Jirô Kuwata(1935-2020)
- Writer
Famous Japanese cartoonist Jirô Kuwata was born on April 17, 1935. In
1948, at age 13, Kuwata created his first comic-strip, "Kaiki Seidan"
("The Strange Star Cluster"), and devoted himself to comics, mostly in
the sci-fi/fantasy and superhero vein. His turning point came in 1957,
when he created "Maboroshi Tantei" ("Phantom Detective"), about a
teenage detective (decked out in a black uniform, a red beret and a
domino mask). In 1958, Kuwata did the comic-book adaptation of Japan's
first TV superhero, Gekkô kamen (1958) ("Moonlight Mask"), created by writer
Kôhan Kawauchi. He created other comic-book heroes such as "Maboroshi Samurai"
("Phantom Samurai") and "Ekkusuman" ("X-Man") before 1963, which saw
his best-known manga work, Eitoman (1963) ("Eight-Man"), Japan's earliest
cyborg superhero (the same year, Shotaro Ishinomori created "Cyborg 009").
"Eight-Man," which Kuwata co-created with writer Kazumasa Hirai, was about a
detective who was murdered by gangsters, and saved by a scientist, who
turns him into a shape-shifting cyborg crimefighter with amazing
powers. Since then, Kuwata created similar superhero manga throughout
the 60s, including "Kingu Robo" ("King Robo"), "Kiiroi Tebukuro Ekkusu"
("Yellow Glove X") and "Denjin Ekkusuman" ("Electroid X-Man"). He and
Hirai also created "Erîto" ("The Elite") and "Chôken Rîpu" ("Leap the
Super-Dog"). He was also well-known for his manga adaptations of TV
shows such as Urutora sebun (1967) ("Ultra Seven"), Les envahisseurs (1967) and Au coeur du temps (1966). In 1964, at
age 29, he was found to be hiding a handgun (he contemplated suicide)
and was arrested. At the end of the 60s, he went into a state of
depression and alchohol. In 1977, at 42, Kuwata experienced an epiphany
and converted to Buddhism. To this day, he has since then done
religious manga about the life of Buddha. He also has an official
homepage on his life, his work (both his SF and religious manga), and
his most recent drawings of Eight-Man.
