Is the original manga the second ukiyo-e? November 11, 15:28

Manga, one of the cultures Japan boasts to the world. The original picture is the only painting in the world that was drawn directly by a cartoonist using pen and ink. Recently, original paintings of popular works have been held in various places.

However, it is said that the precious original picture is starting to be lost from Japan now.

In the first place, who keeps the original picture and how? the publisher? manga artist? Or is it?
What I saw during the interview was the dangling situation with the original cartoon drawings.

(Kyoto Broadcasting Station reporter Nao Kagawa)

35 million yen per original! ?

Last year, the auction held in Paris, France, became a hot topic in Japan.

A collector of European nationalities who participated in the auction over the phone auctioned off the original picture of “Astro Boy” which was drawn by manga artist Osamu Tezuka.
The winning bid is approximately 35 million yen in Japanese yen.
The fact that manga originals are dealt with at high prices overseas has been highlighted.

The original picture is “industrial waste”?

On the other hand, in the Japanese manga industry, the original picture was only a material for making “finished products” such as magazines and books. Many of the original drawings are returned to the manga artist after printing, and the manga artist is responsible for the rest.
In the first place, the industry had no custom of storing and managing original drawings.

For this reason, after the death of a manga artist, it is often said that families who have trouble storing the original drawings stored at home have thrown away or lost their whereabouts.

Big comics also worried about the original ...

“In Japan, there is no system to properly protect the original picture.”

That's the comic artist Reiko Takemiya. He is a “big manga artist” who has released numerous masterpieces such as “Wind and Tree Poetry” and “To the Earth (Tera)” and has received the award of the Shion.

In fact, a number of original drawings were also exhibited at the special exhibition in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the debut in Kyoto City, but all the original drawings have been kept by Mr. Takemiya himself. Takemiya says that he is worried about what to do with a large amount of originals before he reaches 70 years old next year.

"I don't know if someone will take care of the original when I can't bring the original in the future, or I'll be happy if I transfer it ..."

Though the manga artist has different ways of thinking about the original picture, it is important for Takemiya-san to retain his delicate writing.

During the interview, Mr. Takemiya joked and said these words.

“It would be better to have a foreigner who understands the value, like Ukiyoe, in the future.”

Ukiyo-e, representing Edo's popular culture, was gradually declined in value and was no longer viewed, and foreigners bought it at low prices and brought it out of the country. The reason why we live today can appreciate the many masterpieces of Ukiyo-e because foreign people have found the value and stored it carefully.

Is it the only way to accept the same fate as Ukiyoe in order to leave the original manga for future generations?

Original Savior in Akita

The original picture must not be the second ukiyo-e. New initiatives are starting from this sense of crisis.

The stage is Akita Prefecture.
At the corner of the idyllic countryside is the first cartoon art museum in Japan, the Masuda Manga Museum in Yokote City.

Since opening in 1995, we have consistently been particular about the display of original drawings, but in May, it was reborn as a facility responsible for “storage” of original drawings.

A new storage dedicated to original drawings, also called “Manga no Kura”.
The area's dwelling was named after the traditional storehouse.

The original picture is not drawn on high-quality paper for preservation, so even if it is just placed, it will deteriorate. For this reason, this storehouse maintains a constant temperature and humidity for 24 hours.

This is not the only way to prevent degradation. It is the first time to store an original picture for one volume of a book in one drawer, and to put a special paper to prevent oxidation for each sheet.

In addition, in the room named “Archive Room”, the person in charge checks the state of the original image one by one, and records the details of deterioration such as yellowing and traces of tape in the database.

The concept is “fascinating storage”. All of these storage and archive rooms are glazed. The idea is to have visitors visit the storage work up close.

In addition, the image data obtained by scanning the original image with high image quality is saved, and visitors can freely enlarge and move the image with a large touch panel to see every detail of the original image and instructions to the assistant. There is also a corner where you can.

Taku Oishi, who was in charge of the renovation of the museum, says that he is thinking not only about saving the original drawings, but also thinking about how to use them in the future.

“I am aware that I can feel the breath of the original picture that I do not usually have a chance to touch. By seeing the efforts to leave the original picture, which is a cultural heritage, to the next generation, including the value and enjoyment of the original picture I want to tell you. ''

There are limits to storage ...

To date, 230,000 original drawings have been entrusted to manga artists who sympathize with the museum's careful preservation efforts.

However, the number of original drawings estimated from the number of comics published in Japan is estimated to be 50 to 60 million. Approximately 700,000 original drawings can be stored at the Masuda Manga Museum in Yokote City. It is not the amount that can be stored in one museum.

Therefore, Mr. Oishi is making efforts to pass on the know-how of preservation of original drawings cultivated so far to other museums and museums through lectures. The idea is to spread the storage network throughout the country and protect the original picture throughout Japan.

“The preservation and archiving of the original drawings are expensive and time consuming, so I think that the image that it cannot simply be tackled is strong. I hope that the preservation of the original will spread widely. ''

Original picture required in the world

Saving the original is not a problem only in Japan.
At the ICOM = International Museum Conference in Kyoto in September, a panel discussion was held on the theme of "Manga Exhibition".

One of the speakers was Nicole Lumanière, a curator at the British Museum in London, which held the largest manga exhibition outside Japan. The number of visitors recorded 175,000, indicating that interest in Japanese manga is growing.

On the other hand, about 50 manga artists were ordered from Japan at the manga exhibition, but it was difficult to collect because many of the originals were hidden in the walls. There was also a suggestion that the museum should make the environment easier to collect original drawings.

“I was surprised that the process was different for each editor and publisher until I reached the original picture, and I collected it desperately on the phone (laughs). I think it will be easier to exhibit if there is a mechanism that can be borrowed from

A new problem "Manga artist's final life"

In response to the growing interest in manga worldwide, the value of original drawings is gradually being reviewed, including the exhibition of popular drawings by popular manga artists in Japan.

But with that, new problems have surfaced. Original works such as hits may be subject to inheritance tax.

According to Eiji Otsuka, a tax accountant who is familiar with inheritance tax, tax may be imposed as “art” because the original picture is sold and sold at auctions. Specifically, it will be evaluated at the market price by consulting with specialists such as collectors or calculating the actual purchase price.

Under these circumstances, there are some manga artists who are “dead”, such as selling or disposing of the originals without disturbing their families.

However, since the market of the original picture has not been established, there are no rules on how to buy and sell, and it is left to the judgment of the individual manga artist. In Japan, you can buy and sell original pictures mainly through online auctions, but since there is no appraisal like a picture, once you put it on sale, you will not know where it is. The baby-boom generation manga artists have led the Japanese manga world. In the future, the loss of the original picture may accelerate at a stretch.

Can you leave precious comic originals to future generations? If the Japanese feel their charm and find no value, the original picture will become the “second ukiyo-e”.

Kyoto Broadcaster reporter Nao Kagawa Joined Academic and Cultural Affairs in 2015. Life work is also about subcultures such as comics and games.