Reborn Tokiwa-so "Ishinomori-san is playing a record..." July 6 16:27

"Astro Boy" "Genius Bakabon" "Cyborg 009" "Obake no Qaro". Do you know what these cartoons have in common? The authors Osamu Tezuka, Fujio Akatsuka, Shotaro Ishinomori, Fujio Fujiko... Japanese manga artists spent their youth together at the Tokiwaso apartment in Toshima-ku, Tokyo. "Tokiwa-so", which was later called "Sacred place of manga", was restored in full scale. It was the cartoonists who lived at the time that helped. (Metropolitan area center reporter Naohiro Toba)

"Tokiwa-so" by a former resident manga artist

"Mr. Ishinomori was writing a manga while opening the door and playing a record."

Manga artist Eiko Mizuno (80) said this. His masterpieces are "Star's Edge" and "White Troika", and it is said to be the pioneer of a female manga artist. Mizuno entered "Tokiwaso" in 1958 when he was 18 years old. I spent seven months with Fujio Akatsuka and Shotaro Ishinomori.

The manga artist lived on the 2nd floor of Tokiwaso. There were 10 rooms of 4 tatami mats in total, and the kitchen and toilet were shared. Mizuno's room is opposite Ishinomori's room. Looking back on life at the time,

Mr. Mizuno
"Everyone left the door of the room open, and not only residents but also various people such as editors came and went. Someone who had a dream to make comics one's lifelong one day and just wanted to draw comics It was a place where they were gathered together.''

In an era when comics were called "bad books"

Until now, comics have become a world-class Japanese culture, but in the 1955's when Mr. Mizuno moved in, it was considered a "bad book." Mr. Mizuno himself could not say that he was a manga artist for the first time.

Mr. Mizuno
"At that time, it was a time when parents could stop me because I feel sick when I read comics. Naturally, I couldn't have any friends to talk about comics. That's why Tokiwaso It was a paradise for me because I came to be able to draw and talk as much as I wanted for the first time.''

"Tokiwaso" was not just a place to draw manga. The nearby ramen shop "Matsuba" is still open. According to Mr. Mizuno, at that time the ramen costs 30 or 40 yen. He often went to eat lunch with Mr. Akatsuka and Mr. Ishinomori and talked about manga. In addition, Mr. Mizuno, who was the only one, did not participate much, but the men gathered in the room of Mr. Hiroo Terada, a leader, and had regular meetings. It is said that not only each of them was absorbed in manga, but sometimes they talked to each other, sometimes made a fuss, and raised each other.

Mizuno-san
"Many people often gathered in Terada's room to eat and drink, and at the same time, at Tokiwa-so, everyone would teach technology and new ideas without hiding, and if someone decided on a series, It was a joyful relationship like that.''

Twenty years ago a failed restoration plan

The "Tokiwa-so" located in Minami-Nagasaki, Toshima-ku, was demolished in 1982 due to its deterioration. It was well-known among some fans as a place where many popular manga artists were produced, but within the region, its name disappeared as it was dismantled.

The restoration plan came up in 1999, 21 years ago. Local shopping malls and others petitioned the council to "establish a memorial hall that restored Tokiwa-so," but this time it was not adopted. Mikio Koide (62), who runs a local watch store, recalled, "At that time, it was a ridiculous atmosphere to create a town with cartoons, and there were few cases nationwide."

Since then, the heat of the area has been lost, but when he learned that Toshima Ward created a corner in the central library in 2007 that collected the works of cartoonists related to it, Mr. Koide said, " It is embarrassing that there is nothing in a certain Minami Nagasaki."

At that time, the local shopping district was no longer busy. Therefore, a signboard that says "Click here for the former Tokiwa-so site" was created and installed at the intersection. We started to move toward the aim of "revitalizing the shopping district by taking advantage of Tokiwa-so."

Mr. Koide
"In spite of the fact that manga became a world-class Japanese culture, I couldn't say that the place of origin was important. Tokiwaso was forgotten and I was able to publicize it throughout the town. I thought it would be nice.''

There is no blueprint! Big wall to restore

The biggest challenge for restoration was the lack of materials related to "Tokiwa-so". Koide decided to visit each area one by one and collect photos. I was sometimes told that if I came 10 years earlier, I would have had a photo left, but I found some photos of a child with a part of the building in the background. ..

In addition, the former residents helped. Mr. Eiko Mizuno, who lived in the early days, and Mr. Sasuke Mukai, the illustration artist who became the last resident, provided the inside photo. A photo of the dismantling was also found, and the exact layout was found. I was able to draw detailed drawings based on the size of the tatami mat.

Koide responded to the movement of the shopping districts. The construction of a monument for manga artists who are closely related to the site and the construction of more than 10 monuments and facilities, the culmination of which was the restoration of Tokiwa-so.

Corona postponement... Legendary comic magazine

Due to the new coronavirus, the opening of the restored facility was delayed by more than three months. However, there are some new exhibits during this period.

It is a monthly manga magazine called "Manga Shonen" that was published from 1922 to 1960. Tezuka Osamu serialized "The Jungle Emperor" and there was a post section that was rare at the time, and a promising young man was found there and moved to "Tokiwaso", so it is considered to be a magazine with a deep connection.

It is said that there is almost nothing left at the moment, but in the meantime, 93 of the 101 volumes were donated by Takemaru Nagata, a manga artist who attended Tokiwaso.

Memories revived by restoration

The second floor of the Tokiwaso Manga Museum is a faithful reproduction of a cartoonist's room and kitchen. The desks and pens placed in the room, the color of the walls, and the "creaking noise" when going up the stairs were still there.

When the former resident manga artist Eiko Mizuno visited the restored facility, the memories of that time were revived. He also remembered this episode.

In Mr. Ishinomori's room...

Mizuno-san: In
Ishinomori-san's room, someone jokingly tried to tell how many people to put in. 14 people came in squeezed, and Ishinomori-san was sitting in front of the desk at first, but there was space. When it's gone, stand up on the desk..."

At the kitchen...

Mizuno:
“Ishinomori's older sister was cooking at the kitchen. I think it was Fujiko Fujiko's sister, but I've rushed to everybody, saying, “There's an amazing beauty.” Ishinomori Your sister was everyone's Madonna.''

Repainted cowboy picture

Mr. Mizuno brought a picture. This is a cowboy picture. At that time, I rewrote what I had drawn and decorated with crayons, relying on my memory.

Mr. Mizuno told his friends at the time, "I want to tell that Tokiwaso has been restored and has become a place to transmit manga culture."

Mizuno:
“I never thought that Tokiwaso would become so famous, and I didn't think I would help restore it. More than half of the manga artists who lived died, but if I'm glad I was there. I want everyone to know that manga was born and raised in such a small apartment."

After 38 years, "Tokiwa-so" has been revived in modern times. Mr. Mizuno, standing on the spot and talking about the time, seemed to be talking with his colleagues over time.

Metropolitan Broadcasting Center
Naohiro Toba, Reporter