'JIN', Super Jump cover art © Murakami Motoka / Shueisha , ‘Musashi no Ken’ vol.4 cover ©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan , ‘Ryu-RON’ vol.6 cover ©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan , ‘Fuichin Saiken (Zaijian)!’ ©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan
Murakami Motoka Exhibition
– The Man who Draws Times and People –
2023/6/17 (Sat) ～ 10/3 (Tue)
* Some artworks will be changed during the exhibition.
First display period: 6/17 (Sat) ～ 8/10 (Thu).
Second display period: 8/11 (Fri) ～ 10/3 (Tue).
Manga artist Murakami Motoka continues to leave a deep impression on readers through his bold and fast-paced depictions, delicate emotional expressions that reflect his characters’ emotions, and his unpredictable, skillful story development. Last year, he celebrated his 50th year anniversary as an artist.
He has created manga series in various genres. For instance, the series ‘JIN’ and ‘Kyoi Toma’, are both medical romance series set in the Bakumatsu period, as well as ‘RON’ a grand-scale work that depicts the contemporary history of China and Japan, he also continues to challenge himself in various genres including F1 racing (‘Akai Pegasus’), kendo (‘Musashi no Ken’), climbing (‘Climber Retsuden’), and shojo manga history (‘Fuichin Zàijiàn!’) are other examples.
In this exhibition you can enjoy Murakami Motoka’s aesthetic use of color through a total of about 330 original color artworks and get to know his delicate and bold pen work that cannot be appreciated without the originals. A collection of famous scenes selected by Murakami himself will also be showcased, as well as an artwork commentary corner of the behind-the-scenes production side of his work.
This exhibition is part of a touring exhibition which was held at the Yayoi Museum (Bunkyo-ku Tokyo) from June 4th to September 25th, 2022, with the new addition of original artwork related to Kyoto. It is also a joint project of the Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2023 (also known as Kyomaf).
The following exhibition corners will also be included in the Kyoto venue.
Kyoto venue original exhibition corners
Kyoto Selection
An exhibition of a selection of 26 original artworks from ‘JIN’ and ‘RON’ depicting events in Kyoto.
Genga no Mikata (How to view originals)
Many aspects of Murakami’s works can only be discovered by viewing the originals and in this corner, we will explain his artwork through actual examples focusing on 10 points about ‘how to view originals’ such as “the screentones are not just stuck on!” and “What is this cut-and-paste for?”
(This display corner is a Murakami Motoka version of the popular ‘Genga no MIKATA’ [How to view originals] exhibition held at the Yokote Masuda Manga Museum and other venues.)
Genga’(Dash)
Genga’ (Dash) is an exquisite reproduction of an original manga drawing created using computerized fine color adjustment and printing. It is a project by the Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center and the Kyoto International Manga Museum, under the leadership of manga artist Takemiya Keiko. 35 drawings by Murakami were made as Genga'(Dash) in 2014. To be exhibited together with the original paintings, one piece will be introduced in each of the first and second period.
Please see the 50-year trajectory of Murakami Motoka for yourself, not only his overwhelming drawing skills, but also how he has kept a burning desire to create his ‘own story’.
‘JIN’ vol.20 cover
2011
© Murakami Motoka / Shueisha
‘JIN’, Super Jump
Issue 2009 no.19
©Murakami Motoka / Shueisha
‘Kyoi Toma’ vol.4 cover art
2021
©Murakami Motoka / Shueisha
Venue
Kyoto International Manga Museum 2F Galleries 1, 2, 3
Hours
10:30 - 17:30 (admission until 17:00)
* Sep 16 (Sat) and 17 (Sun) open hours are 10:30 - 19:30 (admission until 19:00) as part of the Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2023.
Closed
Every Wednesday
* No closures between Jul 20 (Thu) and Aug 29 (Tue).
Pre-purchase
* Same-day tickets can be purchased at the ticket vending machine at the entrance.
* Admission tickets can be purchased at the ticket vending machine on the day of your visit or can be pre-purchased online.
‘Kyoi Toma’, Grand Jump
Issue 2020 no. 14
©Murakami Motoka / Shueisha
‘Akai Pegasus’, Weekly Shonen Sunday
Issue 1978 No. 12
©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan
‘Akai Pegasus’, Weekly Shonen Sunday
Issue 1979 No. 7
©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan
Related events
Talk, live drawing and signing event
‘Looking back at 50 years of being a manga artist’
Murakami Motoka himself will give a reminiscing talk while looking back on half a century of his work as an artist. He will demonstrate and explain how to draw manga, together with his former assistant manga artist Kawano Ichiro, who he is currently co-authoring ‘Kyoi Toma’ with. Additionally, the talk and demonstration will be followed by a signing event for participants.
* This event will be held in Japanese.
