Shigeru Mizuki

Shigeru Mizuki Thủy mộc しげる
Born	Shigeru Mura (1922-03-08)March 8, 1922 Osaka,Osaka Prefecture,Japan
Died	November 30, 2015(2015-11-30)(aged 93) Tokyo,Japan
Area(s)	Manga artist
Notable works	GeGeGe no Kitarō Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths Akuma-kun Showa: A History of Japan Hitler
Awards	See below
Spouse(s)	Nunoe Mura

Shigeru Mura(Japanese:Võ lương mậu,Hepburn:Mura Shigeru,March 8, 1922 – November 30, 2015),also known asShigeru Mizuki(Thủy mộc しげる,Mizuki Shigeru),was a Japanesemanga artistand historian. He was known for hisyōkaimanga such asGeGeGe no KitarōandAkuma-kun,as well as for his war stories based on his own war manga such asShōwa-shi.

He was born inOsaka,grew up inSakaiminato, Tottori,then moved toChōfu, Tokyo,where he remained until his death. His pen-name, Mizuki, comes from the time when he managed an inn called 'Mizuki Manor' while he drew pictures forkamishibai.

Life

Shigeru Mizuki at age 18, c. 1940

Mizuki was bornShigeru Murain the city of Osaka, the second of three sons. He was raised in the coastal city of Sakaiminato cảnh cảng, where he spent much of his childhood as a 'scrapper': picking fights and participating in childish warfare with the neighbouring children.He displayed from an early age a particular talent for art. During his time in elementary school, Mizuki's teachers were so impressed by his skills with a pencil that they organised an exhibition of his work, and he later went on to be featured in the Mainichi newspaper as something of an artistic prodigy.In addition to this penchant for the artistic, Mizuki had an interest in the supernatural - something that was fueled by listening to ghost stories told by a local woman named Fusa Kageyama,but whom the young Mizuki nicknamed "Nononba".

However,in 1942,he was drafted into theImperial Japanese Armyand sent toNew BritainIsland inPapua New Guinea.His wartime experiences affected him greatly, as he contractedmalaria,watched friends die from battle wounds and disease, and dealt with other horrors of war. Finally, in anAlliedair raid,he was caught in an explosion and lost his left arm. Regarding this life-changing event, a November 30, 2015 NHK announcement of his death showed excerpts of a video interview with him at age 80, in which he said that as the only survivor of his unit, he was 'ordered to die' — a prospect he considered ridiculous. The result of Mizuki's wartime experience was a concurrent sense of pacifism and goodwill. In the same interview, he explained that his Yōkai characters can be seen only in times of peace, not war, and that he purposely created these supernatural creatures to be of no specific ethnicity or nationality as a hint of the potential for humanity. While in a Japanesefield hospitalonRabaul,he was befriended by the localTolaitribespeople, who offered him land, a home, and citizenship via marriage to a Tolai woman.Mizuki acknowledged that he considered remaining behind, but was shamed by a military doctor into returning home to Japan first for medical treatment to his arm and to face his parents, which he did reluctantly.

Upon arriving home, Mizuki had initially planned to return to New Guinea; however, theoccupation of Japanchanged that. His injuries did little to help, nor did the fact that his older brother, an artillery officer, was convicted as awar criminalfor having prisoners of war executed. After his return to Japan he worked at a variety of jobs including as a fish salesman and kamishibai artist.

Mizuki's pen name came from a superior insisting on calling him "Mizuki", based on the location of his residence, even after he explained that his surname was Mura. Mizuki decided that he liked "Mizuki" as a pen name.

In 1957, Mizuki released his debut work,Rocketman.He published numerous works afterwards, both dealing with the military and with yōkai. He has also written many books on both subjects, including an autobiography about his time on New Britain Island and a manga biography ofAdolf Hitlerin 1971.This book was published in English in 2015 byDrawn & Quarterly.

Mizuki began arentalmanga adaptation of thekamishibaiHakaba Kitarō(Mộ tràng quỷ thái lang,lit. "Kitarō of the Graveyard" )in 1960. In 1965, it was renamedHakaba no Kitarōand began serialization inWeekly Shōnen Magazine,before being renamed again toGeGeGe no Kitarōin 1967.

