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was 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 ...
who became an influential figure in
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is used ...
,
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening o ...
, and , creating several immensely popular long-running series such as ''
Cyborg 009 is a Japanese science fiction manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different Japanese magazines, including '' Monthly Shōnen King'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'', '' Shōnen Big Comic'', '' COM'', ' ...
,'' the ''
Super Sentai is a Japanese superhero team metaseries and media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company, and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi ("Sentai" is the Japanese word for "task force" or "fighting squadron"). The sh ...
'' series (later adapted into the ''
Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS Enter ...
'' series), and the ''
Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media general ...
'' series. He was twice awarded by the
Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Ja ...
s, in 1968 for ''
Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae Sabu may refer to: Film and comics *Sabu, Japanese name of 1966 Speed Racer's mechanic in original manga and its anime adaptation *Sabu, 1971 character in Chacha Chaudhary Indian comic books * ''Sabu'' (film), 2002 Japanese period drama directed b ...
'' and in 1988 for ''Hotel'' and ''Manga Nihon Keizai Nyumon''. He was born as in
Tome, Miyagi 270px, Tome City Hall is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 77,897 and a population density of 150 persons per km² in 27,298 households. The total area of the city is . The area is noted for it ...
, and was also known as prior to 1986, when he changed his family name to Ishinomori by adding the character in
katakana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived fro ...
.


Career

In December 1954, Ishinomori published his first work, ''Nikyuu Tenshi'', in ''
Manga Shōnen was a monthly manga magazine published by Gakudōsha between December 1947 and October 1955. The magazine was important in forming and promoting shōnen manga in post-war Japan. Legacy The magazine was first published on 20 December 1947. ...
''. In 1956, he moved to Tokyo and became an assistant to
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
. During his time working under Tezuka, Ishinomori worked on ''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' v ...
'' and ''
Alakazam the Great ''Alakazam the Great'', known in Japan as , is a 1960 Japanese anime musical film, based on the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. It was one of the earliest anime films to be released in the United States. Osamu Tezuka was named ...
''. In 1960, Ishinomori published ''
Flying Phantom Ship :''See also Flying Phantom.'' is a 1969 anime feature film directed by Hiroshi Ikeda and produced by Toei Animation. It was one of the first anime films to be dubbed into Russian and shown in Soviet cinema theaters. The animation and design ...
'', which was later turned into an animated feature film in 1969. ''
Cyborg 009 is a Japanese science fiction manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different Japanese magazines, including '' Monthly Shōnen King'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'', '' Shōnen Big Comic'', '' COM'', ' ...
'', created in 1963, became the first superpowered hero team created in Japan, featuring nine
cybernetic Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson ma ...
warriors. That same year, Kazumasa Hirai and
Jiro Kuwata was a Japanese manga artist. Biography A gifted artist, Kuwata started out as a manga artist at the young age of 13, when he created in 1948. His turning point came in 1957, when he created (which was adapted into a tokusatsu TV series in 195 ...
created Japan's first android
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, o ...
series, ''
8 Man or or is a manga and superhero anime created in 1963 by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist Jiro Kuwata. 8 Man is considered Japan's earliest cyborg superhero, pre-dating ''Kamen Rider.'' The manga was published ...
'' (which predated Ishinomori's ''
Kikaider is a manga series written and illustrated by Shotaro Ishinomori. A two-season tokusatsu series titled '' Android Kikaider'' (''Kikaider 01'' in season 2) was produced by Toei Company and Ishimori Productions in early 1970s. A 18-episode a ...
'' by nine years). The success of the superhero TV series ''
Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media general ...
'', produced by
Toei Company () (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by ...
in 1971, led to the birth of the "transforming" (''henshin'') superhero (human-sized superheroes who transform by doing a pose, and use
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pre ...
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 case
Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slump'', ...
, including ''
Android Kikaider is a ''tokusatsu'' television series based on superhero manga series of the same name by Shotaro Ishinomori. The show was produced by Toei Company and Ishimori Productions, and was broadcast in Japan on NET (now TV Asahi) from July 8, 1972, to ...
'', ''
Kikaider 01 (Pronounced as ''Kikaider Zero One''), is a tokusatsu superhero TV series, and a sequel series to ''Android Kikaider''. Produced by Toei Company and Ishimori Productions, it was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi) from May 12, 1973 to March 30, 1974, ...
'', '' Henshin Ninja Arashi'', ''
Inazuman is a television series starring a mutant fictional character of the same name created by Shotaro Ishinomori. The first television series ran from October 2, 1973 to March 26, 1974 with a total of 25 episodes. A second season named aired in 197 ...
'', '' Robotto Keiji'', ''
Himitsu Sentai Gorenger is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' superhero television series. ''Gorenger'', created by Shotaro Ishinomori, was the first in the long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of ''tokusatsu'' programming. The series aired on NET (now TV Asahi) from April 5, ...
'' (the first
Super Sentai is a Japanese superhero team metaseries and media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company, and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi ("Sentai" is the Japanese word for "task force" or "fighting squadron"). The sh ...
series), ''
Kaiketsu Zubat , is a ''tokusatsu'' superhero series that aired in 1977. Created by Shotaro Ishinomori, this 32-episode series (which aired on TV Tokyo from 2/2/1977 to 9/28/1977), harkens back to tokusatsu superhero shows of the 1950s, but with a late-1970s tw ...
'', ''
Akumaizer 3 is a Japanese science fiction tokusatsu television series, created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei Company. The series premiered on Tuesday October 7, 1975, at 7:30, and ran for 38 episodes in that timeslot on NET, now known as TV Asahi ...
'', ''
Sarutobi Ecchan known in some countries as ''Hela Supergirl'', is a Japanese manga series by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was originally named , but was changed in 1971 when Toei Animation adapted it into an anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated ...
'', the '' Toei Fushigi Comedy Series'', and countless others. He even created popular children's shows, such as '' Hoshi no Ko Chobin'' (''Chobin, Child of the Stars'', 1974, a co-production with Studio Zero which was a major success on Italian television) and '' Ganbare!! Robokon''. In 1963, he also founded the anime company Studio Zero. From 1967 to 1970, the manga ''
009-1 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shotaro Ishinomori. The manga was serialized in the Futabasha publication ''Weekly Manga Action'' from 1967 to 1970, then returned briefly in 1974. The story concerns Miléne Hoffman (" ...
'' was serialized in the Futabasha publication ''Weekly Manga Action''. It was written and illustrated by Ishinomori. There was a television drama of it in 1969 and eventually an anime in 2006. Ishinomori's art is reminiscent of that of his mentor, Osamu Tezuka. The true story of his first meeting with Tezuka was illustrated in a short four-page tale drawn up as supplementary material for the 1970s ''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' v ...
'' 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 with ''Astro 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 to Tokiwa-so with Tezuka, and lived there until the end of 1961. Ishinomori also illustrated a comic adaptation of the
Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
video game '' The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past'', which was produced for the American publication ''
Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...
''. 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 through
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ ...
. At the end of 1997,
Kazuhiko Shimamoto is a Japanese manga artist. He attended college at the Osaka University of Arts in the fine arts department. While in college in February 1982, he debuted in the spring special issue of Shōnen Sunday with Hissatsu no Tenkōsei. At this point he ...
, 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 is a ''shōnen'' manga series created by Shotaro Ishinomori which first appeared in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' in 1970. The hero of the story, whose parents have been murdered, grows up to use his peculiar powers to take revenge. The o ...
'' (the manga that became the basis for ''Kamen 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. Shimamoto had already been involved in the revival of one of Ishinomori's other earlier works (including ''Kamen 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 of ''Skull Man''. It was also adapted into an anime in 2007.


