is a Japanese

manga artist A manga artist, also known as a mangaka (), is a Cartoonist, comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist before entering the indus ...

. 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 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 history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

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 one of Japan's major manga awards. The event is sponsored by publisher Kodansha. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga in its third iteration since 1977. Categories The award was originally called the until 1968. In 1970, it was ...

. 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 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

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

such as ''

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan as , 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 volumes by Akita Shoten. Da ...

'' 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. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...

Shotaro Ishinomori , né , was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, writer and director. Known as the "King of Manga" (漫画の帝王 (''Manga no Teiou)'' or 漫画の王様 (''Manga no Ousama)''), he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential mang ...

, Tetsuya Chiba, 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. S ...

—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 publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

'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 or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...

staff of ''Shōjo Friend'' subsequently advertised Satonaka as "a genius girl". She dropped out of school against her parents' wishes and moved to

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

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 emperor of Japan, monarch of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 持統天皇 (41)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Jitō's reign spanned the years from Jitō period, 68 ...

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

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single 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 old ...

collection titled ''Machiko's One Thousand and One Nights'' and an anthology of

Biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

tales titled ''The Old Testament''—are available in English on the

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Businesses *Digital bank, a form of financial institution *Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company *Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...

manga website Manga Reborn. Masami Toku, a scholar and professor of art education at

California State University, Chico California State University, Chico (Chico State) is a public university in Chico, California. It was founded in 1887 as one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing ...

, 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 * ''Cleopatra'' (クレオパトラ), 1975, serialized in '' Shōjo Friend'' * , 1977–1980, serialized in ''Mimi'' * , 1978–1980 * , 1979–1981 * , 1983–2015, serialized in ''Mimi DX'' and ''Mimi Excellent'' (until 1993) * , 1996–1997 * ''Raphael - Sono Ai'' (ラファエロ―その愛), 1996

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 and refer to manga and anime directed towards children. These series are usually moralistic, often educating children about staying in the right path in life. Each chapter is usually a self-contained story History Manga aimed at children st ...

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 The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...

Publishing Grand Prize's

Ō no Yasumaro was a Japanese nobleman, bureaucrat, and chronicler. He may have been the son of Ō no Honji, 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 ...

Award for ''Kojiki: Manga Koten Bungaku'' * 2014: Japanese Foreign Minister's Commendation for "the promotion of cultural exchange through manga between Japan and foreign countries" * 2023:

Person of Cultural Merit is an official Japanese recognition and honour which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...

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 Artists from Osaka Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (General) Persons of Cultural Merit