Rakuten Kitazawa

Yukichi Fukuzawa passed away in Meiji 34 (1901). Yasuji Kitazawa joined the Jiji Shimpo newspaper shortly before that. No records remain of any direct interaction between the two.

The Jiji Shimpo was founded in Meiji 15. In order to convey information to readers in an easy-to-understand manner, Fukuzawa felt the need to insert "illustrations for newspapers" into the pages, following the example of Western newspapers. He looked to his nephew-in-law, Hidetaro Imaizumi, to be the artist. Yasuji carried on Hidetaro's legacy and delivered many manga to readers. He can be considered a figure who embodied Fukuzawa's ambition to elevate the Jiji Shimpo to a level comparable to Western newspapers.

Unintentionally, Fukuzawa's spirit—modeling himself after Western civilization and aiming for Japan's modernization in all aspects—may have been directly transmitted to Yasuji. The manga below was drawn in recollection of Fukuzawa in his later years visiting the Jiji Shimpo office. The figure in the foreground is said to be Yasuji himself. I believe the fact that Fukuzawa is intentionally drawn large reflects a gaze of reverence toward him.

Yasuji was born in Kanda, Tokyo, in Meiji 9 (1876). He was good at drawing from a young age and entered the Daikokan art school around Meiji 25 to learn the basics of painting.

Around Meiji 27, he moved to Yokohama and began drawing Japanese genre paintings for "The Box of Curios," an illustrated English-language newspaper run by an American named Thorn. While struggling with English, he was greatly inspired by Nankivell, an Australian working at the same company, from whom he learned Western-style realistic satirical expression.

The following year, Nankivell moved his base of operations to the New York satirical magazine "Puck." Having lost his artist, Thorn officially hired Yasuji and entrusted him with all the illustrations. Around this time, the peace treaty of the First Sino-Japanese War was a hot topic. Yasuji created a satirical cartoon featuring Li Hongzhang of the Qing Dynasty and published it in "The Box." In later years, he recalled that this work was his debut as a manga artist.

During the Edo period, the word "manga" meant "drawings made on a whim." However, Hidetaro, who had been drawing satirical cartoons for the Jiji Shimpo since Meiji 23 (1890) after returning from the United States, tried to use it as a term to refer to "satirical cartoons."

Until then, satirical cartoons were generally called "Ponchi-e" (Punch pictures). However, Hidetaro is thought to have applied this term to his own work, aiming for a different kind of satirical cartoon than before. Comparing Hidetaro's work before and after his visit to the U.S., the extremely exaggerated Ponchi-e style expressions disappear, replaced by the realistic satirical expressions seen in foreign newspapers. This introduction of realism was likely the difference between "Ponchi-e" and "manga" that Hidetaro sought to advocate.

However, Hidetaro was prone to illness, and the Jiji Shimpo had to find a successor. In Meiji 32, an invitation with a monthly salary of 50 yen reached the 23-year-old Yasuji. This was an era when the starting salary for an elementary school teacher was 8 yen. There is no record of why Yasuji was chosen. However, it is reasonable to consider that the commonality between Hidetaro, who aimed for the satirical expressions he saw in America, and Yasuji, who had learned similar expressions in Yokohama, brought the two together.

In the same year, Yasuji joined the Jiji Shimpo. While various newspapers were competing fiercely to win readers, the Jiji Shimpo, which placed manga as one of its strategies, established the "Jiji Manga" column in Meiji 35, consisting of a full page of manga in the Sunday edition, and entrusted it to Yasuji. Hidetaro passed away in Meiji 37, but the title "Manga" did not disappear. That ambition was passed on to Yasuji.

When "Jiji Manga" began, a sense of pessimism was spreading, particularly among young people. In response, Yasuji advocated "Rakuten-shugi" (Optimism), a paradoxical view of life, in the paper. Someone who liked this made a seal for him that read "Rakuten." Although the identity of that person is unknown, Yasuji began using the pen name "Rakuten Kitazawa" from Meiji 36.

Nankivell, with whom Rakuten had continued to correspond, suggested to the struggling artist that he publish a manga magazine modeled after New York's "Puck." Just then, an invitation came from a publisher called Yurakusha, which wanted to release a monthly magazine like "Jiji Manga." In Meiji 38 (1905), Rakuten took the plunge and launched "Tokyo Puck." The magazine was large-format, around 20 pages. It was the first in Japan to feature manga on every page and was printed in full color—something even the original "Puck" did not do. The single-panel manga drawn on the cover and the center spread were so powerful they became a topic of conversation. In particular, the manga that conveyed international affairs in an easy-to-understand way were something only Rakuten, who had been exposed to foreign information in Yokohama, could draw. It was also unique that he included captions in English and Chinese to convey the state of the emerging Japan to foreign countries.

At first, he worked on both "Jiji Manga" and the magazine, but due to his busy schedule, he eventually focused on "Tokyo Puck." Sales of the magazine grew, and the slang term "Puck-da-ne" (That's so Puck) was born to describe something funny. Many similar manga magazines were published to follow its lead. Through this manga magazine boom, the practice of calling satirical cartoons "manga" became widespread. Hidetaro's legacy was fulfilled through Rakuten's success.