Death and legacy

Ishinomori died of heart failure on 28 January 1998, just three days after his 60th birthday. His final work was the superhero TV series, '' Voicelugger'', televised a year later. Two years later, the
Kamen Rider series The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media genera ...
would be revived with ''
Kamen Rider Kuuga is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is the tenth installment of the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu shows and the first of the series to air entirely in the Heisei period, as well as the first standalone Kamen Rider TV series sin ...
''. All of the series made in the
Heisei period The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...
credit Ishinomori as the creator. The Ishinomori Manga Museum named in his honor opened in
Ishinomaki, Miyagi is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 138,538, and a population density of 250 persons per km2 in 61,919 households. The total area of the city is . Geography Ishinomaki is in northeastern Miy ...
, in 2001. Special trains in the
Senseki Line The is a railway line in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Aoba-dōri Station in Sendai to Ishinomaki Station in Ishinomaki, and provides access to the central coast areas of ...
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. Manga artists that have cited Ishinomori as an influence include
Katsuhiro Otomo is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter, animator and film director. He is best known as the creator of '' Akira'', in terms of both the original 1982 manga series and the 1988 animated film adaptation. He was decorated a ''Chevalier'' of th ...
,
Naoki Urasawa is a Japanese manga artist and musician. He has been drawing manga since he was four years old, and for most of his professional career has created two series simultaneously. The stories to many of these were co-written in collaboration with his ...
and
Tetsuo Hara is a Japanese manga artist. He is best-known for creating the post-apocalyptic martial arts series '' Fist of the North Star'' (1983–1988) with writer Buronson, which is one of the best-selling manga in history with over 100 million copies ...
.
Fuku Suzuki is a Japanese actor from Tokyo. As a member of the talent agency Theatre Academy, he made his first appearance in 2006 on the NHK children's programme '' Inai Inai Baa!'' before earning a major role in '' Marumo no Okite'' and more recently th ...
portrays a young Ishinomori in '' Saber + Zenkaiger: Superhero Senki''.


Selected works


References


External links


Ishimori Production Inc.
– Official website
Ishimori Production Inc.
– Official website
Ishimori Production Inc.
– Official website
Mangattan Museum website



Shotaro Ishinomori Memorial Museum
– Official website
Entry
in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction {{DEFAULTSORT:Ishinomori, Shotaro 1938 births 1998 deaths Anime character designers Manga artists from Miyagi Prefecture Winner of Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (Special Award)