A small Guide for new Shikishi Collectors

This guide serves as a quick and easy introduction

for anyone looking into collecting Shikishi artwork by Mangaka and Animators.

Where to Get Shikishi

• Conventions and Events:

Many conventions and Special Events Will Have Signings from Mangaka, Animators and Voice Actors.

These signings usually have a limited maximum capacity of attendees, and rules may vary.

Depending on the venue and the artists handler, they might only sign on certain designated items,

but its always worth bringing a spare shikishi incase they are not limited in what they will sign.

At conventions you may also find Charity auctions where original artwork

by some of the attending artists will be auctioned.

These auctions usually offer higher quality artwork at a higher price.

• Online Marketplaces:

Websites like Yahoo! Japan Auctions, Mercari Japan, eBay, etc.

have a variety of shikishi for sale with varying authenticity.

When shopping on these websites you have to be very careful as

the vast majority of shikishi for sale will be fake.

Make sure to compare the Artwork and Signature to known genuine examples,

vet the sellers sales history, get secondary opinions from other collectors and

look into any relevant provenance claims if applicable.

Another option for acquiring Shikishi Online are Auction houses like, Mandarake, Akihabara Auctions,

Tokyo Culture Auctions, Heritage Auctions and Aibo art Auctions.

• Mandarake: Their "Zenbu" big web auctions are the most trusted source

for buying authentic Shikishi Online, however this comes at a premium price point.

Their authentication standards are the highest out of the auction houses

and they provide a lifetime authenticity guarantee with a certificate.

CAUTION: Mandarake certificates have been forged. There are several ways to tell a forged certificate.

If the certificate in question is an auction certificate,

the easiest way to verify is to check the sold history on mandarake, this history will go all the way

back to 2013, if the item in question does not show up or does not match the picture

you can be sure it is a forgery.

The second type of mandarake certificate is an "appraisal certificate"

and has not been forged yet as of March 2025.

These certificates are given to items that have been seperately authenticated

through mandarakes appraisal service, for a 55,000+ yen fee.

If you need assistence in assessing a certificate you can contact at shikishibase@gmail.com

(example of a fake mandarake certificate)

• Akihabara Auctions & Tokyo Culture Auctions, they are the other two significant japanese auction houses.

They are generally considered as less reputable than Mandarake, with some slip ups in authenticity in the past.

They do not offer any form of certificate or life time guarantee. Generally their items will be genuine,

although light research before bidding is recommended.

• Heritage Auctions is the first International entry on this list. They have a long history of selling various categories

of collectibles. However their entry into the manga and anime space is still relatively recent.

The amount of shikishi available at their auctions has been, and still is, relatively sparse.

They once put a fake Hayao Miyazaki shikishi up for auction, after it was pointed out to them it was removed.

Since then they have not featured any fakes in their catalogue,

however it is still recomended to do some basic research before bidding on Heritage Auctions.

Another notable aspect is that Heritage is often criticized for their poor handling of Animation Cels,

having historically misrepresented the condition of certain cels aswell as

having misrepresented reproductions as originals.

• Aibo Auctions is a relatively new auction house based in france.

In 2024 they sold a fake akira toriyama shikishi for over 20 thousand euro, it is unclear if this sale went through.

The amount of shikishi they have featured in their auctions is extremely low so far,

for now it is recommended to do heavy research before bidding on a shikishi at Aibo Auctions.

• Directly from Artists:

Some artists may sell their work directly through their websites, at conventions or on online marketplaces.

These opportunities tend to be very rare and time limited. One way artists might take commissions is fanbox.

How to store Shikishi

• Sleeves

You can find many different options for shikishi sleeves on amazon japan.

This is the recommended option, because of the better placement of the glue strip.

• Binders

There are a good amount of options for binders available on amazon japan.

Unfortunately all of the options on the market currently are not ideal,

made of thin plastic and not very secure.

The most commonly used binder can be found here, my personal recommendation is this Binder.

Although it is not specifically made for shikishi and a bit taller, it fits shikishi very snuggly.

and the format allows for more versitility to fit odd sized shikishi or additional supporting documents.

One concern about this binder, and the reason its not the most widely used, is the metal rings.

They could damage a shikishi if handled improperly.

However this can only occur if the binder is filled less than half.

• Frames

When buying a shikishi frame it is important to make sure it is UV protective.

Amazon japan has Shikishi frames in all colors and sizes, of varying quality and price point available.

My recommendation is this or this, they are UV protective and give you the option to hang or stand them up.

•Additional Factors

To keep your shikishi from deteriorating it is important to keep it out of direct sunlight.

Sunlight will cause fading and deterioration of the paper. Furthermore it is important to keep your Shikishi

away from moisture and humidity. The recommended storage humidity is between 30% and 50%.

You might also want to consider the use of Microchamber Paper.

Shikishi are made of multiple layers of paper glued together,

over time these different layers and glue will let off gasses. These gasses will contribute to the deterioration

of the Shikishi. Microchamber paper can absorb and trap these gasses helping slow down the process.

Therefore it is recommended for long time storage and preservation to use Microchamber Paper.