the origin of Japanese manga

I visited the Suntory museum in Roppongi, Tokyo to see the special exhibition of the old picture scrolls ‘Choju Giga (鳥獣戯画)’. Choju Giga which is a national treasure is said to be the first Japanese manga and to have been drawn in the 12th or 13th century. Toba sojo, a Buddhist monk, is thought to be the author of the scrolls but that is uncertain.

(wiki commons)

A lot of animals like a monkey, rabbit, fox or frog behave facetiously as if they were human being. Although there are some scenes in the scrolls, what kind of story Choju Giga tells wasn’t yet understood. Anyway, you can imagine your own story when you see the scrolls.

When I traveled in Italy last month, I visited some museum and was impressed. Hoever I thought I havn’t visited Japanese museum in Japan as often as overseas and go to some museum around Tokyo when I sit in the seat of Lufthanza airplane. Then I found the post of the exhibition at the subway station when I went home from my company.

Choju Giga is very famous here but I have never seen the real ones. It is nicer than a printed picture on a book or school textbook.

What I found in Ravenna

I stayed the hotel ‘Argentario’ in Ravenna, Itary ,visiting there last month. I found a Japanese picture in the dining room of the hotel when I ate breakfast. I didn’t have a camera then, so I took a picture with my mobile phone. I asked a staff of the hotel how they got the picture.

‘I don’t know’. she said, ‘It’s very old and I think someone presented it the owner.’

It didn’t seem very expensive but I was surprised a bit. Ravenna is famous for mosaic pictures but the old city is small. You can walk around the city for a day.