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Presented to the Graphic Novel Society this fine day in May.
5/14/2010
Shigisan-engi (信貴山縁起?, lit.
"Legend of Mount Shigi") is a scroll
painting done in the early 12th
century. The story details miracles
which were attributed to the Shingon
monk Myoren, who resided on
Mount Shigi near Nara in Japan in
the latter part of the 9th century.
The tales are composed in the genre
of engi. Engi is a narrative that
chronicles the founding of a Buddhist
establishment which, in the case of
the Shigisan engi, is Chogosonshi-ji,
founded by Myoren. The tales are
painted in a style called otoko-e, or
"men's pictures", a style characterized
by active movement, outdoor scenes
and a certain feeling of lacking
restraint.
The work is also a prime example of Heian
scroll painting. As a work that draws from
classical Japanese culture, it is referred to as
yamato-e (as opposed to the Chinese
themes inherent in kara-e.)
Some argue that Kibyoshi might
have some aspect as a
foundation for modern day
manga. These were illustrated
picture books that came about
sometime during the 1700s.
Kern argues that Kibyoshi had many similar
narratives to modern day manga, with the
characteristic wit, charm, satire and
romance that is found in today’s manga.
Kern, Adam. 2006. Manga from the Floating
World: Comicbook Culture and the Kibyoshi
of Edo Japan. Cambridge: Harvard
University Press.
 Some argue that Manga arose
pre-World War II
 Historians argue amongst
themselves that Kibyoshi and
other types of graphic
literature or graphic art forms
are the pre-cursors or certain
indicators for what is known as
Manga today.
 What is a good way to make an
argument? Define what manga
is today and apply a litmus
test!
 -World War II was a game-changer for the nation
of Japan.
 The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and
the surrender treaty, forever impacted the
Japanese peoples’ psyches and artistic
interpretations.
 A side effect of the war was that the U.S. became
a constant in Japanese affairs, whether they were
cultural, military, political or social.
 Last Note – In 1947 the Japanese Constitution got
rid of ALL forms of Censorship – wonder why
Manga is so varied? Article 21 of the Japanese
Peace Treaty Constitution.
Astro Boy is the first Japanese television series that embodied the aesthetic that later
became familiar worldwide as anime. It originated as a manga in 1952 by Osamu Tezuka,
revered in Japan as the "God of Manga.
 Post WWII Manga had both male & female
genres, with the start of shojou and shonen
found in Sazae-san and Astroboy.
 Sazae-san (サザエさん) is a Japanese comic
strip created by Machiko Hasegawa.
 Sazae-san was first published in Hasegawa's
local paper, the Fukunichi Shimbun (フクニチ
新聞?), on April 22, 1946. When the Asahi
Shimbun (朝日新聞?) wished to have Hasegawa
draw the comic strip for their paper, she moved
to Tokyo in 1949 with the explanation that the
main characters had moved from Kyūshū to
Tokyo as well. The comic dealt with
contemporary situations in Tokyo until
Hasegawa retired and ended the comic on
February 21, 1974. As one of Japan's longest
running and oldest comic strips and
animations, the series is known to nearly every
Japanese person, young and old.
 The term shōjo, shojo, or
shoujo manga (少女漫画,
shōjo manga?) refers to
manga marketed to a female
audience roughly between
the ages of 10 and 18. The
name romanizes the
Japanese 少女 (shōjo),
literally: "little girl".
 This is Sailor Moon, started
in 1991 and known the
world over for revitalizing
the magic-girl team genre.
 The term shōnen, shonen, or
The complete phrase literally
means "young person's comic."
Examples include Dragon Ball,
Naruto, Bleach, Digimon, One
Piece, Saint Seiya, Rurouni
Kenshin, InuYasha, YuYu
Hakusho, Flame of Recca,
Detective Conan, Yu-Gi-Oh and
Fullmetal Alchemist.
shounen manga (少年漫画,
shōnen manga) refers to manga
marketed to a male audience
roughly between the ages of 10
and 18. The Kanji characters (少
年) literally mean "few" and
"year", respectively, where the
characters (漫画) generally mean
"comic".
 Erotic Art has been ubiquitous
in Japanese culture for a long,
long time. Shunga (春画) is a
Japanese term for erotic art.
Most shunga are a type of
ukiyo-e, usually executed in
woodblock print format. While
rare, there are extant erotic
painted handscrolls which
predate the Ukiyo-e movement.
Translated literally, the
Japanese word shunga means
picture of spring; "spring" is a
common euphemism for sex.
 Shunga has its origins in China
 The style reached its apex in the Edo
period (1603 to 1867). Thanks to
woodblock printing techniques, the
quantity and quality increased
dramatically. There were repeated
governmental attempts to suppress
shunga, the first of which was an edict
issued by the Tokugawa shogunate in
1661 banning, among other things,
erotic books known as kōshokubon (
好色本?). While other genres covered
by the edict, such as works criticising
daimyo or samurai, were driven
underground by this edict, Shunga
continued to be produced with little
difficulty.
 Who Knows. Massive explosion after the rapid
printing age, and scanlations, dubbing, subbing etc.
have expanded the net even further.