Historical Anime

Classic fairy tales and literary works, both western and eastern, originally aired as a part of the early morning children's program Hirake! Ponkikki before the anime was combined and released on VHS.

To save the magical realms, a group of warriors rise against a great evil power.

Young Matsuwakamaru loses his father as an infant. To make matters worse, his beloved mother Kikkou passes away when he's 8 years old. While facing her death, Matsuwakamaru is puzzled at where people go when they die. If there is a cycle of heaven, hell, and rebirth, is there a way to escape this torturous circle, he wonders. With this great determination for the discovery of knowledge in mind, at only 9 years old, he joins a Buddhist monastery on Mt. Hiei, and changes his name to Shinran. This is the story of the man who would someday open the doors to the Joudo Shinshuu sect of Buddhism. (Source: ANN)

A series of children's OVAs covering various stories from old folk tales, books, and historical events. Each OVA has a various amount of stories featured.

A summary of the Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables TV series released as an OVA in July 2011 that was later aired as a TV Special in August 2011.

A stop-motion film about the classic Japanese tale of Momotarou.

Demons are rampant, countless lives are lost. A strange stone descends in the troubled times, transforming into a clever stone monkey, shouldering the responsibility of saving the world. Because this is the origin of Sun Wukong becoming a great demon, the ape soul is about to awaken! (Source: Tencent, Google translated)

Celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Hikaru Genji, the protagonist of The Tale of Genji.

A continuation of Menghuan Xiyou.

Recap episode of Silk Road Shounen Yuuto that took place between episode 16 and 17. The episode title is a homage to the famous novel Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo.

Based on a Norwegian fable. Hans was making bread and North Wind was blowing all the flour out of his bowl. He decides to visit the North Wind in his castle to ask him to stop and for compensation. North Wind gives him a tablecloth that summons delicious food on top of it. Unbeknownst to him, Hans was swindled out of his tablecloth by a local innkeeper. He returns to North Wind and gets a sheep that drops gold coins. The innkeeper swindles him again. Hans returns a 3rd time and gets a scepter, this time booby-trapped by North Wind to figure out who has been stealing Hans' gifts. The innkeeper gets his punishment when he tries to swindle the scepter and Hans gets to keep his 3 fantastical items and returns home to his mother.

The 3-part series commissioned by Japan Construction Training Center for educational purposes (to elementary schools originally) shows how civil engineering has developed Japan into the country it is now. Part 1: Takes place in the Nara period and covers Chinese Buddhist monks which came to Japan and taught the people Buddhism and how to construct and fix bridges and pods to improve the lives of farmers suffering from drought and taxes in what is currently the Hyoujo Prefecture. Part 2: Takes place in the Sengoku period and covers Takeda Shingen and how the Kai Province was always plagued by the violent river rains dues to the mountain region surrounding them to them causing the Kofu Basin to flood. He funneled man-power into developing a system of flood control using stone embankments and planting tree lines. The civil engineering project is also the foundation for the Roushigumi which later became the Shinsengumi in the Edo period. Part 3: Takes place in the Edo period and covers the Meiji government wantin to catch up with the rest of the world's technology and hired many foreigners to implement the success of the Western world's industrial revolution. "Contract foreigners" (oyatoi gaikokujin) brought knowledge of: lighthouses, railways, ports, water supplies, improved flood control, and education. The railways specifically were handled by the British railway engineer Edmund Morel who was a mere 28 year old. The project was completed in 2 years connecting Tokyo to Yokohama in 1872 as Japan's first railroad and first two railroad stations. Unfortunately Morel had tuberculosis and died in right before the projected completed but he advised many Japanese scholars and engineers on railway production in his own home til his dead which lead to the boom of ever-so-famous-and-successful Japanese railway system.

The second Youtai Nuhai Zai Shanghai film which expands the back story of Rina and Michalli. It focuses on what happened to their parents fleeing and how the two children ended up in Shanghai as the Nazis try to hunt them down.

Based on the 1981 book of the same name by new age guru Ken Keyes, Jr., which in turn is based on the story of a 1952 experiment on the southern Japanese island of Kojima. (Please note that the "Hundredth monkey effect" is discredited in the scientific community.) Once one monkey has learned how to wash its food, it is able to teach others the same skill. When a certain number have learned (and Keyes suggests an arbitrary figure of 100), not only do the remaining monkeys suddenly appear to know how to do it, but so too does a completely different group of apes on a completely separate island. Keyes uses this apocryphal tale as a parable for the antinuclear movement, as "proof' that change would come if enough people joined forces. (Source: The Anime Encyclopedia)

In the 19th century, a rice merchant encounters a mother who tries to buy rice in exchange for her own child's clothes. The merchant becomes Monk Seishin and relieves the islanders of Miyajima from poverty by digging wells and starting the wooden ladle industry. (Source: YouTube)

(No synopsis yet.)

