, better known by the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, was 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 ...

and ''

nihonga ''Nihonga'' () is a Japanese style of painting that typically uses mineral pigments, and occasionally ink, together with other organic pigments on silk or paper. The term was coined during the Meiji period (1868–1912) to differentiate it from ...

'' artist. He drew many

editorial cartoons A political cartoon, also known as an editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically co ...

and

comic strips A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

during the years from the late

Meiji era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, 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 feu ...

through the early

Shōwa era The was a historical period of History of Japan, Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the T ...

. He is considered by many historians to be the founding father of modern

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 ...

because his work was an inspiration to many younger manga artists and animators. He was the first professional cartoonist in Japan, and the first to use the term "manga" in its modern sense.

Biography

Kitazawa was born in 1876 in the Kita Adachi district of Ōmiya in

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

. He studied western-style painting under Ōno Yukihiko and Nihonga under Inoue Shunzui. He joined the English-language magazine ''Box of Curios'' in 1895, and started drawing cartoons under Frank Arthur Nankivell, an Australian artist who later emigrated to America and became a popular cartoonist for '' Puck'' magazine. In 1899, Kitazawa moved to ''Jiji Shimpo'', a daily newspaper founded by Yukichi Fukuzawa. From January 1902, he contributed to ''Jiji Manga'', a comics page that appeared in the Sunday edition. His comics for this page were inspired by American comic strips such as ''

Katzenjammer Kids ''The Katzenjammer Kids'' is an American comic strip created by Rudolph Dirks in 1897 and later drawn by Harold Knerr for 35 years (1914 to 1949).Yellow Kid'', and the work of Frederick Burr Opper. In 1905, Kitazawa started a full-color satirical magazine called '' Tokyo Puck'', named after the American magazine. It was translated into English and Chinese and sold in not only Japan but also in the

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n peninsula,

Mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

, and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. He worked for this magazine until 1915 (with the exception of a short period around 1912, during which he published a magazine of his own called ''Rakuten Puck''), and then returned to ''Jiji Shimpo'', where he remained until his retirement in 1932. In 1929, Kitazawa held a private exhibition in Paris on the recommendation of the French ambassador, and was awarded the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. During World War II, he was the chairman of the ''Nihon Manga Hōkō Kai'', a cartoonists' society organized by the government to support the war effort. After the war, Kitazawa spent his last years living and working in a house in Ōmiya in

, which in 1966 became the Saitama Municipal Cartoon Art Museum (in Japanese, Saitama Shiritsu Manga Kaikan さいたま市立漫画会館). This museum—supposedly the first public museum in Japan if not the world devoted to comics—also houses the major collection of Kitazawa's works, many of which are available in a reading room and some of which are on display. Both before and after his retirement, Kitazawa trained many young manga artists and animators, including Hekoten Shimokawa, creator of Japan's first cartoon animation. Along with Ippei Okamoto, he was one of the favorite cartoonists of the young

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 ...

.Osamu Tezuka, ''Tezuka Osamu Manga no Ougi'' (Secrets of Osamu Tezuka manga), pp. 16-27,

Notable works

*Kitazawa drew many political cartoons for ''Jiji Shimpō'' and ''Tokyo Puck''. His early style was critical of the government, but after the High Treason Incident it became more conservative. *Many of Kitazawa's most popular comic strips were published in ''Jiji Manga''. ** – started 1902. The story of two country bumpkins on a sightseeing trip in Tokyo. Knowing nothing about modern culture, they behave foolishly (for example, by separately eating lumps of sugar for coffee). ** – started 1902. The story of a young man who boasts of his imperfect knowledge of the West but ends up embarrassing himself. His name can be read "Mr. European style affected man". ** – Stories about two mischievous boys, counterparts of the ''Katzenjammer Kids'' in Japan. The characters Chame and Dekobo appeared as dolls and on playing cards in one of the first examples of character

merchandising Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...

in Japan. ** – started 1915. The story of a wooden-head man, Nukesaku Teino, whose name can be read "Mr. Foolish Wooden-head". He was a popular character during the

Taishō era The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group ...

in Japan. ** – started 1928. The story of a tomboyish girl, Haneko Tonda, whose name can be read "Hopping-jumping girl". Haneko was the first girl protagonist in manga and influenced early ''shōjo'' manga like Machiko Hasegawa's ''Nakayoshi Techō''.

Notes

References

*Isao Shimizu, ''Manga Tanjō'' (Birth of manga), *Isao Shimizu, ''Zusetsu Manga no Rekishi'' (Illustrated history of manga),

External links

Rakuten Kitazawa in Lambiek Comiclopedia
*Saitama Municipal Cartoon Art Museum http://www.tenkai-japan.com/2011/01/10/saitama-municipal-cartoon-art-museum/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Kitazawa, Rakuten Japanese editorial cartoonists Japanese comic strip cartoonists Japanese humorists Japanese satirists Japanese magazine founders Japanese caricaturists Japanese political artists 1876 births 1955 deaths Manga artists from Saitama Prefecture Nihonga painters People from Saitama (city) Recipients of the Legion of Honour