Noburo Ofuji
大藤信郎
One of Japan’s great animators, Noburo Ofuji (1900-1961) first apprenticed with Jun’ichi Kouchi, a pioneer in the industry, before starting his own studio in the 1920s. Although cutout animation was already the dominant form of animation at the time, involving slightly moving paper cutouts of characters with each photographed frame, Ofuji stood out for utilizing traditional Edo Chiyogami paper that features decorative designs already printed on it. He eventually became the first Japanese animator known in the West as his unique world was introduced abroad in the 1950s.
Total running time: Approx. 92 minutes. / monochrome