The World's Longest Picture Scroll depicting Japanese American History on Exhibit in Yokohama, Japan

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(Free-Press-Release.com) May 5, 2009 -- Japanese artist seeks exhibitors in the U.S. to exhibit the world's longest picture scroll , which will be on exhibit for the first time to the public on June 5, 2009, at Yokohama Bunka Taiikukan as a part of 150th Anniversary of the Port of Yokohama.

The scroll, painted on specialized local "Washi (Japanese)" papers, is 34-volume, 620-meter long with 1069 frames containing 120,000 people, with scenes spanning from the 13th Century to present.

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The World's Longest Picture Scroll depicting Japanese American History on Exhibit in Yokohama, Japan

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It took Rakushi Hojo, an artist in Yamanashi Pref., 13 years to research and paint this scroll of epic scale, and almost 40 years since the inception of the idea. Hojo visited Hawaii several times as a young cameraman while working for a local TV station in Yokohama, when he was told of stories of hardships endured by early Japanese immigrants. He thought of painting their history back then, but didn't have the means until he retired almost 30 years later.

Entirely self-funded from his retirement savings, he made trips to Hawaii to gather materials and later numerous visits to National Diet Library in Tokyo for all the historical references while he diligently painted everyday when he was at his studio in Yamanashi.

When he first started he thought it would be about 50-meter long, yet as he researched he discovered there were massively more stories to be portrayed. The first frame depicts an anecdote of Japanese drifters, who were said to have landed on one of Hawaiian Islands, in the 13th Century. Then it takes the viewers through the early Japanese immigration and settlements in the U.S. during the Mejii Era (late 1800s) to early Showa (mid-1900s), and a significant portion is dedicated to the Japanese American experiences in WWII and post war period. The scenes are not limited to Hawaii but expanded to the Mainland U.S. wherever Japanese Americans have been. Finally, the last scene depicts the return of a Hawaiian voyage canoe, Hokulea, to the Port of Yokohama in 2007, which was a commemoration of the first foreign leader, King Kalakaua of Hawaii, visiting Japan at Yokohama Port in 1881 after Japan opened its door to the outside world.

After one-day exhibit at Yokohama Bunka Taiikukan on June 5, the scroll will be on display in installments at Japanese Overseas Migration Museum in Yokohama in late July.

More information can be found online at http://www.sunnyside-media.com/Projects/Hojo

Hawaiian history     Japanese American history     Japanese immigration     Longest picture scroll     Yokohama