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lead=yes, known by the pen name Shirato Sanpei, 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.
The son of the Japanese proletarian painter Toki Okamoto, his dream to become an artist equal with his father started when he became a kamishibai artist. He is also known for his work published in the early issues of the manga anthology magazine Garo in 1964, which he began publishing so as to serialize his comic Kamui.
Shirato developed his artistic style through painting picture-card shows ( kamishibai) after finishing middle school at 18. He was influenced by the ukiyo-e of the pre-Meiji period, but differed in his portrayal of action in a multi-panel "slow motion" style unique to his manga.Tsurumi, Shunsuke. A Cultural History of Postwar Japan. Columbia University Press. 1987. First Published in Japanese by Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo, 1984. His style of action portrayal came from the tension building techniques inherent in the performance aspect of kamishibai.
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) 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). Regardless of Shirato's true intentions, the manga seemed to correspond to the feelings and experiences student protesters were going through at the time, and Ninja Bugeichō developed an avid following among left-leaning student activists. Because its adult themes and graphic violence, Ninja Bugeichō has been cited as one of the first examples of gekiga, or serious manga aimed specifically at adult audiences rather than children.
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. Kamui Den, the first series published in Garo, can be considered his most important manga work. It is the story of Kamui, a ninja who leaves an organization that pursues him and clearly sees the true nature of the Edo period and the discrimination that existed in the feudal system. Shirato's works are primarily historical dramas that focus on ninja, present a historical record of Japan, and criticize oppression, discrimination, and exploitation.
Shirato founded the production company Akame ("Red Eyes"), which worked with Goseki Kojima, his brother Tetsuji Okamoto, Haruo Koyama and others. They created a community space for manga artists.
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. Gekiga artist Goseki Kojima worked as an assistant for Shirato.
| Kogarashi Kenshi (こがらし剣士) | 1957 | ||
| Shiryō (死霊) | 1958 | ||
| (消え行く少女) | 1959 | ||
| Ninja Bugeichō (忍者武芸帳) | 1959–1962 | Published by Sanyōsha in 17 vol. | |
| Kaze no Ishimaru (風の石丸) | 1960 | ||
| Seton's Wild Animals (シートン動物記, Shīton Dōbutsuki) | 1961–1962 | Serialized in Shōgaku Rokunensei Published by Shogakukan in 3 vol. | |
| Sasuke | 1961–1967 | Serialized in Shōnen Published by Seirindō in 20 vol. | |
| Haiiroguma no Denki (灰色熊の伝記) | 1964 | Published by Seirindō in 2 vol. | |
| Kamui Den (カムイ伝) | 1964–1971 | Serialized in Garo Published by Seirindō in 21 vol. | |
| Watari (ワタリ) | 1965–1966 | Serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine Published by Kodansha in 7 vol. | |
| The Legend of Kamui (カムイ外伝, Kamui Gaiden) | 1965–1967 | Serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday Published by Shogakukan in 2 vol. | |
| Shinwa Densetsu Series (神話伝説シリーズ) | 1974–1980 | Serialized in Big Gold and Big Comic | |
| Josei Series (女星シリーズ) | 1979–1981 | Serialized in Big Comic | |
| Kamui Gaiden Dai-ni-bu (カムイ外伝 第二部) | 1982–1987 | Serialized in Big Comic Published by Shogakukan in 20 vol. | |
| Kamui Den Dai-ni-bu (カムイ伝 第二部) | 1988–2000 | Illustrated by Tetsuji Okamoto Serialized in Big Comic Published by Shogakukan in 22 vol. |
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