The Choju Jinbutsu Giga or otherwise known as “The Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans” is a series of scrolls that were originally preserved in the Kozanji temple in Kyoto, Japan. These scrolls, or Emaki-mono (絵巻物), which are national treasures, are kept in the temple today, but what is kept in the temple is merely a reproduction of the original collection. The original scrolls are now preserved in the Tokyo National Museum and the Kyoto National Museum respectively. The first two scrolls are kept in the Tokyo National Museum and the latter two scrolls are kept in the Kyoto National Museum.
There is a collection of four scrolls total, each one created on Washi paper with traditional Japanese ink (墨), a technique called Ehonsumiga（絵本墨画）. It is said that these scrolls are responsible for having influenced the original creation of Manga (漫画) in Japan; now widely popular throughout the world. The illustration of animals seen throughout the scrolls are especially expressive, some seen drawn using a technique called “speed lines” which is a technique still used in Manga to this day.
While this collection of scrolls; the Choju Jinbutsu Giga, is often attributed as being the origin of Manga, there is another related artwork that is similarly attributed to being the influencing factor to the origin of Manga. This such
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However, when the first scroll became apparent at the temple of Kozanji, it was initially thought that it was an independent piece of artwork rather than a collection of four scrolls. Over time, more parts to the collection were created as well as gathered at the temple and is now preserved as a collection of numerous pieces of artwork. Although the collection is largely separated into four parts as mentioned above, it becomes evident that there are many pieces to this collection within each part or scroll known as Kou, Otsu, Hei and