©やなせたかし
©やなせたかし/フレーベル館・TMS
Yanase Takashi Exhibition
Yanase Takashi is a well-known author of children's manga, famous for his character "Anpanman" and his picture books. However, he originally produced manga for adults, including a number of serious manga. Based on a show at the Yayoi Museum in Tokyo, we now present to you our exhibit of this 91-year-old master who has worked as a manga author, poet, scriptwriter, editor, and character designer.
We hope you will enjoy discovering his colorful world through this exhibit.
| Period | October 2 - December 26, 2010 10am - 6pm (Admission until 5:30pm) |
| Venue | Kyoto International Manga Museum, 2nd floor Galleries 1, 2 & 3 |
| Admission fee | Adults: 1,000 yen; Junior high and high school students: 500 yen; Elementary school students: 200 yen. *This fee includes the museum's general entrance fee (Adults: 500 yen; Junior high and high school students: 100 yen). *General entrance to the Museum will be free of charge on November 3 (Wed.), as a part of Culture Day (a national holiday), Manga Day, and Kansai Culture Day. |
Organizer: Kyoto International Manga Museum
With cooperation from: Kami City Yanase Takashi Museum, Froebel Museum, and Thomas Entertainment
And special cooperation from: Yanase Studio and the Yayoi Museum
Exhibition details
We proudly present about 300 pieces of his work, from his humorous manga full of all kinds of characters, to the original copies of his lyrical and beautiful illustrations, and other related materials.
1
Yanase Takashi's Early Years: From Birth to his Career at the Mitsukoshi Company
In his early years, we can see the origins of the sadness and tenderness found in many of his works, while Anpanman's strong sense of justice was derived from Yanase's experiences during WWII. After the war, Yanase worked for Kochi Newspaper, and then came to Tokyo in 1947 (at age 22) to work for the Mitsukoshi Department Store; his broad experiences there would prove to be very important later in life. You can learn more about his early years in this corner.
Main items on display
- a copy of his cover art for the Kochi Newspaper's magazine edition, and "Tamakichi and Negiko", his manga which was serialized in the Kochi Newspaper.
- the logo he designed for wrapping paper at the Mitsukoshi Department Store, and "Mitsuko-san", his manga serialized in Mitsukoshi's newsletter.
2
Career Changes and Difficult Days: Biru no osama (The King of Beer) and "Tenohira wo Taiyoni"
After leaving Mitsukoshi at age 34, he made "The King of Beer," a manga advertisement for Nippon Beer (now Sapporo Beer), and continued making other four-panel comics. At the same time, he wrote scripts for radio programs and was a television show host. However, he still struggled with trying to find his own style in his manga and other works. The popular song "Tenohira wo Taiyoni" came out in the middle of this period of his life.
Main Items on Display
- the original copies of his four-panel comic, "The King of Beer"
- "Milky Manga," his manga series published in the Fujiya Company's newsletter
- an autographed copy of "Tenohira wo Taiyoni"
- his poetry anthology, published by Sanrio Publishing
3
Yanase Establishes his Own Style : The Manga Award and his Picture Books
When he was forty-eight years old, he decided to enter the competition for the Manga Award, and he won with "Mr. Bo". Also, his "Yasashi Raion (The Gentle Lion)," originally a radio play, was turned into a picture book, and it was a big hit. He went on to do the character design for "The Book of One Thousand and One Nights" and be the chief editor for Sanrio Publishing's "Shi to Meruhen" (Poem and Marchen), among other projects. His genius finally bloomed, as you can see for yourself in this exhibit.
Main Items on Display
- the original copy of "Mr.Bo"
- the original artwork from "The Gentle Lion"
- his covers for "Poem and Marchen," and others
4.
His Big Break: Anpanman!
In 1969, he drew "Anpanman" for PHP, a magazine in which he had been publishing illustrated children's stories. The main character was Anpanman, whose head is an edible piece of anpan (a type of sweet bread in Japan), but Anpanman wasn't the hero of the story; rather, the old man who sold anpan was. "I wanted to create simple characters with a sense of justice who help children when they are hungry and feel like crying," he once said about his work. The character Anpanman first appeared in his current form in 1973 at the Froebel Museum. From then on he became incredibly popular; an anime series was also released, and soon Anpanman become a national hero for everyone in Japan.
Main Items on Display
- the original artwork from "Anpanman: Yume Neko no Kuni, Nyani"
- the original artwork from "Anpanman: Black Nose and Mahou no Uta"
- the original artwork from his manga in the Yomiuri Newspaper, "Tobe, Anpanman!"
5.
Lifelong Devotion: His Continuing Career in the Present
Though Anpanman became the focus of his work, he has remained active in a variety of fields. Whether it's one of his lyrical illustrations, such as "Duet Series," or a new character he designed, or "Tasogare Shishu," his heartfelt poetry anthology about growing old, he continues to play a very active role even at the age of ninety-one.
