Features

by Rie Nii, Staff Writer


Mr. Nakazawa was in the third grade when he decided to become a manga artist, inspired by the manga “Shin Takarajima” (“New Treasure Island”), which a classmate had brought to school. That manga was created by Osamu Tezuka (1928-89).

I was shocked when I saw it. I was so surprised to find such an interesting manga. But the student was putting on an air of importance and wouldn’t show it to me easily. I wanted my own copy so badly. I scavenged for iron scraps and sold them, saving my earnings. I then visited one book shop after another, but I couldn’t find it. At last, I got a copy at the black market in Yokogawa (now part of Nishi Ward). I was so happy.

I read that manga every single day. I could recall all the details of the illustrations on each page. Then I copied it. Because I couldn’t afford drawing paper, I went to the black market in front of Hiroshima station and took the movie posters off the walls. The back of these posters was white. With great care, I used a pencil from the United States that had an eraser on the end. I wasn’t bad at copying the pictures. I’m the child of an artist, you know. And my father had shown me the basics of drawing.

I met Mr. Tezuka only once. He learned that I had recommended him for the “Asahi Prize,” an award given by a Japanese newspaper, and he came to see me a year before he passed away. When he thanked me for recommending him for the prize, I felt overwhelmed and timid, as I had adored him with such passion.

Mr. Nakazawa was greatly influenced by the late Fukuzo Nishimura, Mr. Nakazawa’s homeroom teacher from the fourth to sixth grades.

Mr. Nishimura had a very special talent. He made “picture-story shows” and presented them to children and other audiences. He was a good talker and his shows were really funny. He was very creative and I learned a lot from him. If I hadn’t encountered Mr. Tezuka’s manga and Mr. Nishimura, I wouldn’t have become a manga artist.

His sights set on becoming a manga artist, Mr. Nakazawa also engrossed himself in movies and books.

Drawing ability isn’t the only thing a manga artist needs. Movies are an excellent tool to improve one’s skill at creating manga. You can learn about composition by watching movies. With the money I earned from selling iron scraps and bricks, I frequented a movie theater near Hiroshima station. Among the movies I saw at the time, I was blown away by “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” The scene in which the main character rang the bell was shot at a great angle. That movie really inspired me.

Literature is also important for creating plots. My school, Eba Junior High School, opened after the new compulsory education system--nine years, with six years of elementary school and three years of junior high--was adopted. The school had no buildings yet and was leasing rooms from Prefectural Hiroshima Commercial School. There was nothing in the classroom, but the students brought books that were laying about at home and created a classroom library. I read everything I could get my hands on, including a set of the “complete works of world literature,” during recess and after school.

(Originally published on July 12, 2012)