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Shotaro Ishinomori | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Shotaro Onodera (1938-01-25)25 January 1938 Tome,Miyagi Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | 28 January 1998(1998-01-28) (aged 60) |
| Occupation | Manga artist |
| Period | 1954–1998 |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Notable works | |
| Notable awards | Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (1998) |
| Website | |
| ishimoripro | |
Shotaro Ishinomori (石ノ森 章太郎,Ishinomori Shōtarō; 25 January 1938 – 28 January 1998),néOnodera (小野寺 章太郎,Onodera Shōtarō), was a Japanesemanga artist,cartoonist,writer anddirector. Known as the "King of Manga" (漫画の帝王 (Manga no Teiō) or 漫画の王様 (Manga no Ōsama)),[2][3] he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential manga artists of all time.[4][5] Outside of manga he is also one of the most prolific creators in the history ofanime,tokusatsu, andJapanese superhero fiction,[6] creating several immensely popular long-running series such asCyborg 009, theSuper Sentai series (later adapted into thePower Rangers series which Ishinomori has also been credited for co-creating), and theKamen Rider series. He was twice awarded by theShogakukan Manga Awards, in 1968 forSabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae and in 1988 forHotel andManga Nihon Keizai Nyumon.[7]
He was also known asShotaro Ishimori (石森 章太郎,Ishimori Shōtarō) prior to 1986, when he changed his family name to Ishinomori by adding theno (ノ) character inkatakana.
In December 1954, Ishinomori published his first work,Nikyuu Tenshi, inManga Shōnen. In 1956, he moved to Tokyo and became an assistant toOsamu Tezuka. During his time working under Tezuka, Ishinomori worked onAstro Boy[8] andAlakazam the Great.[9] In 1960, Ishinomori publishedFlying Phantom Ship, which was later turned into an animated feature film in 1969.[10]
Cyborg 009, created in 1964, became the first superpowered hero team created in Japan,[citation needed] featuring ninecybernetic warriors. The success of thetokusatsu superhero TV seriesKamen Rider, produced byToei Company in 1971, led to the birth of the "transforming" (henshin) superhero (human-sized superheroes who transform by doing a pose, and usemartial arts to fight henchmen and the weekly monster), and resulted in many sequel shows to this day.
Ishinomori then created many similar superhero dramas, which were once again all produced by Toei or in Sarutobi Ecchan's caseToei Animation, includingAndroid Kikaider,Kikaider 01,Henshin Ninja Arashi [ja],Inazuman,Robotto Keiji,Himitsu Sentai Gorenger (the firstSuper Sentai series),Kaiketsu Zubat,Akumaizer 3,Sarutobi Ecchan, theToei Fushigi Comedy Series, and countless others. He created popular children's shows, such asHoshi no Ko Chobin (Chobin, Child of the Stars, 1974, a co-production with Studio Zero which was a major success on Italian television) andGanbare!! Robokon.
In 1963, he founded the anime company Studio Zero. From 1967 to 1970, the manga009-1 was serialized in the Futabasha publicationWeekly Manga Action. It was written and illustrated by Ishinomori. There was a television drama of it in 1969 and eventually an anime in 2006.[citation needed]
Ishinomori's art is reminiscent of that of his mentor, Osamu Tezuka.[citation needed] The true story of his first meeting with Tezuka was illustrated in a short four-page tale drawn up as supplementary material for the 1970sAstro Boy manga reprints. In 1954, Ishinomori submitted his first official work,Nikyu Tenshi, to a contest seeking new talent in the magazine,Manga Shōnen. Tezuka was impressed by his drawings and sent a telegraph to Ishinomori, asking him to work as his assistant withAstro Boy. In the American release, this story can be seen in Volume 15, along with Ishinomori's earliest work on the "Electro" story arc. After graduating from high school in 1956 Ishinomori moved toTokiwa-so with Tezuka, and lived there until the end of 1961.[citation needed]
Ishinomori illustrated a comic adaptation of theSuper NES video gameThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which was produced for the American publicationNintendo Power. The comic consisted of 12 chapters, which were serialized from January 1992 (Volume 32) to December 1992 (Volume 43). The comic was republished as a graphic novel collection in 1993, and, as of 2015, is back in print throughViz Media.[citation needed] He has been credited for some work with thePower Rangers, including videos, video games, the 1996 video of aMighty Morphin Power Rangers World Tour Live on Stage event and thePower Rangers Zeo,Power Rangers Turbo andPower Rangers in Space tv series.[11]
At the end of 1997,Kazuhiko Shimamoto, a young and up-and-coming manga artist was contacted by an increasingly ill Ishinomori and asked if he would do a continuation, though more along the lines of a remake, of his 100-page, one-shot manga from 1970,Skull Man, the manga that became the basis forKamen Rider. Ishinomori, who had been one of Shimamoto's boyhood heroes, faxed him copies of the proposed story and plot notes. Shimamoto was astounded that he had been chosen to work on his idol's final, great work.[citation needed]
Shimamoto had already been involved in the revival of one of Ishinomori's other earlier works (includingKamen Rider) but little did he dream that, as only one of many whom Ishinomori had inspired, he would be chosen for the final collaboration and resurrection ofSkull Man. It was also adapted into an anime in 2007.[citation needed]
Ishinomori died of lymphoma and heart failure on 28 January 1998, just three days after his 60th birthday. His final work was thetokusatsu superhero TV series,Voicelugger, televised in 1999. In 2000, theKamen Rider series was revived withKamen Rider Kuuga. All of the series made in theHeisei era onwards credit Ishinomori as the creator. In 2001,Ishinomori Manga Museum named in his honor opened inIshinomaki, Miyagi.[12] Special trains in theSenseki Line were commissioned featuring his artwork generally leading to the museum.
