Sanpei Shirato

, known by the pen name , was a Japanese manga artist and essayist known for his social criticism as well as the realism of his drawing style and the characters in his scenarios. He is considered a pioneer of the controversial gekiga genre of adult-oriented manga. His style of action portrayal came from the tension building techniques inherent in the performance aspect of kamishibai.

Manga career Shirato started his career as a professional manga artist in 1957 in the kashi-hon market. At first, he created commercial shōjo manga, depicting themes like racism in Japan and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

From 1959 until 1962, he published Ninja Bugeichō (Ninja Martial Arts Handbook), a historically based ninja-themed manga that captured the attention of students and intellectuals of the time. This violent epic tale set in Japan's "Warring States" (Sengoku) period was seen by many readers and critics as a thinly veiled allegory for the ongoing Anpo protests against the US-Japan Security Treaty (although Shirato himself later denied this was his intention).

Together with Katsuichi Nagai, in 1964 he co-founded the manga magazine Garo, which became an important platform for gekiga and alternative manga in general. Shirato served as an editor in the first years of the magazine.

Death He died on October 8, 2021, at the age of 89 due to aspiration pneumonia. The news of his death was announced by the editorial department of Big Comic on October 26, 2021. It was also reported that his brother died four days later of interstitial pneumonia.

Reception and legacy Some of Shirato's work have been adapted as anime series and films, including Ninja Bugeichō, adapted by Nagisa Oshima as Band of Ninja in 1967, an unusual film consisting only of images from the manga and voiceovers with no animation. His manga Sasuke was adapted into an anime series from 1968 until 1969.

Some works have received attention in the United States, such as Kamui Gaiden (1982–2000), which was partially translated in 1987 by Viz Media as The Legend of Kamui, but most of his work remain relatively unknown outside Japan.

In 1963, he won the Kodansha Children's Manga Award for Seton's Wild Animals and Sasuke.

Shirato had a big influence on other manga artists, among them Hayao Miyazaki, Masashi Kishimoto and Yōko Kondō, and American comic artist Geof Darrow. Manga critic Natsume Fusanosuke says his influence on manga history is on par with Osamu Tezuka, Shotaro Ishinomori and Takao Saito for creating new standards in the manga industry with his production company.

Works