Imokawa Mukuzo-san Genkanban no Maki(1917)

Imokawa Mukuzo-san Genkanban no Maki

Shimokawa Hekoten drew with chalk on a blackboard with the help of Tenkatsu (Color Motion Picture CO., Ltd.), and created the background and characters. Overlapping parts were erased with white paint, and the first animation of Japan was completed through repeated shooting.

This work is considered to be the first recorded professional animation of Asia, it also contains the first dramatic structure in which a main character has a humorous name.

(Source: CAPSULE Blog: Total Color List Production Committee)

There is a lot of speculation if this movie was in fact ever released. It was screened several times at a movie company, but it is said that even the author, Shimokawa, was not satisfied with the work due to the sloppy movement. There is however, no evidence that it actually released in theaters. The name of the work does not exist in the list of theater screenings in Magazine "Kinema record" or "Movie Review" for Janurary 1917. Also since there is so few materials that mention this film and no copy has ever been found, the contents of the story are completely unknown.

Some even speculate that was released at a later date in 1917 under a different name.