Ojiisan no Lamp

Synopsis

In "Ojiisan no Lamp," a curious young boy named Tooichi discovers an old lamp in his grandfather's storage shed and begins playing with it as a toy. His grandfather quickly scolds him and proceeds to explain the lamp's importance, revealing how it connects to the local community's adoption of Western culture. As a youth, the grandfather, Minosuke, earned his living by performing various odd jobs for the townspeople. During a trip to a neighboring town, he was introduced to Western-style lighting, an encounter that sparked a deep fascination with lamps. This passion not only became the central focus of his life but also played a pivotal role in transforming the lives of Minosuke and those around him.

Background

The Agency of Cultural Affairs of Japan invested 214 million yen ($2.26 million) in "Young Animator Training Project" and entrusted the execution of the project to Japan Animation Creators Association (JaniCA). JaniCA produced four original anime (23 min long with OP and ED sequences) in cooperation with four production studios. Ojiisan no Lamp was one of these four projects. Ojiisan no Lamp also won the 2011 Future Animator Contest.