Chōjū jinbutsu giga first - satoshi-create/emakimono-next GitHub Wiki
📜 Chōjū jinbutsu giga first
Often referred to as "Japan’s oldest manga," Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga ("Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and People") is a humorous and satirical emaki from the 12th century.
In this first volume (Kōkan / 甲巻), anthropomorphic animals such as rabbits, frogs, and monkeys engage in sumo, archery, music, and rituals—mimicking the world of humans.
🧭 Scroll Overview
- 📅 Period: Heian (12th century)
- 🖌️ Attributed to: Toba Sōjō Kakuyū
- 🏛️ Housed at: Tokyo National Museum (copy / facsimile)
- 📹 Related video: Watch on YouTube
This scroll is widely celebrated for its expressive brushwork, dynamic movement, and comedic storytelling. While playful at first glance, it may also contain subtle critiques of social and religious institutions.
📑 Chapter Titles
| Chapter | Japanese Title | English Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 兎と猿の水遊び | Rabbits and Monkeys Playing in the Water |
| 2 | 兎と蛙の賭弓 | Archery Gambling Between Rabbits and Frogs |
| 3 | 禄の物を受ける猿僧正 | Monkey Monk Receiving Offerings |
| 4 | 猿と蛙の喧嘩 | Fight Between Monkey and Frog |
| 5 | 田楽見物 | Watching a Dengaku Performance |
| 6 | 兎と蛙の相撲 | Sumo Match Between Rabbit and Frog |
| 7 | 双六盤を運ぶ猿 | Monkey Carrying a Sugoroku Board |
| 8 | 周忌法会の僧侶役をつとめる猿僧正 | Monkey Monk Performing a Memorial Service |
| 9 | 猿僧正への供え物 | Offerings to the Monkey Monk |
🔍 Scene-by-Scene Commentary
🛠️ Coming soon!
This section will contain image previews, frame-by-frame analysis, and interpretations for each chapter.
🔗 View the Scroll Online
🎨 [Open the Scroll Viewer →](https://emakimono.com/Ch%C5%8Dj%C5%AB-jinbutsu-giga_first)
You can explore the full scroll interactively with chapter markers and text overlays.
🔗 See Other Volumes
🐵 Characters
- 🐰 Rabbit: Often depicted as playful, athletic, and clever.
- 🐸 Frog: Appears in both humorous and combative roles.
- 🐒 Monkey: Sometimes portrayed as a high-ranking monk or performer.
- 👤 Human monk(s): Parodied through animal counterparts.
🗂️ Additional Metadata
- Scroll ID:
Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga_first - Image format: Cloudinary-optimized JPGs (1920×1080 max)
- Chapter mapping: via
emaki-text-data/Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga_first.json - Metadata:
image-metadata-cache.json
📬 Feel free to suggest edits or contribute translations via pull request!