Anime, or Japanese animation, has become a major part of global pop culture today. However, its origins date back to the early 20th century. In the pre-World War II era, Japan began experimenting with animation techniques as early as 1907. The first known Japanese animation was three short films by Oten Shimokawa. In 1917, the first professional animated film called Namakura Gatana was released. During the 1920s and 30s, animation was promoted by the government as propaganda. Artists were commissioned to create animations that supported Japanese nationalism and militarism leading up to WWII.