About Kamishibai
Kamishibai is a culture unique to Japan. Each picture has a line, and the story is told by turning the pages in order. It is a kind of paper stage play.
This Kamishibai, “The Cloud That Wonʼt Disappear By Kei,” is based on the Japanese experience of the atomic bombing.
The character is a real person named Keiko Ogura. In 2022, the publisher, Japanese journalist Daisaku Yoshimura, visited Hiroshima with more than 10 people, including people from nuclear weapon countries and a Ukrainian refugee painter. There, a lecture was held just for us by Keiko Ogura, a Hiroshima atomic bombing survivor, and Inosuke Hayasaki, a Nagasaki atomic bombing survivor.
The main character of this Kamishibai is Keiko Ogura, and the story is created by connecting non-fiction events that were actually confirmed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
While there are many horrific and indescribable experiences of the atomic bombing, we made the content of the Kamishibai easy to read for everyone from small children to the elderly.
The Kamishibai introduces the human massacres, destruction of cities, and diseases caused by the black rain that nuclear weapons have brought about. It concludes with the message of a survivor of the atomic bombing that “nuclear weapons must never be used again” and that people all over the world should enjoy peace and happiness.
The only purpose of this Kamishibai is the abolition of nuclear weapons.
However, we would like to propose this to everyone without fear of misunderstanding. The stance of this Kamishibai is that we would like everyone to read it, whether they support nuclear deterrence or nuclear abolition. Through Kamishibai, we would like to spread the facts that have happened in this world to the whole world. When people know this fact, if they can separate politics, society, and the individual, no one will approve of the damage that nuclear weapons cause.
Therefore, we, the authors, do not comment on each stance. We sincerely hope that this Kamishibai, which shows what nuclear weapons bring to this world, will be a lesson to all citizens of the world. We believe that the world will move in a more correct direction if this Kamishibai spreads all over the world.
“The Cloud That Wonʼt Disappear By Kei” Creator: Daisaku Yoshimura
- Creator: Daisaku Yoshimura
A journalist based in Osaka, Japan. In his elementary school graduation essay, he dreamed of “erasing war from this world.” After 30 years, he created “The Cloud That Won’t Disappear By Kei” to make that dream come true. In 2025, during the Osaka Expo, he is performing a Kamishibai (paper theater) on the streets of Osaka for people from all over the world.
- Illustration by: Yuliia Bondarenko
A Ukrainian refugee painter living in Japan. She actually visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and was in charge of the illustrations as a Ukrainian who seeks peace.
- Model: Keiko Ogura
She was exposed to the atomic bomb in Hiroshima at the age of 8. She is an atomic bomb survivor who can speak English, and leaders and celebrities from all over the world come to see her. She shares her experience of the atomic bombing in countries all over the world.