Two years later, "Tokyo Puck" became a tri-monthly publication, and it is said that 20,000 copies were issued per edition. From Yurakusha, Rakuten was to receive a monthly salary of 50 yen plus royalties of 1 sen 3 rin per copy sold. According to calculations by manga historian Isao Shimizu, his royalty income that year was 8,580 yen. This means he was earning an extraordinary annual income in an era when the Prime Minister's annual salary was 12,000 yen.

The fact that Rakuten earned a regular income from manga is noteworthy in manga history. Until then, creators of manga (satirical cartoons) were all people with other primary professions, such as ukiyo-e artists or Western-style painters. Rakuten showed that one could make a living (and even earn a fortune) solely from manga. This is why Rakuten is called "Japan's first professional manga artist."

In Meiji 45, Rakuten left "Tokyo Puck" following the business downturn of Yurakusha, which had expanded into other ventures. After starting his own company and publishing "Rakuten Puck" and "Katei Puck," he returned to the Jiji Shimpo in Taisho 3 (1914). In Taisho 10, he launched the Sunday supplement "Jiji Manga," which featured multi-color manga on the first and fourth pages of a four-page broadsheet, and monochrome photos and reading material on the second and third pages. He delivered many manga to readers until his retirement in Showa 7 (1932). The separate Sunday supplements common in newspapers today have their origins in this "Jiji Manga."

Why did Rakuten continue to draw manga? After retirement, he told young manga artists: "(Manga) depicts various thoughts from the standpoint of guiding society. This is, of course, the important mission of manga, but first and foremost, it is about laughter." Indeed, there is humor even in his political satirical manga that severely denounce domestic and foreign rulers. His social satire manga do not merely depict the lives and trends of the common people; they have a punchline.

In addition to single-panel manga, he drew many serialized comic strips (manga consisting of multiple panels) with recurring characters. "How much the protagonists of his serialized manga were loved by the public" is a recollection by Bunroku Shishi (a novelist who studied at Keio University and received the Order of Culture). For example, "Teino Nukesaku" was a representative of the common people. He always fails, but his optimistic personality—forgetting everything after a night's sleep—makes one chuckle. "Tonda Haneko" was a tomboy girl modeled after Kinue Hitomi, the first Japanese female athlete to compete in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics; in manga history, it is positioned as an early work of shojo (girls') manga. Every character is relatable, and the stories are set in familiar places like the streets, home, and school. Many subjects were chosen from events occurring in actual society. Such a realistic (and satirical) style based on daily life likely gained empathy.

He was also full of ideas to entertain readers. For example, his sumo drawings involved sketching the daily bouts and publishing them in the next day's Jiji Shimpo. Theater drawings depicting famous Kabuki scenes were a specialty of Rakuten, who was well-versed in Kabuki. He also drew advertisements, ensuring that every corner of the paper was engaging. By turning subjects sent in by readers into manga or publishing submitted manga, he created a paper where readers could participate. Even while busy, he continued to study foreign newspapers, and his translation of the crossword puzzles popular in London as "Jujigo Handan" (Crossword Judgment), published in "Jiji Manga" with prizes, also gained popularity.

When the Pacific War began, the wave of national unity reached the manga world. The Nihon Manga Hokokai (Japan Manga Service Association) was formed, and the retired Rakuten was installed as chairman. As the air raids on Tokyo intensified, he evacuated to Miyagi Prefecture and eventually saw the end of the war. In Showa 23 (1948), he moved to Omiya, a place associated with the Kitazawa family, and established "Rakuten-gyo." In his later years, he painted Japanese-style and ink paintings, and passed away in Showa 30 at the age of 79. "Rakuten-gyo," along with a vast collection of works and materials, was donated by his wife to Omiya City and is now the Saitama City Municipal Cartoon Art Museum.

Osamu Tezuka was among the manga artists who attended the inauguration ceremony. Tezuka later recalled that the character portrayals in Rakuten's manga had a significant influence on his own manga production.

Furthermore, many disciples gathered around him. Rakuten was also enthusiastic about nurturing successors; since the days of "Tokyo Puck," he had recruited aspiring manga artists and guided them on how to draw while looking after their livelihoods. After retirement, he invested his own funds to establish a manga studio and worked to spread manga expression. Like Oten Shimokawa, who produced Japan's first animated film, many disciples admired Rakuten and used the character for "Ten" (Heaven) in their pen names. Although Rakuten merely acquiesced to this, a coined phrase was born that parodied the opening line of Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning): "Rakuten is said to create heaven (Ten) beneath heaven (Ten)."

Susumu Nemoto, who studied at Keio University and drew the "Kuri-chan" series, was also one of the disciples who watched over the inauguration ceremony. After the Jiji Shimpo office moved to Marunouchi in the Showa era, a "Manga Meeting" for children was held once a month. Rakuten would appear there and demonstrate how to draw manga. Yochisha (elementary school) students always took up positions in the front row, and Nemoto was among them. The emergence of creators like him was the result of Rakuten's steady efforts to broaden the base of manga.