In 1972 he publishes thegekigagraphic novelNonNonBaabout his childhood friendship with old maid and his nanny, who impressed him with the yokai stories.

In 1991, he released a short work titledWar and Japan(Sensō to Nippon) published inThe Sixth Grader,a popularedutainmentmagazine for young people, detailing the atrocities committed by the Japanese Army during their rampage inChinaandKoreaand is narrated byNezumi Otoko.The work serves as a counterpoint torevisionistmanga like the works ofYoshinori Kobayashiand by extension a way for Mizuki to express his anger at those responsible for all of Japan's victims. From 1989 until 1998 he worked onShowa: A History of Japan,which follows the same approach and conveys Mizuki's view of theShōwa erathrough a mixture of personal anecdotes and summaries of major historical events. His characterNezumi Otokooften appears as the narrator in these works.

When not working in either field, he painted a number of subjects, though these works are not as well known as his literary ones which have made him ahousehold name.In 2003, he returned to Rabaul to rekindle his friendship with the locals, who had named a road after him in his honor.

In 2005, Mizuki appeared in a cameo role inYōkai Daisenso( "The Great Yokai War") directed byTakashi Miike,a film about Yōkai inspired by his work as well as the work ofAramata Hiroshi.He appears towards the end of the film in the role of theGreat Elder Yōkai:a pacifistic character who condemns the warring ways of the film's antagonist and reaffirms the role of Yōkai as peaceful, playful creatures.A brief explanation about his works also is mentioned in the film. In 2010,NHKbroadcast anasadoraabout his married life,Gegege no Nyōbō,based on his wife's autobiography.

Throughout most of his life, Mizuki's work was relatively unknown outside Japan due to not having been translated. This changed in the2010swhen translations in several European languages of his Showa, Kitaro, Nonnonba and Hitler series began to appear, leading to an increasing interest in Mizuki and his work (and that of hisgekigapeers) among Westerners.

On November 30, 2015, Mizuki died of heart failure in a Tokyo hospital after collapsing at his home from a heart attack.HisDharma nameisĐại mãn viện thích đạo mậu(Daiman-In-Shaku-Domo). He is buried atKakusho-jiinChofu, Tokyo.

Bakeichōnosei

"Kamakura Wakamiya Hachiman Teru no Kibana" fromYosaebu Village"Kabmura Yokai Emaki"

Bakeichōnosei (ばけいちょうのせい,monster ginkgo spirit) or "Bakeichōnorei" (ばけいちょうのれい) is a Japanesemonsterwritten by the yokai manga artist Shigeru Mizuki.

It is said that the limbs and face areyellow,wearing a kimono dyed withinkstickand striking agong.Ginkgo bilobahave long been ominous, and planting them at home is said to cause ominous things.

Mizuki draws this monster picture based on "Kamakura Wakamiya Hachiman Teru (Ginkgo) Teru no Kibana" inYosa Buson"Kabmura Yokai Emaki".According to yokai researcherGoichi Yumoto,the Kabumura sculpture is said to be an icon of an old tree spirit.

Sakaiminato

Mizuki Road

Mizuki Road

Mizuki Road

Sakaiminato,Mizuki's childhood home, has a street dedicated to the ghosts and monsters that appear in his stories. One hundred bronze statues of the story's characters line both sides of the road. There is also a museum featuring several of his creations and works.

Awards

Mizuki has won numerous awards and accolades for his works, especiallyGeGeGe no Kitarō.Among these are:

