[UNKNOWN MAKER]
Kokoku meishi no kawarie [Changing Pictures of Illustrious Figures of the Imperial Nation]
Quick-change costume and paper engineering
A lovely example of an omocha-e in action.
Translated to ‘toy pictures’, omocha-e have existed since the Edo period and are usually woodblock printed sheets of paper that can be cut up to create various figures or 3D models. The present example is undated but likely from the 1940s, owing to the print quality and cheap paper. It is labelled kawari-e which means ‘changing pictures’. The booklet has been folded and cut by a previous owner to show famous historical figures: Emperor Jimmu, Sugawara no Michizane, Yamato Takeru, Taira no Shigemori, Kusunoki Masashige, Fujiwara no Kamatari and Nitta Yoshisada. When the sections are folded onto each other, the figures and their clothing quickly change appearance.
