Japanese animation and manga are famous cultures not only in Japan but also overseas. But did you know that the works that are said to be the origins of animation and manga already existed in Japan over 800 years ago?

In this article, we will look at what is depicted in "The Picture Scrolls of the Choju Jinbutsu" (The Picture Scrolls of the Animals), a popular picture scroll among Japanese people, and explore the similarities between it and animation and manga.

Contents of Choju Giga

The Choju Giga, also known as the Choju Jinbutsu Giga, is a series of ink-wash scrolls handed down since ancient times at Kosanji Temple in Kyoto. The scrolls are divided into four volumes: "A," "B," "Chi," and "D." The various animals depicted in these scrolls are depicted in almost human-like gestures, creating a humorous portrayal of the era. The caricatures are said to have been created in Japan between the late Heian period and the early Kamakura period (mid-12th century to early 13th century). The content of the Choju Giga varies across the four volumes: "A," "B," "Chi," and "D." The shortest volume, the C volume, is 9.333 meters long, while the longest, the B volume, is a magnificent work measuring 11.89 meters.

So what is depicted in the four scrolls of the Choju Giga?

Instep

The first volume depicts anthropomorphized animals at play. For example, in the bathing scene at the beginning, a rabbit jumps off a cliff into the river while holding its nose like a human. Another famous scene in the Choju Giga is a rabbit and a frog wrestling. In this way, the first volume depicts the human-like movements of animals in a comical way.

Otsu

Scroll B depicts both real and imaginary animals. Unlike Scroll A, which is more story-like, Scroll B is characterized by its realistic depictions, as if one were looking at an animal encyclopedia. For example, it features animals that were familiar to Japan during the Heian period, such as horses, cows, hawks, dogs, and chickens, as well as foreign animals such as tigers, kirin, baku, and elephants, as well as legendary creatures such as dragons.

Hei

Volume 3 is divided into two parts. The first half is a genre painting centered on humans, while the second half is a caricature of animals like Volume 1. The first half of Volume 3 gives us a glimpse into the lives of people at the time, with scenes of monks playing Go and children playing Sugoroku. There is also a court event known as Noriyumi, and the period is depicted in great detail. In the second half of Volume 3, animals are again anthropomorphized, with dogs, monkeys, and rabbits seen deftly carrying objects and walking on two legs.

Ding

Only humans appear in Volume 2. It features a variety of people, including monks, aristocrats, men and women of all ages, and is painted with light brushstrokes, primarily depicting competitive scenes. For example, there is a scene in which a mountain ascetic, undergoing rigorous Buddhist training in the mountains, competes with a monk who is well versed in Buddhism, to see who has achieved the best results. Volume 2 also features scenes similar to those in Volume 1, but with humans instead, and is full of humor throughout.

Are the Choju Giga paintings full of mysteries?

The Choju Giga is said to be a work shrouded in mystery. Because there are no explanatory texts for the scrolls, it is unclear who painted the pictures, when, and for what purpose. For example, based on the style of the drawings, the leading theory is that the artist was Toba Sojo Kakuyu, who specialized in humorous caricatures at the time. On the other hand, because there are some parts of the Choju Giga that are inconsistent in their depiction, there is also a theory that they may have been painted by multiple court painters or Buddhist painters.

Commonalities between animation, manga, and Choju Giga

Choju Giga is often cited as the origin of manga and animation, but why? It's because Choju Giga uses techniques that are used in modern manga.

​One of the most representative examples is the use of the Ijidozu method of composition. Ijidozu is a technique for expressing a chronological sequence by depicting the same characters at different times in the same space. This method is standard for horizontally-oriented picture scrolls. In fact, manga is also drawn using the Ijidozu method. The same characters and scenery appear across multiple pages, and the way the story unfolds is also thought to be similar. Unlike other picture scrolls, Choju Giga depicts animals and humans in a comical way, incorporating satire, so the manga style can also be said to be similar.

In addition to this, many techniques used in manga and animation can be seen in Choju Giga. When drawing manga, effect lines are often used to express the movement of objects. This technique can also be seen in Choju Giga, where a naginata is depicted as spinning using lines. Also, in manga, speech bubbles are used to express the lines of characters, and in Choju Giga, a frog making a sound is depicted using lines. It is no exaggeration to say that the expressive techniques used in Choju Giga have been passed down to modern manga, 800 years later.

summary

The Choju Jinbutsu Giga is a comical and humorous picture scroll created in the Heian period, but it is a painting shrouded in mystery, with neither the artist nor the background to its creation known. Choju Jinbutsu Giga, which is said to be the roots of Japanese animation and manga, contains techniques that are still used in modern manga.

If you are interested in manga and animation, you might enjoy watching Choju Giga and discover similarities between the two.