Utsushi-e (Japanese Phantasmagoria) - the most high-tech visiual entertainment from Edo to Meiji period- Curated by Machiko Kusahara 　Magic lanterns were very popular in 19th century. Magic lanterns were very popular in 19th century. People encountered images, stories or facts they had never seen or heard through magic lanterns.They were tools for enjoying illusion as well as for practical communication. Imagine a world where you have magic lanterns instead of television, video, film, or even internet. 　Today we enjoy imaginary world created using digital technology such as computer graphics or virtual reality. We know that special effects and animation technique made the basis of representation of fantasy through the history of film. But it did not start with cinema. 　 Long time before the arrival of cinema, which was monocrome and silent, people enjoyed colorful moving images with narration at traveling magic lantern show. Large scale Phantasmagoria show could be as exciting as a show we see at a theme park today. Optical entertainment such as peepshow boxes where one discovers a three dimensional landscape through a small lense, or various apparatus to see animated images or continuous photography at home or arcade, was also popular. These apparatus prepared the invention of cinema.

In Japan as well, optical entertainment became popular in 19c. Magic lanterns were brought from Holland (Holland and China had trade with Japan even while it closed the border for more than 200 years) and developed into Utsusi-e, a Japanese original visual entertainment which is close to Phantasmagoria. Vivid color and dynamic animation technique accompanied with traditional music enchanted Japanese audience. But cinema replaced Utsushi-e. Because it was just a popular entertainment for ordinary people, little record remained.Slides and wooden lanterns were mostly lost by earthquake(1923) and the war. Once so popular Utsushi-e quickly became forgotten. It is a great pleasure to see Utsushi-e now being performed in its fully traditional style by Minwa-za. It is also interesting to know that the rather small scale theatre company could restore old material by themselves with the aid of personal computers. Digital technology is behind the scene of an old form of entertainment. 　 After the 100 years anniversary of cinema, awareness has risen to its pre- and post-history, from shadow theatre or magic lantern show to digital image or cyberspace. It may be the right moment for Utsushi-e to find its place in the world history of moving images. Also, it might give another aspect to the history of Japanese visual culture. I conceived and curated this web site hoping it will bring an attention to the precious heritage of Japanese pre-cinema history, which was luckily revived by the efforts of people who love our culture. (Media Art Curator/Researcher, Kobe University)