An spinoff of Sekai no Hikari: Shinran Shounin. It covers the life of Shinran Shounin and his involvement to develop the Mahayana Buddism branch. (Source: Wikipedia)

A 1991 Korean Historical movie.

(No synopsis yet.)

A stop-motion animation about sisters doing chores. One of them falls into a well and gets transported to a wonderland trying to retrieve a pail. There she helps the various creatures in wonderland and receives rewards. Upon returning home the other sister is jealous and tries the same but is rude and helps no one out of her selfishness.

(No synopsis yet.)

Various classic Japanese fairy tales told for child aged audiences.

A summary of the Princess Sara TV series aired as TV Specials in 2001.

Primary school student G.G. Bond is eager for the 2008 Beijing Olympics when he is dragged back in time to the competitive islander of Olympus. His only hope to return is to recover the "Keyinuoer” diamond from the dragon who guards it at the peak of Bright Mountain. He can only do this if he wins the island's athletic competitions. He has the power of a super lollipop which enhances his athletic abilities for only a few minutes, but must face up against sports genius Super Qiang if he hopes to ever go home. (Source: Wikipedia)

Third season of Bai Lian Cheng Shen.

Based on a book by Nishino Ayako. A story about the atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima. Elementary schooler Nat-chan moved to Hiroshima and was knitting red gloves her male friend Shun-chan. The bomb hits and she dies. Shun-chan now an adult reunites with Nat-chan's remains via her shadow (nuclear shadow that is, where her body vaporized leaving an outline).

An old fisherman catches a fish bowl from the sea, the fishing child painted on the bowl comes out to reality to catch a lot of pearls for him. A missionary wants to occupy the bowl and is punished by the fishing child. (Source: IMDB)

A homage to Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) by American composer George Crumb, depicting the evolution of life in the ocean from its birth to whales through music and images. There are four parts: Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. (Source: Yamamura Animation, translated)

An adaptation of a children's novel of the same name published in 1973. Endo Hiroko is the author, who was inspired to write the story from a tale her father told her as a child. It follows a 13 year old girl named Aki. During a pilgrimage to Sensou-ji (a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo), she found a mistake in the sangaku. News spread quickly of her intellect and eventually landed upon Arima Yoriyuki, the lord of the Kurume Domain (he himself was famous for finding the rational approximation of pi). He hired Aki to become an arithmetic teacher for the region's princess, but hired others as well. In a math competition, Aki fought against other geniuses and prodigies, all for the hopes of earning a wage so that she may one day open a school for poor children so that she can teach them arithmetic as well.

A biographical anime about Mother Teresa.

An old man goes to the market to sell some pork. However, on the way there, he is attacked by wolves on the mountain.

Produced by Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture. The 5th animation series Gakitabi!: Akechi no Furusato, which introduces the history and culture of Ogaki City.

A summary of the Les Misérables: Shoujo Cosette TV series released as an OVA in July 2011 that was later aired as a TV Special in August 2011.

Kanbee-kun with Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu in manga. They are popular characters from "Rekishi Hiwa Historia," the history show.

Second season of The Legend of Huainanzi.

(No synopsis yet.)

Based on a book of the same name. An anime about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The focus is a middle school boy who kept and bred carrier pigeons. While he was out of the city training them, the bomb dropped. Both he and the pigeon desperately tried to find their mother and child respectively in the chaos.

(No synopsis yet.)

Follows the daily life of Toko-chan, a cute cave girl and her best friend.

Seeking his parents, the mountain youth Jiang Han embarks on a journey of cultivation. He accidentally activates the Celestial Beast Cauldron, a legacy left by his mother, and awakens supreme magical powers! From then on, he defies fate and changes his destiny! He battles heaven and earth! On the battlefield where the gods fell, he fights bloody battles against countless races, carving a path to the heavens with his mortal body! He vows to fight for a bright future for humanity! (Source: iQIYI, translated)

The Ishiyama-dera temple in Outsu announced that the temple's Ishiyama-dera engi emaki scrolls will get their first CG anime adaptation as part of a "Ishiyama-dera Digital engi emaki Project." The anime will depict the first story in the first scroll, which illustrates the Hira Myoujin deity appearing before temple founder Rōben in the form of an old man, and giving him an oracle to construct the Ishiyama-dera. The Ishiyama-dera engi emaki are a series of seven scrolls depicting 33 illustrated stories set in and around the temple, including a scene depicting the moment when Murasaki Shikibu allegedly was inspired to write The Tale of Genji while viewing Lake Biwa from the temple. The scrolls are considered an Important Cultural Property, and were first displayed together for the first time in 2012. (Source: ANN)

Promotional video for the Naver Webtoon manhwa Lovers of the Red Sky.

