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A-bomb-related manga created 12 years after the atomic bombing put on display

by Uzaemonnaotsuka Tokai, Staff Writer

Copies of original pictures of the manga series "Hoshi wa miteiru" ("Stars are Watching"), which was published in serial form in 1957, 12 years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, will be displayed, along with the magazine that carried the work, in the east wing of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum from January 6. "Hoshi wa miteiru" was drawn by Kazuhiko Tanigawa (1936-2008), a manga artist who lost his father in the blast. The work was created on the theme of the bombing and is considered to be an example of A-bomb-related manga produced in the earliest period after the war. The museum noted the significance of the work, saying, "This manga marked the beginning of A-bomb-related manga, such as the ‘Barefoot Gen’ series.”

"Hoshi wa miteiru" is the story of a girl who loses track of her father due to the atomic bombing and explores the mystery behind a ring, a memento of her mother. The series appeared in serial form in the monthly magazine "Nakayoshi" from January to December 1957.

The items to be displayed at the museum will include 16 copies of original pictures, the December 1957 issue of "Nakayoshi," and the front cover of the digest version of "Hoshi wa miteiru." Copies of the installments in the magazines with scenes of Hiroshima burned to ashes and the heroine’s best friend dying due to the aftereffects of the bombing will also be exhibited with the permission of Kodansha, the publisher of the magazine, so that visitors to the museum can read the story. The exhibition will continue until January 31.

According to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Mr. Tanigawa was born in Yasu village in Hiroshima Prefecture (now, Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima). His father, who was working in Takajo Town in Hiroshima (now, Honkawa Town in Naka Ward), went missing due to the atomic bombing. From his home, Mr. Tanigawa saw "the black rain" fall.

Mr. Tanigawa began sending his works to manga magazines while he was attending Kabe High School. "Nakayoshi" and "Shojo Club," also a girls' magazine, began to publish his manga, one of which was "Hoshi wa miteiru." Around 1960, he landed a job with Mushi Production in Tokyo, a company established by Osamu Tezuka, a manga artist. Mr. Tanigawa was in charge of drawing pictures for the manga series "Tetsuwan Atom" ("Astro Boy") and others. After he left the company around 1970 due to illness, he no longer was active in producing manga.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which has been searching for manga created on the theme of the atomic bombing after the war, found the magazines that carried "Hoshi wa miteiru" about two years ago. They were discovered at the International Institute for Children's Literature located in the city of Suita in Osaka Prefecture, a facility that has since closed. In organizing the exhibition, the museum was loaned original pictures and related materials from Kodansha, a manga collector and members of Mr. Tanigawa's family.

The "Barefoot Gen" series by Keiji Nakazawa began to appear in serial form in 1973. Referring to the work by Mr. Tanigawa, which was created more than 16 years earlier, the museum said, "We want visitors to feel the spirit of the author, who undertook the challenge at a time when prejudices about the atomic bombs were widespread."

(Originally published on January 5, 2010)

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