Shigeru Sugiura
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese manga
artist famous for his surreal
, nonsense gag manga. After initially studying painting, Sugiura became an assistant to the manga artist Suihō Tagawa. He soon began drawing his own manga in 1933 and came to fame after World War II
with a series of comedic manga for children based on stories like those of Sasuke Sarutobi, Jiraiya
, and Journey to the West
. Sugiura closely followed popular culture and thus his manga were also influenced by such contemporary fads as Godzilla
, pro wrestling, and American science fiction films. The philosophy of his manga "is of yukai, pleasure and amusement, pursuing the path as far from seriousness as possible. . . . The praxis of yukai is essentially the body in free motion, and Sugiura’s characters are defined by an excess of movement." The result was a visual style that was often surreal and absurd. A craftsman, Sugiura could not keep up with the mass production of manga that the shift to weekly magazines brought at the end of the 1950s, and his subsequent manga became more and more surreal, if not avant-garde, as they came to be directed at an older audience. He enjoyed a second boom in popularity from the 1970s on. Sugiura has influenced many artists in a variety of fields, including the gag manga artist Fujio Akatsuka
. Enthusiastic fans include such figures as the novelist Yasutaka Tsutsui
and the musician Haruomi Hosono
. He is cited as the inspiration for the tanuki in Isao Takahata
's anime
film Pom Poko
and Hayao Miyazaki
made a television commercial inspired by his work.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
artist famous for his surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, nonsense gag manga. After initially studying painting, Sugiura became an assistant to the manga artist Suihō Tagawa. He soon began drawing his own manga in 1933 and came to fame after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with a series of comedic manga for children based on stories like those of Sasuke Sarutobi, Jiraiya
Jiraiya
Jiraiya , the title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari , is a ninja who uses shapeshifting magic to morph into a gigantic toad. The heir of a powerful clan in Kyūshū of the same name, Jiraiya fell in love with Tsunade, a beautiful young princess who masters snail magic...
, and Journey to the West
Journey to the West
Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...
. Sugiura closely followed popular culture and thus his manga were also influenced by such contemporary fads as Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
, pro wrestling, and American science fiction films. The philosophy of his manga "is of yukai, pleasure and amusement, pursuing the path as far from seriousness as possible. . . . The praxis of yukai is essentially the body in free motion, and Sugiura’s characters are defined by an excess of movement." The result was a visual style that was often surreal and absurd. A craftsman, Sugiura could not keep up with the mass production of manga that the shift to weekly magazines brought at the end of the 1950s, and his subsequent manga became more and more surreal, if not avant-garde, as they came to be directed at an older audience. He enjoyed a second boom in popularity from the 1970s on. Sugiura has influenced many artists in a variety of fields, including the gag manga artist Fujio Akatsuka
Fujio Akatsuka
was a pioneer Japanese artist of comical manga known as the Gag Manga King. His name at birth is 赤塚 藤雄, whose Japanese pronunciation is the same as 赤塚 不二夫....
. Enthusiastic fans include such figures as the novelist Yasutaka Tsutsui
Yasutaka Tsutsui
is a Japanese novelist, science fiction author, and actor. Along with Shinichi Hoshi and Sakyo Komatsu, he is one of the most famous science fiction writers in Japan. His Yumenokizaka bunkiten won the Tanizaki Prize in 1987. He has also won the 1981 Izumi Kyoka award, the 1989 Kawabata Yasunari...
and the musician Haruomi Hosono
Haruomi Hosono
, also known as Harry Hosono, is a Japanese popular musician, best known internationally as a key member of the rock band Happy End and the pioneering electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra.-Biography:...
. He is cited as the inspiration for the tanuki in Isao Takahata
Isao Takahata
is a Japanese anime filmmaker that have earned critical international acclaim for his work as a director. Takahata is co-founder of Studio Ghibli with long-time collaborative partner Hayao Miyazaki. He has directed films such as the war-themed Grave of the Fireflies, the romantic-drama Only...
's anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
film Pom Poko
Pom Poko
is a 1994 Japanese animated film, the eighth written and directed by Isao Takahata and animated by Studio Ghibli.Consistent with Japanese folklore, the tanuki are portrayed as a highly sociable, mischievous species, able to use "illusion science" to transform into almost anything, but too...
and Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
made a television commercial inspired by his work.
Selected Single Works
- Appuru Jamu-kun (アップルジャム君)
- Bōken Ben-chan (冒険ベンちゃん)
- Doron Chibimaru (ドロンちび丸)
- Enban Z (円盤Z)
- Gojira (ゴジラ)
- Misutā Robotto (ミスターロボット)
- Sarutobi Sasuke (猿飛佐助)
- Shōnen Jiraiya (少年児雷也)
- Shōnen saiyūki (少年西遊記)
- Sugiura Shigeru: Jiden to kaisō (杉浦茂ー自伝と回想). Chikuma Shobō, 2002. ISBN 9784480885180 (autobiography)
Collected Works
- Sugiura Shigeru kessaku senshū 『杉浦茂傑作選集 怪星ガイガー・八百八狸』. Seirin Kōgeisha, 2006. ISBN 4883792285
- Sugiura Shigeru mangakan『杉浦茂マンガ館』, 5 vols. Chikuma Shobō, 1993-6. ISBN 4480701419, ISBN 4480701427, ISBN 4480701435, ISBN 4480701443, ISBN 4480701451
- Sugiura Shigeru no chotto tarinai meisaku gekijō『杉浦茂のちょっとタリない名作劇場』. Chikuma Shobō, 1993. ISBN 4480872272
External links
- Comic Park First pages of Sugiura reprints available online (in Japanese).
- Shōnen Jiraiya Seigō Matsuoka review of Sugiura manga reprint (in Japanese).
- Sugiura Shigeru 101-nen matsuri Kyoto International Manga MuseumKyoto International Manga MuseumThe is located in Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The building housing the museum is the former Tatsuike Elementary School. The museum opened on November 25, 2006. Its collection of 200,000 items includes such rarities as Meiji period magazines and postwar rental books....
exhibition (in Japanese). - Yomiuri Shinbun television commercial Produced by Studio GhibliStudio Ghibliis a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
and based on Sugiura manga (in Japanese).