Yoshiharu Tsuge
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga artist
and essay
ist. He was active in comics between 1954 and 1987. The content of his works range from tales of ordinary life to dream-like surrealism
, and often show his interest in traveling about Japan. He has garnered the most attention from the surrealistic works he had published in the late 1960s in the avant-garde magazine Garo
.
His birth name is spelled , but he signs his works , with identical pronunciation.
His brother is also a cartoonist. He was married to actress and illustrator , with whom he had one son.
, Japan. He was the eldest of three sons. After the death of Tsuge's father in 1942, two half-sisters, from his mother's second marriage, were introduced to his family. The recession in post-World War II
Japan, inspired Tsuge to create comics to the pay-libraries' editors in an attempt to solve his financial problems. Being intensely shy, making dramatic pictures was one way to avoid meeting people and to earn money simultaneously. He created his first gekiga
at 18, showing Osamu Tezuka
's influence, who was one of the first mainstream artists to draw gekiga. When a girlfriend left him in his early 20s, combined with his debt, Tsuge went into depression and attempted suicide. In 1965, Katsuichi Nagai, editor and publisher of avant-garde
magazine, Garo
, heard about Tsuge's plight and printed "Yoshiharu Tsuge - please get in touch!" on one of the pages of Garo.
's assistant. Under Mizuki's influence, Tsuge's later publications feature highly-detailed backgrounds and his trademark cartoonish-characters. Arguably one of Tsuge's more famous works, was published in Garo
in 1968. Since the publication of in 1986, Tsuge has not drawn anymore manga. Gilles Laborderie from Indy Magazine notes that Tsuge "tries to create a pace through careful narrative techniques rather than through grand dramatic events" and compares his style to Yoshihiro Tatsumi
's.
's prestigious RAW
magazine in 1985 as an insert. The second issue of the second volume of the same magazine saw the appearance of Oba's Electroplate Factory in 1990 (translation by Akira Satake and Paul Karasik
). The most recent translation was of Screw Style in the Comics Journal's special 250th issue in February 2003, translated by Bill Randall.
was translated into French
as L'Homme sans talent in 2004, and was nominated for best album at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
the following year.
Sources:
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
and essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist. He was active in comics between 1954 and 1987. The content of his works range from tales of ordinary life to dream-like surrealism
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....
, and often show his interest in traveling about Japan. He has garnered the most attention from the surrealistic works he had published in the late 1960s in the avant-garde magazine Garo
Garo (magazine)
was a monthly manga anthology magazine in Japan, founded in 1964 by Katsuichi Nagai. It specialized in alternative and avant-garde manga.-History:...
.
His birth name is spelled , but he signs his works , with identical pronunciation.
His brother is also a cartoonist. He was married to actress and illustrator , with whom he had one son.
Early life
Tsuge was born on October 30, 1937 in Katsushika, TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan. He was the eldest of three sons. After the death of Tsuge's father in 1942, two half-sisters, from his mother's second marriage, were introduced to his family. The recession in post-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...
Japan, inspired Tsuge to create comics to the pay-libraries' editors in an attempt to solve his financial problems. Being intensely shy, making dramatic pictures was one way to avoid meeting people and to earn money simultaneously. He created his first gekiga
Gekiga
is Japanese for "dramatic pictures." The term was coined by Yoshihiro Tatsumi and adopted by other more serious Japanese cartoonists who did not want their trade to be known as manga or "irresponsible pictures." It's akin to Will Eisner who started calling his comics "graphic novels" as opposed...
at 18, showing Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
's influence, who was one of the first mainstream artists to draw gekiga. When a girlfriend left him in his early 20s, combined with his debt, Tsuge went into depression and attempted suicide. In 1965, Katsuichi Nagai, editor and publisher of avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
magazine, Garo
Garo (magazine)
was a monthly manga anthology magazine in Japan, founded in 1964 by Katsuichi Nagai. It specialized in alternative and avant-garde manga.-History:...
, heard about Tsuge's plight and printed "Yoshiharu Tsuge - please get in touch!" on one of the pages of Garo.
Works
In 1966, Tsuge suffered from another onset of depression and stopped drawing his own manga to be Shigeru MizukiShigeru Mizuki
is a Japanese manga author, most known for his Japanese horror manga GeGeGe no Kitaro . A specialist in stories of yōkai, he is considered a master of the genre...
's assistant. Under Mizuki's influence, Tsuge's later publications feature highly-detailed backgrounds and his trademark cartoonish-characters. Arguably one of Tsuge's more famous works, was published in Garo
Garo
-Garo People and languages :* Garo , a tribe in India and Bangladesh.* Bodo-Garo languages, a small family of Tibeto-Burman languages spoken in eastern India,** Garo language, the language spoken by the Garo tribe...
in 1968. Since the publication of in 1986, Tsuge has not drawn anymore manga. Gilles Laborderie from Indy Magazine notes that Tsuge "tries to create a pace through careful narrative techniques rather than through grand dramatic events" and compares his style to Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Yoshihiro Tatsumi
is a Japanese manga artist who is widely credited with starting the gekiga style of alternative comics in Japan, having allegedly coined the term in 1957....
's.
Translations
In English, Tsuge's works have rarely been translated. The first, Akai Hana, was published in the seventh issue of the first volume of art spiegelmanArt Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
's prestigious RAW
RAW (magazine)
RAW was a comics anthology edited by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly and published by Mouly from 1980 to 1991. It was a flagship publication of the 1980s alternative comics movement, serving as a more intellectual counterpoint to Robert Crumb's visceral Weirdo, which followed squarely in the...
magazine in 1985 as an insert. The second issue of the second volume of the same magazine saw the appearance of Oba's Electroplate Factory in 1990 (translation by Akira Satake and Paul Karasik
Paul Karasik
Paul Karasik is an American cartoonist, editor, and teacher, notable for his contributions to such works as City of Glass: The Graphic Novel, The Ride Together: A Memoir of Autism in the Family, and I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets.- Biography :In the early 1980s, after having graduated...
). The most recent translation was of Screw Style in the Comics Journal's special 250th issue in February 2003, translated by Bill Randall.
was translated into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as L'Homme sans talent in 2004, and was nominated for best album at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
Angoulême International Comics Festival
The Angoulême International Comics Festival is the largest comics festival in Europe. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in the month of January.The four-day festival is notable for awarding several prestigious prizes in cartooning...
the following year.
Selected works
- Akai Hana (published as "Red Flowers" in RAWRAW (magazine)RAW was a comics anthology edited by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly and published by Mouly from 1980 to 1991. It was a flagship publication of the 1980s alternative comics movement, serving as a more intellectual counterpoint to Robert Crumb's visceral Weirdo, which followed squarely in the...
) - Arijigoku (manga) (Antlion)
- Gensenkan Shujin
- Jōhatsu Tabi Nikki
- Kona no Yado
- Munō no Hito (The Man without Talent)
- Screw Style (Neji-Shiki)
- The Sun's Joke
- Yoshio no Seishun (Yoshino's Youth)
Sources: