Kenzô Masaoka

A rare glimpse of early Japanese sound anime and prewar Japanese culture, The Roots of Japanese Anime features the masterworks of such pioneers of Japanese animation as Noburo Ofuji, Yasuji Murata, and Kenzo Masaoka, in addition to Mitsuyo Seo’s Momotaro’s Sea Eagle, the notorious war cartoon billed as Japan’s first feature anime. These movies represent the brilliance and variety of anime, ranging from beautiful Japanese paper animation to powerful multiplane cel cartoons. They also evoke the fascinating complexity of Japan, a nation that is then both marching towards war, enlisting kids in militarist nationalism, yet also delighting in a mixture of modern popular culture, ancient folk tales, irreverent comedy, and the everyday life of prewar Japanese children.

Tora-chan and Miike are working on the side of a tuna steamship and manage to run afoul of the short-tempered captain. But the captain makes plenty of trouble on his own!

Tora-chan and Miike and playing while their big sister prepares for her wedding. Just then a letter arrives; it's from Grandfather, who writes that he won't allow the wedding as long as he lives! Bride and groom rush to the church to get married before the old cat can stop them, but his boat has just arrived! Can Tora-chan and Miike keep him distracted long enough for their sister's happy day to go uninterrupted?

A family of cats find an abandoned kitten and take him in to their home. But one of the siblings becomes jealous about the attention the new cat gets from her mother and runs away from home. The new member of the family goes looking for her. Can he bring her back home safely and get her to accept him as part of the family?

A visually artistic animation with no real story. It follows a pair of butterflies as they drift past various beautiful depictions of people and animals.

A ladybird is being chased by a black-faced spider.

A ladybird is being chased by a black-faced spider.

Wartime propaganda film loosely based on the attack on Pearl Harbour in which Fuku-chan assaults a den of thieves who had been terrorizing the town.

Adapts the legendary encounter between two key figures in Japanese culture.

Chestnuts, bees, and a mortar join forces to punish a villainous monkey.

A short morality/folktale film about an old couple that learn the virtue of not being greedy.

Animated short from Japan.

The first full cel-animated short. A group of tanukis investigate a temple and cause mischief.

Jesuit priests in Japan during the 17th century are persecuted by the shogunate to for trying to spread Christianity.

Animated short about a kid on monkey island.

Before Masaoka Kenzō became one of Japan’s main animation pioneers, he directed two live-action featurettes full of special effects, both considered lost. Until this abridged version of the children’s fairy tale Sea Palace was found, now restored by the Kobe Planet Film Archive with the support of IFFR. A sensation for animation lovers.

Before Masaoka Kenzō became one of Japan’s main animation pioneers, he directed two live-action featurettes full of special effects, both considered lost. Until this abridged version of the children’s fairy tale Sea Palace was found, now restored by the Kobe Planet Film Archive with the support of IFFR. A sensation for animation lovers.

Before Masaoka Kenzō became one of Japan’s main animation pioneers, he directed two live-action featurettes full of special effects, both considered lost. Until this abridged version of the children’s fairy tale Sea Palace was found, now restored by the Kobe Planet Film Archive with the support of IFFR. A sensation for animation lovers.

Before Masaoka Kenzō became one of Japan’s main animation pioneers, he directed two live-action featurettes full of special effects, both considered lost. Until this abridged version of the children’s fairy tale Sea Palace was found, now restored by the Kobe Planet Film Archive with the support of IFFR. A sensation for animation lovers.