The history of anime is a long and winding road. Most people start their journey with things like Astroboy, Gigantor, or Speed Racer. But Japanese animation doesn’t start in the 1960s, it dates all the way back to the 1910s. This is part of an ongoing series where we explore the forgotten roots of anime.
Today, we’re going to spend some time talking about a black and white film from 1935 featuring a sake loving samurai and a troupe of magical raccoon dogs.
Danemon Ban: The Monster Exterminator is one of the most interesting surviving examples of early Japanese animation. It is a time capsule, a fascinating look at a moment before anime developed its own distinct visual identity, but was instead heavily influenced by American cartoons.
The film follows Danemon Ban, a historical samurai figure, who accepts a job to clear a haunted castle. His motivation is refreshingly simple: he needs money for rice wine.
What he finds inside is a blend of global and local influences that defined early Japanese animation. The distressed woman he meets, with her large, expressive eyes, owes a clear debt to the popular American cartoons of the era, particularly the work of Fleischer Studios.
This was a time of artistic borrowing and experimentation. Japanese animators were learning the craft by adapting the techniques they saw in imported Western films.
But the story is pure Japanese folklore. The “monsters” are revealed to be tanuki. In Japan, these creatures are not just animals. They are legendary shapeshifters, symbols of mischief and merriment who love to play tricks on humans. The tanuki trick and knock out Danemon Ban, and their victory celebration turns into a lively, animated musical sequence.
When the samurai wakes and fights back, the film uses creative visual effects. The tanuki transform into a parade of human characters, including Tange Sazen, showing off their magical abilities. These inventive sequences hint at the creative potential that animators were just beginning to explore.
Danemon Ban is a vital artifact. It shows the roots of a global phenomenon, planted firmly in Japanese folklore but watered by the techniques of an international art form. It is a charming, surreal, and historically invaluable piece of cinema that every anime fan should see.
Watch it on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvJqQPF3Hxs
Watch it on Peertube: https://communitymedia.video/w/5zT3P8FAWAx6KLmAYGNRvE
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