Japanese manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, creator of Ashita no Joe, dies at 87
- Chiba, one of the first manga artists to join the Japan Art Academy, died in hospital in Tokyo, says Japan Cartoonists Association
Yükleniyor…
Yükleniyor…
- Chiba, one of the first manga artists to join the Japan Art Academy, died in hospital in Tokyo, says Japan Cartoonists Association
By Efe Ozkan
ISTANBUL (AA) - Tetsuya Chiba, the Japanese manga artist best known as the creator of classic boxing series Ashita no Joe (“Tomorrow's Joe”), has died at 87, the Japan Cartoonists Association said on Tuesday.
Chiba died last Thursday at a hospital in Tokyo, according to the association.
Chiba illustrated Ashita no Joe, written by Asao Takamori, which follows an orphan's journey into professional boxing. The manga, later translated into English as Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, became one of Japan's most influential sports comics and captured the mood of postwar Japanese society.
Born in Tokyo, Chiba moved with his family to Manchuria, now northeastern China, during Japan's occupation of the region. The family returned to Japan after Japan's surrender in World War II.
Chiba made his professional debut in 1956, initially producing comics aimed at girls before shifting to works for boys. He went on to become widely known for sports-themed manga, according to Kyodo News.
Ashita no Joe began serialization in Weekly Shonen Magazine with the Jan. 1, 1968 issue. Its popularity was so great that fans later held a mock funeral for the story's fictional rival.
From the 1970s, Chiba produced numerous school- and sports-themed works, including Ore wa Teppei (“I'm Teppei”).
In 1995, Chiba and other manga artists published a collection documenting their personal experiences of repatriation from Manchuria. He continued to advocate for peace and oppose war throughout his career.
Chiba served as president of the Japan Cartoonists Association for six years starting in 2012.
In 2022, he was selected as one of the first manga artists to join the Japan Art Academy, which recognized his contribution to sports-themed comics.
In 2024, Chiba became the first manga artist to receive Japan's prestigious Order of Culture. At the time, he said he was proud that the honor would help highlight the work of manga creators and elevate manga as a respected artistic genre.
Chiba was part of a generation of influential Japanese manga artists that also included Takao Saito, the creator of Golgo 13, and Leiji Matsumoto, known for Galaxy Express 999.
Efe Özkan