Date and time
Jul 9 (Sun) 2023, 13:00 – 14:30
Venue
Kyoto International Manga Museum, 1F Multipurpose Hall
Speakers
Murakami Motoka (manga artist)
Kawano Ichiro (manga artist)
Chair: Oya Yasunori (Kyoto International Manga Museum)
Capacity
150 people (first come first served basis)
Participation method
Pre-registration required (same day registration may be possible if space allows)
A registration button will be added to the Japanese event page closer to the date.
Applications will open from noon on Jun 1 (Thu).
Please apply from the Japanese page.
Murakami Motoka lecture and signing event
‘Reality in fiction’
Murakami Motoka’s manga depicts many real-life historical figures, as well as the lifestyles, customs, and dialects of those periods. It is no exaggeration to say that his work reaches expert levels of depicting medical expertise and historical settings in particular.
In this lecture, Murakami Motoka will talk about how he prepares and investigates when seeking to depict reality in his works.
Additionally, after the event Murakami Motoka will hold a signing event for participants.
* This event will be held in Japanese.
Date and time
Sep 16 (Sat) 2023, 13:00 – 14:30
Venue
Kyoto International Manga Museum, 1F Multipurpose Hall
Speakers
Murakami Motoka (manga artist)
Chair: Oya Yasunori (Kyoto International Manga Museum)
Capacity
150 people (first come first served basis)
Participation method
Pre-registration required (same day registration may be possible if space allows)
A registration button will be added to the Japanese event page closer to the date.
Applications will open from noon on Aug 1 (Tue).
Please apply from the Japanese page.
‘Musashi no Ken’ vol.8 original cover
1983
©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan
‘Musashi no Ken’, Weekly Shonen Sunday
Issue 1981 no.28
©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan
‘Musashi no Ken’ vol.24 cover
1985
©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan
‘Juntaro’, Weekly Shonen Sunday
Issue 2010 no.6
©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan
‘Ryu-RON’ bunko edition vol.21 cover
2009
©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan
‘Fuichin Zaijian!’, Big Comic Original
Issue 2013 no.7
©Murakami Motoka / Shogakukan
Exhibition related merchandise
Original items are available for purchase exclusively from the museum.
Exhibition related café menu
The Maeda Coffee Manga Museum Store on the first floor of the museum will have a limited number of collaboration menu items on sale featuring drawings by Murakami Motoka.
Murakami Motoka, recent photo
Photo：Ohashi Ai
Murakami Motoka
Murakami Motoka was born in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, in 1951. After graduating high school, he worked as an assistant to Mochizuki Akira (‘Sign is V!’), then made contributions to Tezuka Osamu’s legendary manga magazine COM (awarded honorable mention). In 1972 at the age of 21, he debuted with ‘Moete Hashire!’ in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha). For several years following his debut, he drew ‘Taiya things’ (works featuring vehicles) and received high acclaim for his drawing ability; then continued his work as a talented manga artist in various genres including climbing, kendo, boxing, the contemporary history of China and Japan, medical care, and girls’ manga history. In 2011, he received numerous awards for ‘JIN’, including the 15th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Award, Manga Grand Prize. He is a representative of the Pokeman Co., Ltd. collective, which he formed together with some of his fellow manga artists.
He also makes concentrated efforts to contribute towards society through manga, such as by holding charity auctions.
His best-known works include ‘Musashi no Ken’ (Shogakukan), ‘RON’ (Shogakukan), ‘JIN’ (Shueisha), and ‘Kyoi Toma’ (Shueisha)
Kawano Ichiro
Kawano Ichiro was born in Oita Prefecture in 1971. He began drawing manga while working in 1996, and when his work ‘Manga College’ received an honorable mention for newcomer of the month manga award in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday, he moved to Tokyo. There, he began working as Murakami Motoka’s assistant.
In 1998, he started working independently as a manga artist, and stopped working as Murakami’s assistant in 2000 after making his debut in Weekly Shonen Sunday Super (Shogakukan). Since then, he has worked as lead in the production and drawing of period dramas including works set in the Sengoku period. In 2018, he began serialization of ‘Kyoi Toma’ (Shueisha) in collaboration with Murakami Motoka, published in Grand Jump (Shueisha). From 2023 he has begun teaching at Kyoto University of the Arts, in the Department of Character Design, Manga Course.
His best-known works include ‘Sekia’ (Leed Publishing), ‘Nobunaga Senki’ (Leed Publishing), ‘Sengoku SAGA Fuma Fujinden’ (Shogakukan Creative), and ‘Kyoi Toma’ (Shueisha)
About the Kyoto International Manga and Anime Fair
The largest scale manga and anime event in western Japan, this fair is held every year in September to promote the Kansai contents industry through initiatives such as acting as a forum to generate business networking between companies in the Kansai region and Tokyo region; creating a market that will foster exceptional young creators in Kansai; and attracting new groups of tourists, including local manga and anime fans, as well as foreigners. This year is the 12th installment of the fair.
Please check the official website for details including events at the main venue and shared ticket information with the museum.
Support: Shueisha, Shogakukan, Yayoi Museum, Yokote Masuda Manga Museum.
