Picture Card Show (紙芝居 kamishibai):
The Mountain Village Assembly, April 1944
The Mountain Village Assembly
(A National Policy Kamishibai)
Summary of the Story
Sanpei, a 12 or 13 year old boy, living in a house deep in the mountains, decides he must become a youth worker (shōnen kō) to aid the war effort. He has just graduated from elementary school (kokumin gakkō - National Citizen's School) with honors and despondent over being too young to soldier, asks his teacher to allow him work in the factory building airplanes.
The night before he is to leave for the factory, a young monkey awakens him to take him to a celebration in his honor put on by the forest animals. They arrive at a cave deep in the forest where he is greeted by a bear, the leader of the Mountain Neighborhood Association, and many other animals. Thanking him for his decision to build airplanes to support the Greater East Asia War (Pacific War) which has now entered its "decisive stage," he is urged on by them and given various tokens to keep him strong. As dawn arises, Sanpei takes his leave, reminding the young monkey to protect the forest as airplanes are now being made of wood. Facing the rising sun, he shouts to all the young people in Japan, "I will absolutely become Japan's top young craftsman and build airplanes. You all must study hard too, so you won’t lose to the children of the enemy, the Americans and British."
The Context
By early 1944, the Japanese leadership faced an unwinnable war, and life on the home front grew increasingly harsh under the strain of shortages, mobilization, and air raids. Despite these challenges, the government maintained a narrative of resilience and ultimate victory, urging citizens to make sacrifices for the emperor and the nation. The combination of military defeats abroad and worsening conditions at home foreshadowed Japan’s eventual surrender in 1945.
Shōnen kō (youth workers), who are young protagonist, Senpei, so desperately wanted to be, were aged 12 to 16. Many were recent graduates of elementary schools or students pulled from their schooling. The aviation industry was a major focus for youth labor, as the production of military aircraft became increasingly urgent.
In the later stages of the Pacific War, Japan faced a critical shortage of metals and other materials necessary for aircraft production due to Allied blockades, resource constraints, and the bombing of industrial centers. This forced the Japanese to increasingly rely on alternative materials, including wood, for building aircraft. Plywood and laminated wood were used extensively in the construction of wings, fuselages, and propellers. Resin adhesives and varnishes were employed to improve the strength and durability of wooden parts, although these materials were also in short supply. Japanese forests became a crucial source of materials, with significant reliance on woods like hinoki (Japanese cypress), cedar, and beech, which were valued for their strength and lightness.
The Greater Japan Village Youth Association (Dai Nihon seishōnendan), which the forest animals were so proud to be members of, resulted from a consolidation of semi-governmental nation-wide village youth associations (seinendan) in 1941. The youth associations included virtually all young men between their early teens and late twenties who had completed elementary school. In rural areas they were "deeply rooted in village communal life" providing organized farm labor, organizing seasonal festivals and volunteer work. "The state depended on village seinendan to discipline youth, who were often labeled as impressionable and immature, and create ideal Japanese subjects. Through the political and economic upheavals of the 1930s, seinendan members carried the heavy burden of agricultural production increases, unpaid infrastructure maintenance, and military service, and with devotion they lived up to the reputation as the bastion of nationalistic ideology. The influence of the seinendan in rural life was so widely recognized that they even challenged the centrality of academic instruction provided by the school system."*
*Source: "Nation-Empire, Ideology and Rural Youth Mobilization in Japan and Its Colonies," by Sayaka Chatani, Cornell University Press, 2018, p. 21-22.
click on an image to enlarge
Card facing audience
Script read by narrator
⑳
Colophon and Instructions for Narrator (see left column)
脚本靑木綠園 繪畫城取春生
Script: Aoki Ryokuen (active c. 1915-1950)
Illustrations: Shirotori Haruo (active ?-c. 1944)
昭和十九年四月 二十五日 印刷納本
昭和十九年四月 三十日 發行
Printed and deposited: April 25, Showa 19 (1944)
Published: April 30, Showa 19 (1944)
お山の常會
The Mountain Village Assembly
賣價稅共金四圓也 (送料內地40外地80)
(Shipping: 40 yen domestically, 80 yen for overseas)
東京都京橋區銀座四ノ四
著作兼發行人 青木菊男
Ginza 4-4, Kyobashi-ku, Tokyo
Writing and Publishing: Aoki Kikuo
東京都日本橋區堀留町ニノ一〇
印刷人 水野義孝
Horidomecho 2-10, Nihonbashi-ku, Tokyo
Printer: Yoshitaka Mizuno
東京都京橋區銀座四ノ四
發行所 興亞画劇株式會社
Ginza 4-4, Kyobashi-ku, Tokyo
Publisher: Kōa Gageki Kabushiki Kaisha
電話京橋 (56) 三二八二番 五六八三番
振替口座東京一七四二五七番
Phone: Kyobashi (56) 3282, 5683
Postal Transfer Account: Tokyo 174257
(東東4006)
(Tōtō 4006)
①
[the narrator speaks]
Master Sanpei’s house is in the mountains, deep in the mountains in a very lonely place.
Sanpei, who was just about to graduate with honors from the National Citizen’s School*, made the following request to his teacher.
At this time of decisive battle, I am deeply disappointed that I cannot go to war. Please let me work in a factory. I want to make as many airplanes as I can and send them to our soldiers.
(while extracting the card)
Sampei's wish was granted, and it was decided that tomorrow he would leave for the airplane factory in town.
* Kokumin gakkō - the wartime name for elementary schools
②
Father: "Mother, what's that?"
