Indoctrination by Paper Theatre

This essay explores the use of kamishibai – a Japanese storytelling medium – as a tool to spread propaganda to children during the Second World War. I argue that the government-imposed curricula and centralized education system laid the foundation for kamishibai’s efficiency in instilling nationalist sentiments among the youth. These engaging and widely accessible stories were used to glorify military action and instil values aligned with the objectives of the wartime state. The medium’s effectiveness lay in its engaging format, intertwining entertainment with ideological messaging to a highly impressionable audience. Kamishibai faced heavy criticism and censorship post-1945, eventually dying out due to modernization and the rise of the television. The analysis highlights the ethical concerns surrounding the manipulation of children, the blurred lines between education and propaganda, and the broader implications of the use of the media as a means to spread ideological messaging.