Oldest Manga: Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga

Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga (鳥獣人物戯画?, lit. “Animal-person Charicatures”), commonly shortened to Chōjū-giga (鳥獣戯画?, lit. “Animal Caricatures”) is a famous set of four picture scrolls belonging to Kōzan-ji temple in Kyoto, Japan. The Chōjū-giga scrolls are also referred to as Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans in English. Some think that Toba Sōjō created the scrolls, however it is hard to verify this. The reading direction of Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga is supposedly the origin the right to left reading direction in modern manga and novels in Japan. Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga is also credited as the oldest work of manga. The scrolls are currently entrusted to the Kyoto National Museum and Tokyo National Museum. 

Reference:
http://drveemanga.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Manga%20history

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