Choujuu giga

Choujuu-giga was a late Heian-period 12th century manga-"comic" created by Buddhist monk Toba. Rather than an actual comic, Choujuu-giga was a scroll.

It depicted animals ("birds and beasts") lightheartedly behaving like humans; in the manga, the animals are playing and frolicking together. It was the first example of what some would call a "manga" today, though it did, of course, not contain many of the characteristics found in today's manga.