An educational film about the A-Bomb Dome, which is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

An anime made in honor of the 60th Anniversary of Adachi's union to Tokyo City. It follows 2 kids and the anthropomorphic version of Adachi called Adacchii.

An educational web anime where an apathetic elementary student Yukita, who is visiting his grandfather along with his sister, clicks a mysterious app on his KakoPad. The two children are suddenly teleported back to August 1, 1945--the same date as the Nagaoka air raid. The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival was founded in 1946. The event is in remembrance of those who died in WW2, specifically with the three shiragiku (white chrysanthemum fireworks) launched. The anime itself was commissioned by the foundation that organizes the Nagaoka Fireworks Festival. In 2003 and onward, the fireworks officially starts at 10:30pm, the same time the bombing began; and the duration of the short is 10min30sec long as well to mirror this very important time.

Based on the picture book by Kodama Tatsuharu.

Based on a novel by Ryusuke Saito. An educational film about oppressed farmers in the Edo period who tried to better themselves only to get crucified.

"When History Meows" is based on the webcomic of the same name. It's based on Chinese history as the main storyline and compiled and drawn based on ancient Chinese books . It tells the history of China in various eras in a humorous and easy-to-understand way .

After Shen Jianxin returns to Daoxiang Village again, strange tales, unsolved cases, and outrageous inventions constantly appear... He and his partners embark on a new adventure. (Source: Bilibili)

(No synopsis yet.)

An educational anime about the 3 major warlords in the Sengoku era. Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Due to the dissipation of the heavenly scripture powers, Dunhuang will face adversity. Wu Tianji is ordered to repair the heavenly scriptures. In order to perfect the heavenly scripture powers, you need to relive the story originally recorded in the heavenly scripture. Wu Tianji took the god beast, the angel pig, to the ancient city of Dunhuang. Just when she had no idea how to start repairing the scriptures, she accidentally strayed into the world of frescoes in the Mogao Caves... (Source: bilibili, translated)

As little buses said goodbye to Tino, they forgot about dinosaurs at all. But as little buses meet Anne, the mother of Hana the Mechanic, they hear about dinosaur mystery from Anne. Hana isn't happy that her mother is still obsessed with dinosaurs and their history and such, Anne takes an adventure to find the dinosaurs and she even takes the little buses this time. Meet the newest addition to the Tayo Adventure Series! (Source: Official YouTube channel)

A 1980 Korean Fantasy movie.

Sequel to the 1967 movie Hong Gildong.

Prologue of Shaonian Jinyiwei.

In a world where warriors are respected, Shi Mu's fate seems destined to be different. As the adopted son of an aristocratic family, he is forced to embark on the road of a warrior to find the truth and redeem himself. From the four halls of Fengcheng to the struggle between sects, interests are entangled, and powerful enemies lurk. Every challenge makes Shi Mu more determined. In the end, Shi Mu realizes the power of his bloodline, which not only changes his own destiny, but also affects the future of many people. (Source: Bilibili, translated)

Hikoichi and Osato, who are selling the many watermelons they harvested, in front of the castle, happen to meet a chief counselor named Chuemon. Chuemon was at his wits end because a messenger from a neighboring country had come to him with an unreasonable demand and he was looking for someone wise and intelligent to help him. Hikoichi agrees to help him, on the condition that Chuemon buys all of the watermelons if Hikoichi can win a battle of wits. Hikoichi makes seemingly impossible problems possible using his wits and unconventional methods. This drama rhythmically progresses with wisdom and courage. (Source: Sukugawa International Short Film Festival)

An education anime about the aftermath of the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima. The story follows Enoki wounded by it 1km north of Hiroshima.

An educational film based on a true story of an elementary school boy bringing his wheel-chair bound grandmother to school in order for her to tell the story of her living through WW2 and the atomic bomb.

