is a Japanese

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

. He is known for works such as ''

The Silent Service is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. It was published in Kodansha's ''Weekly Morning'' manga magazine from 1988 to 1996 and collected in 32 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series was adapted into an anime telev ...

'', '' Zipang'', ''

A Spirit of the Sun is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. It is about a resourceful boy, Genichiro Ryu, as he survives a series of natural disasters and collapse of the economy in Japan set in the beginning of the 21st century. ...

'' and ''

Kūbo Ibuki is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi with cooperation by journalist Osamu Eya. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic'' from December 2014 to December 2019. A sequel, titled ...

''. Generally, his stories involve Japan and examine the moral choices that people make in extreme situations.

Early life and career

In elementary school, Kaiji and his younger identical twin brother Kyōji became engrossed in manga. Kyōji took over running the Kawaguchi family business, but was also a manga artist before dying in 2013. Kaiji's daughter Nirako is an illustrator, while his eldest son Kōhei is a Kanze

noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...

actor. In 1968, Kaiji made his professional debut with ''Yoru ga Aketara'' in '' Young Comic'' at age 21, while still attending

Meiji University , abbreviated as Meiji (明治) or Meidai (明大'')'', is a private research university located in Chiyoda City, the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1881 as Meiji Law School (明治法律学校, ''Meiji Hōritsu Gakkō'') by three Meiji-er ...

Influences and style

Kawaguchi was influenced by

Shinji Nagashima , better known by the pen name , was a Japanese manga artist born in Tokyo, Japan. His pseudonym came about due to a publisher's error when printing his name, and he continued using the pseudonym after that. His oldest son is classical guitarist ...

, Tatsuhiko Yamagami's ''Hikaru Kaze'', and

Tadao Tsuge Tadao Tsuge (; real name ; born 1941) is a Japanese alternative manga artist. He is known to write stories about the ''kimin'' (; the "abandoned" people) and ''burakumin'' of Japanese society, as well the men who tried to reintegrate into Japanese s ...

. He also said that if it were not for the freedom and more adult material seen in ''

gekiga , literally "dramatic pictures", is a style of Japanese comics aimed at adult audiences and marked by a more cinematic art style and more mature themes. ''Gekiga'' was the predominant style of adult comics in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. It is ...

'', he probably would not have become a manga artist. In seventh grade he became interested in cinematography after seeing

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

's ''

Yojimbo is a 1961 Japanese samurai film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film stars Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Atsushi Watanabe. ...

''. This early influence from film is still seen in his manga ''

names A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A persona ...

'', which are largely text and more like film screenplays, which he read for fun in high school, than the usual storyboards. In the middle of serializing ''Hard & Loose'' (1983–87), Kawaguchi started drawing the eyes of his characters bigger. This was a suggestion by his editor, who told him that emotion is conveyed through the eyes. Before he made this switch, Kawaguchi said he never would have thought he would be able to draw Westerners and set his manga overseas. The artist cited his work in ''Actor'' (1984–88) as the basis for his current style. Kawaguchi was a heavy smoker who insisted a cigarette was "indispensable" when drawing. However, after being treated for

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voice ...

in 2019, he quit smoking.

Works

* ''Gunka no Hibiki'' (1975–76), story by

Ryō Hanmura was a Japanese science fiction, fantasy, and Horror fiction, horror author. His name is alternatively transliterated as Ryō Hammura. While he wrote books as Ryō Hanmura his real name was . He won the first Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature for ...

* ''Terror no Keifu'' (1975) * ''Pro: Mahjong-kai no Hikari to Kage'' (1981–84) * ''Iki ni Kanzu'' (1983), story by Yūjirō Yoshida * ''Hard & Loose'' (1983–87), story by

Marley Carib , also known as and Marginal (in ''Astral Project''), was a Japanese manga writer. In 1986 he completed his first major works in collaboration with Akyo Makata in ''Ahomansu'' and ''Meisouou Boodaa''. Afterwards, Tsuchiya collaborated with dra ...

* ''Kiba-Ken'' (1984–85), story by Fumio Azuma * ''Actor'' (1984–88) * ''Ai Monogatari'' (1987–89) * ''

'' (1988–96) * ''Medusa'' (1990–94) * ''Mosaren Bugi'' (1991–92) * ''Shisetsu Tantei Akai Kiba'' (1991), story by Azusa Katsume * ''Gokudou Shippuden: Bakudan'' (1992) * ''Tantei Hammer'' (1992) * ''Yellow'' (1995), story by Shinji Miyazaki * ''Cocoro'' (1997) * ''Araragi Tokkyu'' (1997) * ''

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

'' (1997–2001) * ''Ruri no kamikaze'' (1998) * ''Bullet & Beast'' (1998–99) * ''

Confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

'' (1998), story by

Nobuyuki Fukumoto is a Japanese manga artist well known for his work including unique and original gambling ideas, deep psychological analyses of characters, and distinct artstyle. Yakuza and gambling are recurring themes in his manga. In English-speaking countri ...

* ''Seizon Life'' (2000), story by Nobuyuki Fukumoto * ''The Battery'' (2001) * ''Kuroi Taiyō'' (2001) * '' Zipang'' (2000–09) * ''

'' (2002–10) * ''Kousetsu Mahjong Shinsengumi'' (2006–07) * ''Ginrō ni Kodoku wo Mita'' (2007), story by

Saho Sasazawa was a Japanese author, known as the creator of the ''Kogarashi Monjirō'' novels, which became a hit televised drama series. He was a self-declared member of the or "new orthodox" school of detective fiction writing. Aside from mysteries, he a ...

* ''Hyōma no Hata'' (2011–14) * ''Boku wa Beatles'' (2011–12), story by Tetsuo Fujii * ''Rijin no Fushigi na Yakyū (Jo)'' (2012) * ''Zipang: Shinsō Kairyū'' (2012) * ''Burai-hen'' (2013) * ''

'' (2014–2019) * '' Kūbo Ibuki Great Game'' (2019–present)

Accolades

He has received the

Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in three categories: '' shōnen'', '' shōjo'', and general. The awards began in 1977, initially w ...

three times, for ''Actor'' in 1987, ''

'' in 1990, and '' Zipang'' in 2002. He has also received the

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan, Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being ...

twice, for ''

'' in 2006 and ''

'' in 2018.''A Spirit of the Sun'' also won the 2006 manga award at the

Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawaguchi, Kaiji 1948 births Manga artists from Hiroshima Prefecture Meiji University alumni Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (General) Living people