Takashi Yanase (柳濑嵩, February 6, 1919 - October 13, 2013) was a Japanese manga artist, illustrated book writer, and poet. Born in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. Graduated from Chiba University College of Technology, Department of Pattern Design. After working in the publicity department of Mitsukoshi Department Store in Japan as a wrapping paper designer, Yanase Taro worked independently as a manga artist. Drawing on his own experiences in the war, he created "Bread Superman," in which he shares his face with others, with the idea that "the most important thing for realizing true justice is to save those who are hungry.
On October 13, 2013, at 3:08 a.m., he passed away in a Tokyo hospital due to cardiac insufficiency. He was 94 years old.
Chinese name: Takashi Yanase
Foreign name: TakashiYanase
Nationality: Japan
Birthplace: Kochi, Japan
Date of birth: February 6, 1919
Date of death: October 13, 2013
Occupation: Manga artist and illustrated book writer, Poet
Graduate School: Chiba University College of Technology
Representative Works: Bread Superman
Personal Biography
Yanase Taro was born in 1919 in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from the graphic design department of the Tokyo Advanced Institute of Technology (now Chiba University College of Technology), Yanase became a graphic stylist and worked for Tanabe Pharmaceutical (now Tanabe Mitsubishi Pharmaceutical) and Mitsukoshi Department Store (now Mitsukoshi Isetan). The letters "MITSUKOSHI" printed on the bags of Mitsukoshi Department Store at that time were designed by Mr. Yanase.
Son Yanase made his debut as an independent manga artist in 1953. He also showed his talent in many other areas, such as scripts for radio dramas, poetry, and children's stories.
In 1961 he composed the nursery rhyme "The Sun Shines in the Palm of Your Hand," which was a big hit at the time.
In 1973 the magazine he edited, Poems and Fairy Tales, began publication, and his pioneering print format of illustrations accompanying poems was very well received. The magazine remained in circulation until 2003. During these 30 years, he discovered a large number of talented illustrators.
In 1973, he started the manga "Bread Superman," a comic strip in which the main character tears up his own bread face and gives it to a lost person, which was very popular.
In 1988, the manga was turned into an anime, which quickly became a hit in Japan and was later turned into an animated movie.
Son Yanase not only wrote the lyrics for more than half of the movie's episodes, but also composed the music himself. He even debuted as a singer and acted in musicals. In his later years, Yanase continued to work, serving as chairman of the Japan Manga Artists Association from 2000 to 2012, and later as its president.
Personal works
In 1973, Yanase started the manga series "Bread Superman," a wholesome character based on a red bean bun, who swore to uphold forest justice against the bad guys and sacrificed his own bread head to save the hungry. The cartoon character was so popular that he was subsequently made into an animated movie that became a hit in Japan. Bread Superman was also first produced as an animated cartoon for television in 1988, and the series has been running for more than 20 years now, making it the longest-running cartoon of all time, with more than 1,000 episodes having been produced. In 2009, the cartoon set the Guinness World Record for "most characters in a cartoon series" when it **** featured 1,768 characters.
Since 2003, China Electric Power Publishing House has published picture books by Mr. Yanase Song, such as "The Warm Lion," "The Little White Horse," and "Goodbye Little Elephant.
Social Activities
In September 2008, the Japan Cartoonists Association, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and the New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century jointly initiated the "Manga Auction", which was held in Tokyo, Japan, with the proceeds of 3 million yen donated to the Nanshan Middle School in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, China.
According to the organizers, about 106 pieces of artwork were auctioned off, created by more than 60 Japanese cartoonists, including Fujiko Fujio A, one of the authors of "RoboCat," and Mizushima Shinji and Chiba Tetsuya, the authors of "Poem of the Baseball Fanatic.
The auction attracted many manga fans and collectors. Organizers also invited "Bread Superman" author, 90-year-old Mt. Yanase, to attend the event, where he handed over a donation to Nanshan Middle School on behalf of the Japan Comics Association. Mt. Yanase also delivered a speech in the form of singing, in which he expressed his condolences to the Sichuan disaster area in a song he composed, and hoped that the people in the disaster area could be united and help each other, and live on optimistically.
Character evaluation
Japanese actress Keiko Toda, who voiced "Bread Superman" in the cartoon, said, "Mr. Yanase himself is a true reflection of 'Bread Superman'. He was always very caring and taught us how to share. I can only desperately express my heartfelt gratitude to him, and feel that I have lost an important guide in my life. Sad to the core."