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 ...

, born in Urawa,

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefectur ...

(now part of

Saitama City is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lying 1 ...

). She graduated from Saitama Prefecture's prestigious Urawanishi High School and

Hosei University is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan. The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of l ...

's department of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, with a major in

sports psychology Sport psychology was defined by the European Federation of Sport in 1996, as the study of the psychological basis, processes, and effects of sport. Otherwise, sport is considered as any physical activity where the individuals engage for competi ...

. During her high school days, she was a member of her school's

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

team, which would go on to be an inspiration in her work ''

Ōkiku Furikabutte , often shortened to just , is a Japanese baseball-themed manga series written and illustrated by Asa Higuchi. It has been serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Monthly Afternoon'' since September 2003, with its chapters col ...

'' as well as her high school which is featured in detail (the school now advertising the manga and anime on their website). In 1998, Higuchi won noted

seinen is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word ''seinen'' literally means "youth", but the term "''seinen'' manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Weekly Ma ...

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 use ...

magazine ''

Afternoon Afternoon is the time after solar noon. It is the time when the sun is descending from its peak in the sky to somewhat before its terminus at the horizon in the west. In human life, it occupies roughly the latter half of the standard work an ...

s Shiki competition with her work ''Yuku tokoro''. It was noted for the unique relationships shared by its characters and was subsequently published in the August issue of the magazine, thus marking her debut as a manga artist. She is currently working on ''

'', which has spanned 32 volumes to date and being serialized in the monthly ''Afternoon''. It won the 10th

Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Curren ...

for best creative work in 2006, and the 31st

Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized 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 ea ...

for general manga in 2007.

Works

* ''Yuku tokoro'' (1998) * ''Kazoku no Sore Kara'' (2000, serialized in ''Afternoon'', Kodansha) * ''Yasashii Watashi'' (2001–2002, serialized in ''Afternoon'', Kodansha) * ''

'' (2004–present, serialized in ''Afternoon'', Kodansha)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Higuchi Asa Japanese female comics artists Female comics writers Women manga artists Manga artists from Saitama Prefecture Living people 1970 births Hosei University alumni 20th-century Japanese women writers 20th-century Japanese writers 21st-century Japanese women writers 21st-century Japanese writers