Main Items on Display
- the original artwork from "Duet Series"
- the original artwork from "Tasogare Shishu"
A Profile of Yanase Takashi
He was born in 1919 in Kochi Prefecture. He would go on to be employed by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, the Kochi Newspaper, and Mitsukoshi, Ltd., before finally becoming a manga author. In his younger years he also worked as a song-writer, television host, and radio scriptwriter, not producing a major hit that made him famous until later in life.
In 1973, "Shi to Meruhen (Poem and Marchen)" was published, a work that would influence younger artists for the next three decades, and he became its chief editor. In the same year, his "Anpanman" became popular; it was made into an animated series and turned out to be his big break.
In 1996, the Kami City Yanase Takashi Museum was opened in Kochi Prefecture. In 2007, "Poems and Fantasy" was launched by the Kamakura Shunju Publishing Company. As for his much-loved "Anpanman" series, it is still being continued to this day.
Related Events
Lecture Series
"All about Yanase Takashi!"
Once a month (for three times total), we invite researchers from around the country working in various fields to come take part in "All about Yanase Takashi!"
| Time | 2pm - 4pm |
| Venue | Kyoto International Manga Museum, 3rd floor, Research Office 1 |
| Admission fee | Free. * However, the general admission fee to the museum is still required. |
| Capacity | 50 (no advance tickets; admittance in order of arrival) |
First Lecture:
Yanase Takashi's Lyrical Drawings and Poetry
Having planned the exhibit about Yanase Takashi on which this one was based, Mrs. Nakamura will discuss Yanase's appeal from the perspective of his work as a "lyrical artist."
| Date | October 9, 2010 |
| Speaker | Nakamura Keiko (Curator at Yayoi Museum) |
Second Lecture
Yanase Takashi as a Manga Author
Speakers will consider Yanase Takashi as an author of manga, discussing Anpanman and particularly Japanese children's receptiveness to Anpanman from "age 0."
| Date | November 7, 2010 |
| Speaker | Masuda Nozomi (Lecturer in the Hanazon Univeristy) |
Third Lecture
Yanase Takashi as an Author of Picture Books
Tadokoro Nahoko (Kami City Yanase Takashi Museum) will talk about Yanase Takashi's picture books, as well as the activities of the Kami City Yayoi Yanase Takashi Museum. There, she has worked on many exhibitions of picture books, including those of Yanase Takashi.
| Date | December 11, 2010 |
| Speaker | Tadokoro Nahoko (Kami City Yanase Takashi Museum) |
Workshop
Make a "Drawing You Can Eat" on Bread!
Draw with a chocolate pen on a canvas of bread. You can make and eat your own drawing in this workshop!
| Date and Time | All Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays during the period of the Yanase Takashi Exhibition |
| Venue | Kyoto International Manga Museum 1st Floor Workshop Corner |
| Fee | 400 yen for one piece of bread *However, the general admission fee to the museum is still required. |
| Participant Limit | 50 piece of breads per day (no advance registration; materials will be provided in order of arrival) |
With Cooperation from NKZ Services Co. (Papillon)
Bread as a "Manga Canvas"!
The bread that will be used as your "canvas" is from the Kawaramachi branch of "Patesserie and Boulangerie Papillon," owned by Kanemaru Masayoshi. In collaboration with the Kyoto International Manga Museum, they created this original bread that was inspired by the special sheets of paper used for drafting Japanese manga. Made from carefully selected ingredients, it is a French bread called brioche, also known as Pain Au Lait. Soft and fluffy, it has a distinctive sweet flavor.
*The bread contains egg, milk products, and wheat. Please contact us two days in advance if you have allergies to any of these ingredients.
Fun for Children and Parents! The Children's Playroom and the Yanase Takashi Corner
With its characters full of individuality and beloved by children, "Anpanman" has been presented in many forms, including toys and various other goods. In order to let you experience the broad range of "Anpanman" products, we present to you the "Playroom," where parents and children can see and play with "Anpanman" toys together.
Also, in the Children's Library on the first floor, we set-up a corner devoted to Yanase Takashi's picture books. You can take and read any of them at your leisure. We are also planning to show some of his animations, such as "Yanase Takashi Marchen Gekijou."
Special Kamishibai Performance
Anpanman
We will have a special "Anpanman" Kamishibai performance by the "Yassan Ichiza" group everyday.
Kamishibai Schedule: Weekdays at 1pm and 3pm (about thirty minutes each) / Weekends and Holidays at 12pm, 1:30pm, and 3pm (about thirty minutes each)
The performance at 3pm each day will be the special "Anpanman" Kamishibai.
"Anpanman and Omusubiman" and "Anpanman and Shokupanman" will be performed.
Anpanman Christmas Concert 2010
Since 2007, we have annually hosted the Anpanman Christmas Concert. We will give details, including how to apply, at a later date.
Need reservation in advance. See details in this page.
*Japanese
| Date and Time | December 24, 2010, in the afternoon (subject to change) |
| Venue | Kyoto International Manga Museum, |
| Event Details | A singer will lead us in singing and dancing with Anpanman and Vikingman dolls, and we will even be joined by Yanase Takashi himself! |
*The schedule and details of this event are subject to change. We apologize for any inconvenience.
