsor McCay. Represents a critical moment in the cultural exchange between Japan and early cinema, as the country rapidly absorbed Western technology and experimented with its own media art forms. This artifact is now studied extensively in animation history, Japanese media studies, and visual culture archaeology. --- Animation Techniques: Direct hand drawing onto film stock (possibly with ink or a stencil method), rather than using transparent cels or photographic methods. No camera or professional production methods were used — this was likely a personal or artisanal project. Projected frame rate is estimated around 16 fps, consistent with early film practices. --- Preservation Status: Restored and archived by Natsuki Matsumoto, a Japanese film historian and collector. Currently held by multiple academic institutions and museums, and often included in retrospectives or anime documentaries. Digitally available in some educational settings and on platforms like YouTube under public domain claims. --- Trivia: The animation is so short (roughly 3 seconds) that its impact outweighs its duration — making it perhaps the most important few seconds in the history of Japanese animation. The bow at the end is interpreted as a gesture of gratitude or audience acknowledgment, further humanizing the boy and making the film feel purposefully performative. While it was long believed that Japanese animation began in 1917, this piece pushed back the accepted origin by a full decade, changing the narrative of anime history. --- Hashtags: #KatsudoShashin #EarliestAnime #AnimeHistory #JapaneseAnimation #1907Film #SilentAnimation #HandDrawnFilm #FilmArchaeology #OtakuHistory #AnimationOrigins #PublicDomainAnime #HistoricAnime #ExperimentalAnimation #FirstAnime #CulturalHeritageFilm