Choju-giga Picture Book: The Scroll of Frolicking Animals – Often Called the World’s Oldest Manga

Choju-giga in English and Japanese

Large-format book (extended B4 size), 36 pages
Price (before tax): ¥2,000

Choju-giga: The Scroll of Frolicking Animals is an illustrated book that introduces one of Japan’s most famous picture scrolls, often considered the origin of manga and one of the most beloved masterpieces of Japanese art.

This book is available on Amazon worldwide and from major online bookstores in Japan.

Created about 900 years ago and preserved for centuries, Choju-giga depicts rabbits, frogs, monkeys, and other animals behaving like people. As you enjoy their lively and charming gestures, you can also imagine how people in medieval Japan may have lived, played, and viewed the world.

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日本語版はこちら： 『対訳鳥獣戯画』｜親子で楽しむ日本最古の漫画「鳥獣戯画」の対訳絵本

What Is Choju-giga?

Choju-giga is a set of four Japanese picture scrolls that has been preserved at Kōzanji Temple in Kyoto for nearly 900 years. This book focuses on the first scroll, widely regarded as the most famous and engaging part of the set. Because the scroll contains no written text, viewers have long imagined their own stories and interpretations. By looking closely at the animals’ gestures and expressions, we can also reflect on the games, customs, and daily life of people in medieval Japan.

Learn more about Choju-giga in our introduction article, or explore interpretations of the most famous scene in the scroll.

Choju-giga Scroll of Frolicking Animals bilingual book sample page

The Mystery of Choju-giga

Choju-giga is surrounded by many mysteries. One of them is why it was preserved so carefully at the temple for such a long time. It has been safeguarded alongside many national treasures closely connected to the temple and its teachings. If it were simply an amusing picture scroll, this level of reverence might seem surprising. Some people therefore wonder whether it contains a deeper religious or cultural meaning. No one knows for sure.