Zubombo Project

_{Let's play Zubombo paper toy, from Edo era.　江戸のおもちゃ、ずぼんぼで遊ぼう！}

All it took was a fall from a roof. The story of a teacup somehow metamorphosing into a mystic being.It is a story on a night of beautiful fireworks told only by the magical creatures in the river.

 

There are so many stories all over Japan telling about mystic creatures and spirits. They might be scary but are also an existence filled with tips and wisdom. Although we don't see them at all, they might be just right in front of us, jumping around in their own secret world.

 

[Story]

The days go back to where a world-renowned Hokusai, a historical artist, was still around.

End of the 18th, beginning of the 19th centuries, the story happens in a compound in the city of Edo.

 

Once upon a time, in the town of Edo, one of the happy moments of people was to hit a cool breeze along the river on a hot summer night. People would go around the night shop looking up at the glorious night sky filled with fireworks with the sounds of excitement, just like we do today. The story's main character is a small teacup (Chawan) that fell from the roof one summer night. Chawan ended up fracturing her forehead as it struck on mulberry in the garden and becoming a "yokai," a supernatural being like a goblin. Chawan wandered out of the house where she met the legendary youkai "Kane" at the river. Kane endowed Chawan with magical power. Zubombo, Chawan's friend, was at their house waiting for its return, worrying about what happened to her.

 

[In production]

"Zubommbo" is a paper toy born in the Sumida River area in the late Edo period. It is an animal-shaped box with clam shells on its legs. You enjoy the soft sway with the wind created by a hand fan.

Zubombo shows us the traditions and culture nurtured by the city of Edo. We have workshops for you to make Zubombo and come upon your way of having fun with it.

 

This anime production project started with the ghost-shaped Zubombo exhibited in the art project "Sumida River Sumi-Yume Art Project" in 2019. The story of this anime is inspired by the folklore of Tsukumogami, who tells us that spirits dwell in objects over a long period, and the ghost stories and urban myths that have been around people in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, since the Edo period.

 

We decided to publish the anime on the Internet for easy access for various people. The director is Mitsutaka Yokota. We are focusing on affirmative perspectives towards the unexplainable, the existence of spirit dwelling in everything in the world, and the Japanese concept of valuing objects as much as living creatures. We hope you enjoy the 4 minutes journey of Princess Chawan and how things go with Zubombo.