Mother: "Dried persimmons. I'll pack them for Sanpei, so he can eat them on the train tomorrow. You know, the ones he loves so much."
Father: "Hmm. You won't find dried persimmons this delicious anywhere else... The dried persimmons I make are the best in Japan. Ha ha ha ha ha!"
(extract the card)
⑤
Sanpei: "Was it you who called me? Oh, Little Monkey!"
Little Monkey: "Yes, it was me. I've come to fetch you, Sanpei-san."
Sanpei: "You've come to fetch me? This late at night? Where are we going?"
At that, Little Monkey rolled his round eyes around nervously and explained:
"The animals of the mountain heard from the quick-eared Rabbit that Sanpei-kun is going to become a young factory worker. So tonight, they’ve decided to hold a send-off party for you!"
(extract the card)
⑥
Sanpei: "Hey, Little Monkey, that light over there—it's moving around from time to time. What is it?"
Little Monkey: "Ha ha ha!, That? That light is Owl-san. Since the path is dark, he's helping by acting as a lantern."
Just then, the nearby light shifted and moved.
Owl: "Good evening, Sanpei-san."
Sanpei: "Good evening, Owl-san. Thank you for your help."
(extract the card)
⑦
Little Monkey: "We've finally arrived. Sanpei-san, you see the cave over there, don't you?"
Sanpei: "Oh, I see it! I see it! It's a big cave, isn't it? Is that the place?"
Little Monkey: "Yes, that's the place. The Mountain Neighborhood Association holds meetings in there to discuss various matters."
Sanpei: "Wow, so you even have meetings?"
Little Monkey: "Of course, Sanpei-san. We, too, are animals of the Great Japanese Empire. We understand well that unity comes first if we're going to defeat America and Britain."
(extract the card)
⑧
The leader of the Mountain Neighborhood Association is Mr. Bear.
Bear: "They're late. Could Sarukichi [Little Monkey] have gotten lost? Maybe I should have gone instead."
Parent Monkey: "Th-that’s not possible, Mr. Leader. M-my Sarukichi would n-never get lost. Th-the other night, he went to Sanpei-san's house and, um, about the dried persimmons..."
Bear: "What about the dried persimmons?"
Parent Monkey: "W-well, actually, he secretly took one without permission, s-so I gave him a good scolding. Y-yes, I did."
The parent monkey’s eyes darted nervously.
Just then, the lookout squirrel came running in.
Squirrel: "Sanpei-san has arrived!"
(extract the card)
⑨
After the national ceremony was finished -
Bear: "Now, on behalf of the Neighborhood Association, I would like to offer some congratulatory words. This war is one we absolutely must win!"
Voices: "That's right! That's right!"
Bear: "To achieve that, nothing is more important than airplanes. We need to build as many airplanes as possible. That's why I think it's admirable that Sanpei-san is becoming a youth worker to help build airplanes. I'm sure you'll become an exemplary worker, Sanpei-san. Please build lots of good airplanes and send them to the soldiers as quickly as possible."
(While extracting the card)
"We will be praying for you from deep within this mountain."
⑩
Sanpei: "Allow me to say a few words. As you all know, the Greater East Asia War has now entered its decisive stage. This is a time when every single person on the home front must work with all their might to build airplanes. Although I am still just a child, I cannot let myself be outdone by the adults. I intend to work as hard as I can to build as many airplanes as possible, as quickly as possible."
(While extracting the card)
Voices: "Do your best! Stay strong! We're counting on you!"
⑪
Little Monkey: "Sanpei, please accept this as a celebratory gift!"
Sanpei: "What is this?"
Bear: "Well, you see, Sanpei, this is ‘Saru-zake’, Monkey Wine. It’s a treasured creation of the monkeys, made from tree fruits. Since it’s a celebration, please have a cup."
(While extracting the card)
At that moment, the sound of a strong wind roared, whoosh, and a great eagle flew in.
⑫
Eagle: "Good evening, Sanpei. Good evening, everyone. I’m terribly late. Sanpei, this is a feather from one of our strongest eagles. Please take it as a charm, so that you may build strong and fast airplanes."
Sanpei: "Thank you so much, Mr. Eagle. I’ll treasure it and take it with me. Truly, thank you—"
(While extracting the card)
At that moment, Mr. Bear spoke up—
⑯
"Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
"Oh, the first rooster's call!"
"Dawn is breaking already!"
Bear: "Quiet, everyone, quiet. Sanpei-san, it seems the night is finally giving way to dawn. If you’re late for your departure, it’ll be a big problem. Though it pains us to part, let’s say our farewells here. Please, do your best, not just for yourself but for all of us."
(extract the card)
⑱
Sanpei: "From here on, I can manage on my own."
Little Monkey: "Saying goodbye is such a sad thing."
Sanpei: "Stay strong, Little Monkey. Don’t get all teary-eyed. Remember, you’re a Japanese monkey! And now that wooden airplanes will be made, you need to stop your mischief and protect the mountain. Especially the trees in this forest—like cypress, beech, and cedar—because they’re vital materials for building airplanes. It’s a crucial role. Got it, Little Monkey?"
Little Monkey: "Yes! I understand. I swear to protect the mountain!"
(extract the card)
⑲
Sanpei: "Hey! Listen! I, Sanpei, will definitely become the best young craftsman in Japan. A craftsman who won't bring shame to our mountain—the number one craftsman in the country!
So, everyone, as you’ve heard, I will absolutely become Japan's top young craftsman and build airplanes. You all must study hard too, so you won’t lose to the children of the enemy, the Americans and British.
The end!"