Katsudou Shashin

Synopsis

The film consists of a series of cartoon images on fifty frames of a celluloid strip and lasts three seconds at sixteen frames per second. It depicts a young boy in a sailor suit who writes the kanji characters "活動写真" (katsudou shashin, or "moving picture"), then turns towards the viewer, removes his hat, and offers a salute. The fragment was discovered in 2005, having been purchased with a private collection in Kyoto. The film was likely created between 1905 and 1911. If so, the film may be the oldest known piece of animation from Japan.