Masamoto Nasu, writer of Zukkoke Trio, passes away at 79
Jul. 23, 2021
Masamoto Nasu, a writer of children’s literature known for his popular series, “Zukkoke Sannin Gumi (Comic Trio),” died of emphysema at 2:05 p.m. on July 22 at a hospital in Hofu City. Mr. Nasu, who was born in the city’s Nishi Ward, was 79 years old. A funeral and farewell ceremony will be held among his close relatives.
According to his family, Mr. Nasu collapsed at his home in Hofu on July 16, and was taken to hospital by ambulance.
When the atomic bomb exploded, Mr. Nasu was three years old and was at home in Kogokita-machi (now Koihonmachi in Nishi Ward). After graduating from Shimane prefectural agricultural college (present-day Shimane University), he worked for a company in Tokyo, and in 1967, returned to his hometown. He joined the Hiroshima Youth Literature Study Group, which was publishing group’s magazines, and honed his creative skills.
His masterpiece series the “Zukkoke Sannin Gumi” (Comic Trio), which was modeled on his hometown of Koi, was first published in 1978. When the 50th installment was issued in 2004, the series stopped. However, it was rebranded as the “Chunen Sannin Gumi” (Middle-aged Trio) in 2005 and completed after the 61th installment, which featured the 2014 Hiroshima landslide disaster. A total of 25 million copies were published, and the series became the biggest bestseller among Japan’s post-war children’s literature.
In 1978, Mr. Nasu moved to Hofu City where his wife’s family lived. He created many works on themes related to the atomic bombing and war, including “Orizuru no Kodomotachi” (“Children of the Paper Crane”) in 1984, and “E de yomu Hiroshima no Genbaku” (“Hiroshima: A Tragedy Never to Be Repeated”) in 1995. The “Hiroshima Sanbusaku” (Hiroshima trilogy) depicting the saga of three generations of a family that runs a small restaurant serving “okonomiyaki” (a Japanese food, similar to a crepe filled with meat and cabbage, and popular in Hiroshima) received an award from the Japan Children's Literature Writers' Association in 2012, for which he served as chairman. In 2015, he was awarded the Chugoku Culture Prize.
Mr. Nasu was also committed to activities involving Article 9 of the Constitution. He called for the formation of the Citizens Group to Preserve Article 9 in Yamaguchi Prefecture and acted as facilitator of its Hofu chapter.
(Originally published on July 23, 2021)
