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 bef ...

. She debuted in 1966 with the short story ''Dorobō Tenshi''.｢あさきゆめみし PerfectBook｣ p.181 Special Interview Since her debut, Yamato steadily created and published a variety of works in the genre of

shōjo manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent females and young adult women. It is, along with manga (targeting adolescent boys), manga (targeting young adult and adult men), and manga (targeting adul ...

. Among her early time works, ''Mon Cherie CoCo'', 1971, was adapted into an

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, 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 Japane ...

television series, and her work, ''

Haikara-san ga Tōru , also known as ''Smart-san'' or ''Mademoiselle Anne'', is a Japanese shōjo manga series by Waki Yamato. It was serialized by Kodansha in the magazine '' Shōjo Friend'' from 1975 to 1977. The title can be literally translated into E ...

'', 1975 to 1977, was very successful, winning the 1st

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 ...

for shōjo in 1977. It was also made into a musical for the

Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals and stories adapted from films, novels, manga, and Jap ...

, an anime series (which reached an international audience through TV broadcasts in Italy and France), and a live-action movie. Through these early works, she established her position as one of the most popular manga artists.

Works

After the success of ''Haikara-san ga Tōru'', she continued to create many manga, including the comedy ''Aramis '78'' (series), ''Yokohama Monogatari'' (The Story of

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

), and ''N. Y. Komachi'' (The Belle of New York). The latter two were historical manga, set during the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

. The heroines of these stories were active girls who traveled overseas. Yamato's early work ''Reidii Mitsuko'' (Lady Mitsuko), 1976, was based on the true story of

Mitsuko Aoyama Mitsuko Thekla Maria, Countess of Coudenhove-Kalergi (german: Mitsuko Thekla Maria Gräfin von Coudenhove-Kalergi; 7 July 1874 27 August 1941), formerly known as , was one of the first Japanese people to immigrate to Europe, after becoming the wi ...

, who was the mother of

Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi Richard Nikolaus Eijiro, Count of Coudenhove-Kalergi (16 November 1894 – 27 July 1972) was an Austrian-Japanese politician, philosopher and Count of Coudenhove-Kalergi. A pioneer of European integration, he served as the founding president of ...

. Similarly, in ''Yokohama Monogatari'', Uno visits

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, marries her Japanese lover there and returns to

, while Mariko visits

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to meet her Japanese husband. In ''N. Y. Komachi''

tomboy A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...

Shino travels to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and becomes a

camerawoman A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task. In filmmaking, ...

. At the end she settles in America with her husband Danny.

Asaki Yume Mishi

Yamato's major work is '' Asaki Yume Mishi''. Yamato spent 13 years (1980–93) completing this famous long work, based on

Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the Heian period. She is best known as the author of '' The Tale of Genji,'' widely considered to be one of the world's first novels, written in Japanese between abo ...

's '' The Tale of Genji''. Yamato studied the historical details of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...

. But she made radical changes to the characters and plot, to fit contemporary

mores Mores (, sometimes ; , plural form of singular , meaning "manner, custom, usage, or habit") are social norms that are widely observed within a particular society or culture. Mores determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable ...

. Yet her work remains one of the best visualizations of the Heian era.

List of works

* ''Dorobou Tenshi'', (どろぼう天使, Thief Angel) debut short work, 1966 * ''Mon Cheri CoCo'', (モンシェリCoCo) 1971 ** Adapted into an anime television series in 1972 * ''Redii Mitsuko'', (レディーミツコ, Lady MitsukoThe story of Japanese woman,

, who is the mother of

). 1975–1976 * ''

'', (はいからさんが通る, "The Modern Girl Passes By") 1975–1977 ** Adapted into an anime television series in 1978-1979 and a live-action movie in 1987 * ''Killa'', (Killa) 1977–1978 * ''Ten no Hate, Chi no Kagiri'', (天の果て地の限り) 1978 * ''Aramis ’78'', (アラミス’78) 1978–1984 * ''Kigen 2600 nen no Playball'', (紀元2600年のプレイボール) 1979–1980 * ''Gekkou-ju'', (月光樹, Moonlight Shining Tree) 1980 * ''Yokohama Monogatari'', (ヨコハマ物語, The Story of Yokohama) 1981–1983 * ''N. Y. Komachi'', (NY小町, The Belle of New York) 1985–1988 * '' Asaki Yume Mishi'', (あさきゆめみし, Asakiyunemishi, based on

's '' The Tale of Genji'') 1980–1993 * ''Hi-heel Cop'', (ハイヒールCOP) 1989–1994 * ''Tenshi no Kajitsu'', (天使の果実, Fruit of the Angel, based on novel by Shizuka Ijuuin) 1993–1994 * ''Niji no Natascha'', (虹のナターシャ, Natascha of Rainbow, based on novel by Mariko Hayashi) 1995–1997 * ''Nishimuku Samurai'', (にしむく士, Samurai facing to the West) 1997 * ''Baby-sitter Gin!'', (ベビーシッター・ギン!) 1997 * ''Kurenai Niwofu'', (紅匂ふ)

Notes

References

Waki Yamato manga
at Media Arts Database

fan site, based on ｢大和和紀自選集5｣(Author's Selected Works, Vol.5) Kodansha, (Japanese)

fan site, based on ｢大和和紀自選集5｣(Author's Selected Works, Vol.5) Kodansha, (Japanese) * Yamato Waki ''Haikara-san ga Tooru'' Kodansha (Japanese comic) * Yamato Waki ''Lady Mitsuko'' Kodansha (Japanese comic) * Yamato Waki ''Yokohama Monogatari'' 8 volumes, Kodansha (Japanese comic) * Yamato Waki ''N. Y. Komachi'' 8 volumes, Kodansha (Japanese comic) * Yamato Waki ''Asaki Yume Mishi'' 13 volumes, Kodansha (Japanese comic) * ｢あさきゆめみし PerfectBook｣宝島社 (Takarajima co.ltd.), 2003/2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamato, Waki Women manga artists 1948 births People from Sapporo Manga artists from Hokkaido Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (Shōjo) Japanese female comics artists Living people