The House of Folk Tales and Kamishibai is a unique cultural facility located in the scenic hot spring resort of Sarugakyo Onsen in Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture. Situated near the beautiful shores of Lake Akaya, the facility offers visitors an opportunity to experience the charm of traditional Japanese folk tales and kamishibai picture-story shows.
The facility houses more than 500 local folk tales and approximately 2,000 kamishibai works, including pieces dating from before World War II. Rather than simply displaying these materials, the facility introduces the history and appeal of kamishibai through live demonstrations, videos, and other forms of presentation.
Sarugakyo Onsen once flourished as a post town along the Mikuni Kaido, an important route connecting Edo, present-day Tokyo, with Echigo, in present-day Niigata Prefecture. Travelers, merchants, and traveling performers passed through the area, helping local stories, legends, and traditions develop and spread through generations.
As times changed, however, the number of traditional storytellers gradually declined, and many of these valuable oral traditions were at risk of being lost. The House of Folk Tales and Kamishibai was established to record, preserve, and share this cultural heritage with future generations.
Kamishibai is a form of popular entertainment that developed uniquely in Japan. In its traditional form, a storyteller would gather children on the street and tell a story while changing illustrated cards in a small wooden stage.
The collection at the facility covers a wide range of genres. Visitors can see traditional street kamishibai as well as religious works related to Christianity, Buddhism, and Shinto, along with literary works from before World War II.
Modern works and handmade kamishibai are also preserved, allowing visitors to observe how this distinctive storytelling tradition changed over time.
One of the highlights of the facility is the nozoki karakuri, a traditional form of entertainment that developed during the Edo period.
It consists of a box-like structure containing illustrated scenes that viewers look at through lenses. The images appear enlarged and three-dimensional, creating an early form of visual entertainment.
Several viewing holes were installed near the bottom of the portable structure, allowing children to look inside. Within the structure, approximately ten illustrated panels were raised one after another using cords, gradually advancing the story.
At the side of the structure, a storyteller would narrate the story rhythmically while manipulating the illustrations, drawing the audience into the unfolding world.
Traditional performances included stories such as Hototogisu, The Life of Sakura Sōgo, and Yaoya Oshichi, which were presented with expressive storytelling and dramatic narration.
Following the Meiji Restoration and Japan’s modernization, nozoki karakuri evolved with the introduction of gas lamps, carbide lamps, and eventually electric lighting. These developments allowed the images to become brighter and more visually impressive.
However, the popularity of cinema and the spread of kamishibai eventually caused nozoki karakuri to decline, and the tradition had almost disappeared by the postwar period.
The exhibit at the House of Folk Tales and Kamishibai is a reproduction based on an original example that survives in Niigata Prefecture. Its internal mechanism has also been faithfully recreated, providing visitors with a valuable glimpse into the entertainment culture of earlier Japan.
To understand the origins of kamishibai, it is also important to explore older forms of visual storytelling such as picture scrolls and shadow puppetry. Both traditional forms are introduced at the facility.
Emakimono, or Japanese picture scrolls, tell stories by gradually unrolling a long illustrated scroll. The viewer follows the story from right to left, with the progression of the images creating a sense of movement through time.
The facility features a picture scroll based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, allowing visitors to experience the world of classical Japanese literature through traditional visual storytelling.
Shadow puppetry creates images by shining light on figures made from materials such as paper or wood and projecting their silhouettes onto a screen.
At the facility, performances based on the local Sarugakyo folk tale Kappa no Kusuri, or “The Kappa’s Medicine,” are presented as shadow plays. The mysterious atmosphere of the projected shadows adds a distinctive visual dimension to the traditional story.
Inside the facility is an area known as the Folk Tale Hearth. Visitors can sit around a traditional Japanese hearth and listen to recordings of local storytellers sharing their tales.
The stories are told in the traditional style of oral storytelling, creating a warm and nostalgic atmosphere. The collection includes mysterious tales, humorous stories, songs, and other forms of traditional oral culture that are gradually disappearing from everyday life.
Spending quiet time listening to these stories provides a particularly memorable cultural experience for visitors interested in discovering a different side of traditional Japan.
The House of Folk Tales and Kamishibai is located in Sarugakyo Onsen, a historic hot spring resort surrounded by the natural beauty of Lake Akaya.
The hot spring water is classified as a sodium-calcium sulfate-chloride spring, with source temperatures of approximately 42°C to 58°C. Inns and hotels are scattered along the shores of Lake Akaya, allowing visitors to enjoy both hot springs and beautiful natural scenery.
There are approximately 40 accommodation facilities in the hot spring district, and some also offer day-use bathing. The combination of a peaceful traditional atmosphere, historic hot spring culture, and beautiful landscapes makes Sarugakyo an appealing destination for travelers seeking a relaxing mountain retreat.
One tradition holds that the name Sarugakyo is connected with a story involving the warlord Uesugi Kenshin, who is said to have stayed in the area during the Warring States period.
During the Edo period, a checkpoint was established here, and the area played an important role as a transportation hub along the Mikuni Kaido.
The present-day hot spring resort was relocated and redeveloped as part of the construction of Aimata Dam. It has continued to evolve while preserving connections to the area’s long history.
The House of Folk Tales and Kamishibai is more than a conventional tourist attraction. It is a place dedicated to preserving and sharing an important part of Japan’s cultural heritage.
Through folk tales, kamishibai, nozoki karakuri, picture scrolls, and shadow puppetry, visitors can discover how stories were traditionally shared and enjoyed before modern forms of entertainment became widespread.
When visiting Sarugakyo Onsen, a stop at the House of Folk Tales and Kamishibai offers an opportunity to experience the warmth and depth of Japanese traditional culture while gaining a deeper understanding of the stories and traditions passed down through generations.