Lily Chen
Shigeru Mura (Japanese: 武良 茂, Hepburn: Mura Shigeru, March 8, 1922 – November 30, 2015), also known as Shigeru Mizuki (水木 しげる, Mizuki Shigeru), was a visionary Japanese manga artist, historian, and folklorist who shaped postwar manga through his haunting yōkai tales and unflinching portrayals of war. Best known internationally for GeGeGe no Kitarō, NonNonBa, and Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, Mizuki’s life and work traversed the boundaries of the real and the supernatural, the historical and the mythical, peace and the brutality of war.
From Osaka to Sakaiminato: A Boy and His Ghosts
Born in Osaka, Mizuki spent his formative years in Sakaiminato, a coastal town rich in folk traditions and spirits. A spirited and scrappy child, he showed an early aptitude for drawing. His talent was recognized at a young age when teachers organized an exhibition of his works, and the Mainichi newspaper named him an artistic prodigy.
Yet it was a local woman named Fusa Kageyama—affectionately called NonNonBa—who would shape his imagination most profoundly. Her whispered ghost stories introduced the young Mizuki to the world of yōkai, the supernatural beings of Japanese folklore, which would later populate his manga in vivid, unforgettable ways.
War and Wounds: Papua New Guinea and the Seeds of Pacifism
Drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army in 1942, Mizuki was sent to the jungle warfare hell of New Britain Island during World War II. He endured malaria, starvation, and the loss of comrades. A U.S. air raid cost him his left arm—a trauma that would permanently mark his art and psyche.
In a poignant twist, it was the Tolai people of Papua New Guinea who offered Mizuki comfort. They invited him to stay, offering land, a home, and even a wife. He seriously considered staying but ultimately returned to Japan, reluctantly, after being convinced by a military doctor to face his family.
These wartime memories fueled some of Mizuki’s most powerful manga, particularly Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths and his Shōwa: A History of Japan, which combine unflinching historical narrative with autobiographical reflection. They also formed the philosophical foundation for his belief that yōkai can only exist in peace, not war.
Becoming Mizuki: A Manga Career Begins
After returning to Japan, Mizuki struggled with poverty and obscurity. He worked as a kamishibai artist, drawing for picture-show street theater. His pen name, Mizuki, was borrowed from the inn he managed, Mizuki Manor, and stuck after a supervisor insisted on using it.
In 1957, he debuted with Rocketman, and in the 1960s, began adapting kamishibai ghost stories into manga, most notably Hakaba Kitarō. Serialized and later rebranded as GeGeGe no Kitarō in 1967, the manga introduced readers to a wide cast of lovable monsters, spirits, and folkloric creatures, led by the half-human, half-yōkai boy Kitarō and his unforgettable father—an eyeball with a body, Medama-Oyaji.
NonNonBa and the Supernatural in the Everyday
In 1972, Mizuki published NonNonBa, a graphic novel inspired by his childhood friendship with Fusa Kageyama. It marked one of the first major autobiographical manga in Japan and won critical acclaim decades later in France, winning the Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize in 2007.
This blending of memoir and folklore would become Mizuki’s signature: stories steeped in ancient spirits, yet deeply grounded in 20th-century lived experience.
History Through Ghostly Eyes: War, Japan, and Hitler
Mizuki never shied away from difficult history. His 1991 work War and Japan, narrated by his trickster character Nezumi Otoko, confronted Japanese atrocities in China and Korea—boldly countering revisionist history in manga. From 1989 to 1998, he created Showa: A History of Japan, a sweeping chronicle of the turbulent Shōwa period, blending personal narrative, political analysis, and yōkai cameos.
In 1971, Mizuki tackled Adolf Hitler in a manga biography that was only translated into English in 2015, showing his fearless willingness to engage with global themes of authoritarianism and delusion.
Global Recognition and Late-Life Stardom
Though revered in Japan for decades, Mizuki remained relatively unknown abroad until the 2010s, when Western publishers began releasing his works. Drawn & Quarterly introduced English-speaking readers to Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, NonNonBa, Showa, Kitaro, and Hitler, earning Mizuki a 2012 Eisner Award for Best International Material.
In 2010, his wife’s memoir was adapted into a hit NHK morning drama, GeGeGe no Nyōbō, revitalizing interest in his life and work across generations.
Mizuki Road and Legacy in Stone
Back in Sakaiminato, Mizuki’s legacy is etched in bronze along Mizuki Road, where over 100 yōkai statues line the streets. A dedicated museum and cultural center ensure that future generations will know his name, and the monsters he made friends with.
Bakeichōnosei and the Spirit of Things
Among Mizuki’s lesser-known but fascinating creations is the yōkai Bakeichōnosei, or the Ginkgo Tree Spirit, inspired by Edo-period folklore. Drawn from Yosa Buson’s Kabumura Yokai Emaki, this ink-dyed, gong-striking spirit symbolizes Mizuki’s deep reverence for Japan’s folkloric past—and his genius in reviving it for a modern audience.
Awards and Honors
Mizuki’s extraordinary contributions to manga, history, and culture earned him numerous accolades:
- Kodansha Manga Award (1990) for Komikku Showa-Shi
- Minister of Education Award (1996)
- Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize – Special Award (2003)
- Asahi Prize (2008)
- Person of Cultural Merit (2010)
- Eisner Award (2012)
- Shigeru Mizuki Road and International Cultural Center built in his honor
Death and Afterlife
Shigeru Mizuki passed away from heart failure on November 30, 2015, at age 93. He was buried in Chōfu, Tokyo, with a dharma name that reflects his Buddhist legacy: 大満院釋導茂 (Daiman-In-Shaku-Domo).
Even in death, Mizuki remains present. His yōkai continue to prowl Japan’s consciousness—not as terrors, but as playful, mischievous spirits that reflect our deepest fears, dreams, and history.
Selected Works in English
- GeGeGe no Kitarō
- Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths
- NonNonBa
- Showa: A History of Japan
- Hitler
Shigeru Mizuki did not merely draw monsters. He gave the unspeakable a face—whether it was the specter of war or a spirit from forgotten lore. His gentle line and dark wit created a world where children could see yōkai behind the trees, and adults could see humanity behind the horrors.
He once said that “yōkai can only appear in peaceful times.” Through his life and work, Mizuki offered us just that: a moment of peace, a glimpse of wonder, and a whisper from the past reminding us never to forget.