• 1965ReceivedKodansha Jido Manga AwardforTerebi-kun(テレビくん?).
• 1990ReceivedKodansha Manga AwardforKomikku Shōwa-Shi.
• 1991Received Shiju Hōshō Decoration.
• 1995For the 6th Annual Tokyo Peace Day, he was awarded with an exhibition of his paintings, entitled "Prayer for Peace: Shigeru Mizuki War Experience Painting Exhibition"
• 1996Received Minister of Education Award.
• 1996His hometown of Sakaiminato honored him with the Shigeru Mizuki Road, a street decorated with bronze statues of hisGe Ge Ge no Kitarocharacters and other designs relating to his works.
• 2003ReceivedKyokujitsu ShōDecoration.
• 2003Sakaiminatohonored him again with the Shigeru Mizuki International Cultural Center.
• 2003Tezuka Osamu Cultural PrizeSpecial Award for his works.
• 2007Received theBest Comic Bookaward forNonNonBāat theAngoulême International Comics Festival.
• 2008Asahi Prizefor contribution to the manga comic culture through portrayals of the horrors of war.
• 2010Received thePerson of Cultural Meritaward.
• 2012Received theEisner AwardforOnward Towards Our Noble Deaths,in the categoryBest U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia.The award was shared with translatorZack Davisson

Selected works

in English

• GeGeGe no Kitarō(ゲゲゲの quỷ thái lang,1960–1969)
• Hitler(Kịch họa ヒットラー,Gekiga Hittorā,1971)
• Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths(Tổng viên ngọc 砕せよ!,Sōin Gyokusai Seyo!,1973)
• NonNonBa(のんのんばあとオレ,Nonnonba to Ore,1977)
• Showa: A History of Japan(コミック chiêu hòa sử,Komikku Shōwa-shi,1988–1989)

Not printed

• War in Japan,1991 (online readable in the tail ofthis article by Matthew Penney)
• 3, Street of Mysteries(online)
• Wakusei(online)
• "Garo"Keisai Sakuhin(online)

Manga in Japanese

• Rocketman (1957), published in 1958 byTogetsu-Shobō
• Baby Z,for sci-fi magazineUchū Shonen
• Hakaba Kitaro(1960–1964)
• Kappa no Sanpei(Hà đồng の tam bình,1961–1962)
• Akuma-kun(1963–1964)
• Terebi-kun(テレビくん,1965)
• Kaiten, the human torpedo (1967)
• The Miraculous Notebook(Bất tư nghị な thủ thiếp,Fushigina Techō,1973)— a one-shot published in the magazineComic Mysteryabout a notebook that killed whoever's name was written in it. The same idea was used in the smash hit mangaDeath NotebyTsugumi OhbaandTakeshi Obata.Although this fact is a coincidence, Ohba has stated he did not have any particular inspiration for his story.
• Watashi no Hibi (わたしの nhật 々), ( "My Days)" (2013, unfinished)

Books

• Colorized Yōkai Gadan,1992, published by Iwanami Shinsho
• Shigeru Mizuki's Yōkai Artbook: Mujara, 1998
• Mizuki, Shigeru. Thủy mộc しげるの nhật bổn yêu quái めぐり (Hepburn:Mizuki Shigeru no Nihon Yōkai Meguri,lit. "Shigeru Mizuki's Japanese Ghost Tour".)
• Rabauru Senki(Memories of Rabaul)
• Mizuki, Shigeru. "Graphic World of Japanese Phantoms". Giảng đàm xã, 1985.ISBN978-4-06-202381-8(4-06-202381-4)
• Yokaï,Éditions Cornélius,2017, full color, hardcover, 80 pages. Illustration book.
• À l'intérieur des yôkai, 2018, bi-color, hardcover, 80 pages. Éditions Cornélius.(in French)
• À l’intérieur de Kitaro,hors d'oeuvrepublication, bi-color, 16 pages, 2018. Éditions Cornélius.(in French)

About Mizuki

• 40th Artistic Anniversary,1990, published by Kagomesha

External links

• "Drawing from Experience",Japan Times,February 6, 2005, retrieved March 22, 2012.
• Mizuki Production Official Website
• Sakaiminato: The town where you can meet Kitaro
• Shigeru Mizuki Road, Shigeru Mizuki Museum,photos
• Japan Focus: War and Japan: The Non-Fiction Manga of Mizuki Shigeru
• Thompson, Jason (May 3, 2013)."Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga Shigeru Mizuki".Anime News Network.
• Alt, Matt (December 10, 2015)."Shigeru Mizuki's War-Haunted Art and Life".The New Yorker.RetrievedJuly 6,2024.