Based on a children's picture book of the same name. On December 5, 1965, a U.S. aircraft carrier is en route from Vietnam to Yokosuka, Japan. While conducting training exercises 80 miles off Okinawa, an A4 strike aircraft is loaded with a B43 hydrogen bomb, but it falls overboard and sinks in 16,000 feet of water. Based on the true story of the USS Ticonderoga, which reached Japan two days later (on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor; nice touch). Neither side revealed the incident, nor that she was carrying atomic weapons in contravention of U.S. treaties with Japan. The plane, its pilot, and the bomb were never recovered, and the incident was only declassified in 1989, causing an outcry in Japan and resulting in this environmentally themed anime. The extra "n" in Ticonderonga may be a genuine error in transcription or an attempt to distance the story from real events, since the anime continues with Ashika, a boy from a Japanese fishing town, contacted by telepathic whales who bring him visions of fearful seamonsters. Then again, if you were a whale given a choice between nuclear contamination and talking to Japanese fishermen, which would you choose? (Source: The Anime Encyclopedia)

(No synopsis yet.)

An educational film about Tokugawa Iemitsu. He was the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasa (who founded the Tokugawa shogunate and ended the Sengoku era with his victory). Iemitsu is mostly known for his xenophobia and tried to close Japan to the world, this is known as Sakoku. The policies he put into place blocked out Japan for nearly 200 years which eventually caused internal strife and internal war in the Meiji era when Japan opened its borders again only to find it was economically, politically, industrially, scientifically, and culturally behind the rest of the world.

(No synopsis yet.)

A telling of Pure Land Buddhism focusing on Shinran Shounin and Rennyo.

An educational film about the importance of helping people starring the Ojarumaru cast.

Special animated corners part of FNS 27-Jikan TV: Nihon no Rekishi that aired on Fuji TV. The corners feature characters from Chibi Maruko-chan, Dragon Ball Super, Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Kouenmae Hashutsujo, and One Piece as they explore the history of Japan's from the Paleolithic to Heisei period.

(No synopsis yet.)

During the White Terror era, Shi Shuifang, a woman who advocated ideas bravely in the underground political organization, seemed to be a light that illuminated the times. The agent of the surveillance organization was influenced by Shi Shuifang and thus fell in love with her. However, under all kinds of unfavorable circumstances, he could only watch her hopelessly suffer through various injuries. (Source: IMDB)

An educational film about Minamoto no Yoritomo. He founded the Kamakura shogunate which reigned from 1192 to 1333.

Fuwa Beibei encounters the severely injured goddess, Athena. In order to help Athena regain strength, Beibei sets out to find a mysterious wooden box left by Coubertin in 1894, but the worrying thing is that Pixiu who injured his stomach from his glutinous eating habits heard this news too. He thought that this mysterious energy could not only cure his stomach, but also improve his magic, and such begins the journey through time and space of two spirits with different aims. After all the hardships, they found the sixth son of the dragon - Bixi, and after the two's efforts in passing his test, Bixi carries them along 100 years of Olympic history.

Documentaries combining anime with live action, exploring a mixed bag of mysteries and historical topics, including the statues of Easter Island, the search for a lost continent, the Bermuda Triangle, the NAZCA Lines, the Sphinx and the Pyramids, the Greenwich Meridian, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Great Buddha of Nara. Confusing in its inability to decide whether it wants to be history, geography, travelogue, or the titular "mysteries." (Source: The Anime Encyclopedia)

Based on the picture eBook of the same name. One by one, with feeling, the Thousand Paper Cranes are folded. What if, those paper cranes had a "life" of their own... The purpose given to the Thousand Paper Cranes! The spectacular adventure of Kenta and Maiko begins now!! (Source: dreamonefilm)

An educational anime about the 1960's adult literacy movement especially amongst what was the female buraku people in Japan which paved way for truly free state education in Japan.

After a portentous dream about a white elephant, the ancient Hindu princess Maya gives birth to a prince. Reared in seclusion from the troubles of the world, Prince Siddhartha is troubled by sights of poverty and deprivation when he is 12 years old. He is married to a beautiful wife, but he is unable to bear the thought of others suffering, and leaves the palace in search of an answer. While sitting underneath a tree, he achieves enlightenment. (Source: The Anime Encyclopedia)

A collaborative film between Keiichi Tanaami and Nobuhiro Aihara with a new interpretation of the traditional Japanese folk tale.

An educational film about the history of the Buraku class.

The third season of of the Kakuza Tousan franchise.

The "Blue-eyed Dolls" were given in 1927 by the USA, under the leadership of Dr. Gulick, to Japanese elementary schools and kindergartens for the purpose of Japanese-American friendship. About 12,000 "Blue-eyed Dolls" were given by the USA. However, with the outbreak of the Pacific War (World War II) in 1941, a great number of the "Blue-eyed Dolls," who were considered to be "dolls of the enemy country," were disposed of by being burned or by being stabbed with bamboo spears. This is the story of children trying to rescue the doll. (Source: wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu)

(No synopsis yet.)