Explore the vast range of titles available.

The transmission of skills, techniques, and practical knowledge within the animation industry has been a central concern from its beginning. Looking at the films available today and building on previous research in anime history, the authors try to assess the importance of two figures of the second generation of Japanese animators, Masaoka and Yamamoto, focusing on their animation techniques and legacy. Tracing a straight line from 1920s small‐scale animation workshops to a large commercial studio such as Toei Doga has certain consequences, both in terms of content and production structure. Japanese arts and crafts rely on the master–disciple relationship to transmit technical and aesthetic know‐how and gestures; a process of learning through observation and repetition that is referred to as minarai. Production techniques and the division of labor is a major concern for the first generation of pioneers.

In this chapter I will focus on the development of animation in postwar Japan, with emphasis on the period of the Allied Forces Occupation from 1945 to 1952. Hirano Kyōko’s (1992) groundbreaking work about the state of the Japanese cinema during that period should have been the most direct reference for this research. However, like other similar publications, it does not cover the animating medium, giving the overall impression that Japan had stopped producing animation after the end of the Second World War. Among the notable publications in English that have appeared so far and have given due emphasis to

Over the past quarter century, anime, a popular form of Japanese animation (comprising manga and video game characteristics), has engendered tremendous amount of interest both in the academic and nonacademic sectors. This book, however, is not about anime per se. It seeks to present a well-rounded study of Japanese animation as a whole consisting of a collection of essays written by scholars and practitioners originating and residing in Japan and the East Asian region. The beginning of this project and its theme subject, “Teaching and Researching Japanese Animation: Some East Asian Perspectives,” dates back to a conference panel session that

Japanese animation first emerged in 1917 when Shimokawa Oten (1892–1973), Kitayama Seitaro (1888–1945), and Kouchi Junichi (1886–1970), working independently of each other, sought to make the first animation in Japan. The three of them are considered to be the first generation of pioneers in Japanese animation, whereas the second generation included Yamamoto Sanae (1898–1981), Ofuji Noburo (1908–1961), and Murata Yasuji (1896–1966). To the third generation belonged Oishi Ikuo (1901–1944), Masaoka Kenzo (1898–1988), and Seo Mitsuyo (1911–2010). This chapter examines Masaoka’s contributions to the technical developments in Japanese animation. It first provides a background on the life of Masaoka before turning to a discussion of his animation career, including the works he did during the Pacific War as well as his animated films. The chapter concludes with a look at Masaoka’s animation career after the Pacific War, citing some of his works such as Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) and Suteneko torachan (Tora-chan the Abandoned Kitten).