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Home / New Collectors Guide
A small guide for new shikishi collectors — a quick introduction for anyone looking into collecting shikishi artwork by mangaka and animators.
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 artist's handler, they might only sign on certain designated items, but it's always worth bringing a spare shikishi in case 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.
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 — the vast majority of shikishi for sale will be fake.
Make sure to compare the artwork and signature to known genuine examples, vet the seller's 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.
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 goes 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 separately authenticated through Mandarake's appraisal service, for a 55,000+ yen fee.
If you need assistance assessing a certificate you can contact shikishibase@gmail.com.
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 lifetime guarantee. Generally their items will be genuine, although light research before bidding is recommended.
Heritage 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 recommended 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 as well as having misrepresented reproductions as originals.
Aibo 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.
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.
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.
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; the personal recommendation from the original guide is this binder. Although it is not specifically made for shikishi and a bit taller, it fits shikishi very snugly, and the format allows for more versatility to fit odd sized shikishi or additional supporting documents.
One concern about this binder, and the reason it's 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.
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. The original guide recommends this or this — they are UV protective and give you the option to hang or stand them up.
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.
Adapted from the original ShikishiBase "New Collectors Guide" page.