Mizuki Shigeru: Hometown Photo

Mizuki Shigeru (nice English language site with some translated stories and links) and his wife lived in near poverty during their early years together in Tokyo. With his eventual success and fame as the creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro, Mizuki's hometown, Sakaiminato, Tattori Prefecture, has honored him with a museum and decorated the main street, now named for him, with bronze statues of some of his characters and the yokai, supernatural folk creatures, he drew in his manga, Japanese comics.

Mizuki Shigeru: GeGeGe No Kitaro

Friend, living in Japan now, sent me a couple book by the master manga artist Mizuki Shigeru. These are reprints of some of his stories from the late 1960's and early 1970's. The books are digest size and much smaller than the original printed manga; but the reproduction and printing still allows you to see the masterful line work. I can only dream of reading Japanese and wonder what set that giant cat off and who is that enigmatic creature in the bamboo?

There is presently running on Japanese daytime TV a series based on the 2008 autobiography of Mura Shigeru, Mizuki's wife. GeGeGE No Nyobo, (I also see it spelled GeGeGe No Nyoubou) began airing last spring and the 156 episodes will end in mid September. I have been watching the TV episodes off the internet in Japanese and I think I have been able to follow most of what is going on. A movie based on the book is also scheduled to open this year. I hope either the TV show or the movie will be available with English subtitles.

Mizuki Shigeru : GeGeGe no Kitaro

I received a pretty cool box of stuff from Japan today. Friends who are living in Maebashi sent an assortment of GeGeGe Kitaro items. One of their students recently visited Mizuki's hometown of Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture. So, my friends decided to surprise me with a few things from a store their.

I wish I could read Japanese. I would like to be able to read the printed toilet paper.

In past posts I have wondered why Mizuki's Graveyard Kitaro hasn't translated its long popularity in Japan to an audience in the USA. I still think Kitaro's focus on stories involving uniquely Japanese folklore creatures is not easily understood in the US.

The Fifty-Three Stations of the Yokaido Road - by Shigeru Mizuki

In Washington D.C., at the Japan Information and Culture Center, there is an exibition of Shigeru Mizuki's recreation of the a classic ukiyo-e series by Hiroshige Utagawa, Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road. Mizuki has placed his yokai characters within the familiar images from Hiroshige's print series. The folks over at spookhouse.net have a description of the exibition and the opening night on March 5th.

Gegege No Kitaro Creator Shigeru Mizuki Interview

It is not very often that an interview with Gegege no Kitaro's creator Shigeru Mizuki is available translated into English. It is nice to read that he has had a lifelong relationship with monsters. I wonder if his autobiography, Born a Yokai, is or will ever be available in English?

I also have found another interview from the Japan Times in 2005, when he was 82 years old. Maybe there is more information out there than I thought!