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 ...

. She made her professional debut in 1964 during her second year of high school with the one-shot ''Pia no Shōzō'' ("Portrait of Pia"). She has since created nearly 500

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 ...

in a variety of genres. Two of her most notable works are ''Ashita Kagayaku'' ("Tomorrow Will Shine"), which won the 1974 Kodansha Publishing Culture Award, and '' Karyūdo no Seiza'' ("Constellation of the Hunter"), which won the 1982

Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publ ...

. In addition to creating manga, Satonaka teaches at the

Osaka University of Arts is a private arts university located in Kanan, Minamikawachi District, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The university was founded in 1945 as , changing its name to in 1957, and then to in 1964. The university adopted the current name in 1966. Not ...

as the head of the Character Creative Arts Department and serves on the board of various manga-related organizations in Japan.

Early life

Machiko Satonaka was born on 24 January 1948 in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Japan. As a child, her elementary school banned students from reading

such as ''

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 ...

'' because of its violent and unscientific content; her teachers even burned manga in front of her class. Satonaka—who admired the works of

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 ...

Shotaro Ishinomori was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and , creating several immensely popular long-running series such as '' Cyborg 009,'' the ''Super Sentai'' series (later adapted into the '' Power Rangers'' series), ...

Tetsuya Chiba is a Japanese manga artist famous for his sports stories. Chiba's works include '' Ashita no Joe'', his best known work, and '' Notari Matsutarō''. Many of his early titles are still in print due to continued popularity. Life He was born in ...

, and

Hideko Mizuno is one of the first successful female Japanese shōjo manga artists. She was an assistant of Osamu Tezuka staying in Tokiwa-sō. She made her professional debut in 1955 with ''Akakke Kōma Pony'', a Western story with a tomboy heroine. She ...

—was filled with a desire to "protect manga" and to "contribute to raising its status" in society by becoming an artist herself.

Career

In 1964, during her second year of high school, Satonaka made her professional debut with the one-shot ''Pia no Shōzō'' ("Portrait of Pia"), published in

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', '' Afternoon'', '' Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' a ...

's '' Shōjo Friend'' magazine; for this, she received the inaugural Kodansha New Faces Award. The

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, such ...

staff of ''Shōjo Friend'' subsequently advertised Satonaka as "a genius girl". She dropped out of school against her parents' wishes and moved to Tokyo to pursue her career. As of 2019, Satonaka has created nearly 500 manga for both ''shōjo'' (young girls) and ''josei'' (adult women) in a variety of genres, including romantic comedies, fantasy epics, and historical dramas. Her longest-running manga, ''Tenjō no Niji'' ("Celestial Rainbow"), depicts the life of the Japanese

Empress Jitō was the 41st monarch of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 持統天皇 (41)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Jitō's reign spanned the years from 686 through 697.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). In the history of ...

and was serialized for more than 30 years. Two of her works—a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

collection titled ''Machiko's One Thousand and One Nights'' and an anthology of Biblical tales titled ''The Old Testament''—are available in English on the

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals **Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...

manga website Manga Reborn. Masami Toku, a scholar and professor of art education at California State University, Chico, described Satonaka as an artist who "consistently protested against a stereotypical male view of women, which often demanded that they remain young and immature, and instead wholeheartedly affirmed women's growth and maturity." In addition to creating manga, Satonaka serves as the head of the

Character Creative Arts Department; the director of the Japan Cartoonists Association; the director of the Manga Japan foundation; the chairperson of the Digital Manga Association; a representative of the NPO Asia Manga Summit Administering Authority; and a member of the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters.

Selected works

* , 1964 Text: Translation: "''Weekly Shōjo Friend'', 30 August 1964 (36) – Machiko Satonaka's ''Pia no Shōzō'' (Debut Work)" * , 1967 * , 1968 * , 1968–1969 Text: Translation: "''Weekly Shōjo Friend'', 13 August 1968 (33) – Machiko Satonaka's ''LaLa Heart'' (New Series)" Text: Translation: "''Weekly Shōjo Friend'', 27 May 1969 (22) – Machiko Satonaka's ''LaLa Heart'' (Final Chapter)" * , 1969–1970 Text: Translation: "''Weekly Shōjo Friend'', 16 December 1969 Issue (51) – Machiko Satonaka's ''Lady Ann'' (New Series)" Text: Translation: "''Weekly Shōjo Friend'', 8 December 1970 Issue (50) – Machiko Satonaka's ''Lady Ann'' (Final Chapter)" * , 1972–1973 * , 1973–1974 * , 1973–1975 * , 1977–1980 * , 1978–1980 * , 1979–1981 * , 1983–2015 * , 1996–1997

Translated into English

* , published by Shoeisha in 1995; translated for the

manga website Manga Reborn in 2013 * , published by

Chuokoron-Shinsha is a Japanese publisher. It was established in 1886, under the name . In 1999, it was acquired by The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, and its name was subsequently changed to Chūōkōron-shinsha. Profile The company publishes a wide variety of mater ...

in 2011; translated for the digital manga website Manga Reborn in 2014

Awards

* 1964: Kodansha New Faces Award for ''Pia no Shōzō'' * 1974: Kodansha Publishing Culture Award in the children's manga category for ''Ashita Kagayaku'' and ''Hime ga Iku!'' * 1982:

in the general manga category for '' Karyūdo no Seiza'' * 2006: Japanese Ministry of Culture and Science's Achievement Certificate for Lifetime Works and Cultural Activities * 2010: Commendation of the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs * 2013: Kojiki Publishing Grand Prize's

Ō no Yasumaro was a Japanese nobleman, bureaucrat, and chronicler. He may have been the son of , a participant in the Jinshin War of 672.Philippi (1968:546) He is most famous for compiling and editing, with the assistance of Hieda no Are, the ''Kojiki T ...

Award for ''Kojiki: Manga Koten Bungaku'' * 2014:

Japanese Foreign Minister The is a member of the cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The minister is responsible for implementing Japan’s foreign policy and is also a statutory member of the National Security Counci ...

's Commendation for "the promotion of cultural exchange through manga between Japan and foreign countries"

References

Works cited

External links

* *
Profile at The Ultimate Manga Guide

Interview with Manabi Japan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Satonaka, Machiko 1948 births Japanese female comics artists Living people Women manga artists Manga artists from Osaka Prefecture People from Osaka Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (General)