His work posthumously awarded him the Guinness World Record for most comics published by one author, totaling over 128,000 pages across 770 titles across 500 volumes.[13]
His influence, particularly on superhero media, is such that he has often drawn comparisons as being the manga counterpart to bothStan Lee[14] andJack Kirby.[15]
Many manga artists have cited Ishinomori as an influence, includingKatsuhiro Otomo,Naoki Urasawa,Go Nagai,Kazuhiko Shimamoto,Keiko Takemiya,Moto Hagio,Taiyo Matsumoto,Tetsuya Chiba andTetsuo Hara.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Takemiya called him the 'flag-bearer of our time'. Hagio cited his influence on her drawing technique, stating that his images were 'truly marvelous'.
One of Tezuka's former assistants, Shigeto Ikehara, stated Ishinomori to be one of the two cartoonists that Tezuka was ever truly jealous of (the other being Otomo).[25] Ikehara stated that while Tezuka felt that he could not draw in a more realistic style than Otomo, with Ishinomori, he felt that he could not beat him with an Ishinomori-style manga.
In a variation of 'The Top 100 Historical Persons in Japan' poll held in 2006, asking for the 'Greatest Geniuses in History', Ishinomori ranked 79th. The only other mangaka on this list were Osamu Tezuka andFujiko F. Fujio.[26]
Fuku Suzuki portrays a young Ishinomori inSaber + Zenkaiger: Superhero Senki.[27][28]
| Year(s) | Original title | Translated title | Volumes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954–55 | 二級天使 | Nikyuu Tenshi | 1 |
| 1957–64 | 竜神沼 | Ryuujin Numa /Dragon God Pond | 1 |
| 1960 | 空飛ぶゆうれい船 | Flying Phantom Ship | 1 |
| 1964–81 | サイボーグ009 | Cyborg 009 | 36 |
| 1964–69 | さるとびエッちゃん | Sarutobi Ecchan | 5 |
| 1965–66 | ミュータント・サブ | Mutant Sabu | 3 |
| 1966–72 | 佐武と市捕物控 | Sabu and Ichi's Detective Memoirs | 17 |
| 1967–74 | 009ノ1 | 009-1 | 6 |
| 1967–68 | 幻魔大戦 | Genma Wars | 2 |
| 1967–71 | ジュン - 章太郎のファンタジーワールド | Shoutaro's Fantasy World Jun | 2 |
| 1969–70 | リュウの道 | The Road of Ryuu | 8 |
| 1970 | スカルマン | The Skull Man | 1 |
| 1971 | 宮本武蔵 | Miyamoto Musashi | 1 |
| 1971 | 原始少年リュウ | Primitive Boy Ryu | 3 |
| 1971 | 劇画家畜人ヤプー | Domestic Yapoo | 1 |
| 1971–72 | 仮面ライダー | Kamen Rider | 4 |
| 1972–73 | ロボット刑事 | Robot Keiji | 3 |
| 1972–73 | 変身忍者 嵐 | Transforming Ninja Arashi | 3 |
| 1972–74 | キカイダー | Kikaider | 6 |
| 1973–74 | イナズマン | Inazuman | 4 |
| 1974–75 | 買厄懸場帖 九頭竜 | Baiyaku Kakebachō Kazuryū | 3 |
| 1974–75 | 星の子チョビン | Chobin the Star Child | 1 |
| 1975–76 | 秘密戦隊ゴレンジャー | Himitsu Sentai Gorenger | 2 |
| 1976–78 | ギルガメッシュ | Gilgamesh | 6 |
| 1977–78 | 多羅尾伴内 七つの顔をもつ男 | The Man With Seven Faces | 5 |
| 1979–81 | 幻魔大戦 -神話前夜の章 | Genma Wars: Eve of Mythology | 3 |
| 1983–84 | 八百八町表裏 化粧師 | 808 Ward Inside and Out: Make-Up Artist | 3 |
| 1984–98 | Hotel | Hotel | 37 |
| 1986 | マンガ日本経済入門 | Japan Inc.: An Introduction to Japanese Economics | 2 |
| 1986–87 | 北斎 | Hokusai | 3 |
| 1987–88 | 仮面ライダーBlack | Kamen Rider Black | 6 |
| 1988 | 人間の條件 | The Human Condition | 4 |
| 1989–94 | 仮面ライダーZO | Kamen Rider ZO | 1 |
| 1992 | ゼルダの伝説～神々のトライフォース | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | 1 |
| 1994 | 古事記 (石ノ森章太郎) | Kojiki | 1 |
| 1996–97 | シャーロック・ホームズシリーズ | Sherlock Holmes Series | 10 |
| 1997–98 | ドッグワールド | Dog World | 3 |
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| Shōwa era series | |
| Heisei era series |
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| Reiwa era series |
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