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By the 20th century, Japan's doors
were open to other countries, especially the West, where
different cultures and way of life were intriguing to
some Japanese people. America, especially, was enjoying
a rise to an economical boom and profit. In the midst
of all this success came more new and innovative inventions
and forms of entertainment. One of these, the "comic
strip", would serve to change not only the American
and Western cultures, but also that of the Japanese,
serving as the catalyst to one of the most dominant
parts of the Japanese publishing market today.
 Joseph
Pulitzer, the publishing pioneer who made the New York
World newspaper a resounding success in the early 20th
century, was responsible for allowing the first humorous
"comic strips" to appear in publication. Consisting
of either sequential panels or single illustrations
that told a story or made comedic points, the comic
strip/cartoon was (and still is today) a source of entertaining
diversion from the seriousness of the news and headlines.
While the concept of caricatures and cartoons was around
in the West long before this, this was probably the
first time that regular attention was given to it. Comics
such as "The Yellow Kid" (pictured at left)
became more and more prominent as newspapers became
larger and more important to the American people. Because
it was such a success, newspapers and their owners were,
even back in these times, willing to go to court to
decide ownership of certain strips and features.
The
Japanese picked up on the comic trend, and a few people
back on Eastern cultural shores began drawing their
own comic strips and caricatures. One of these was Ippei
Okamoto, an artist. Heavily influenced by the work that
was featured in Pulitzer's magazine, Okamoto began his
own caricatures and comic strips. As with many things
that begin with outside influence, Okamoto's and others'
first works were very much like the ones seen in the
West. The only difference may have been in the reading.
Even then, manga strips were read right to left, rather
than left to right as the Western comic strips were
drawn. This was a minor difference, though in translating
Western strips it did make it seem as if the characters
were being held up to a mirror, reversing the action
of the panels. While the comic strip did take a little
while to catch on in Japan, it was, like early Japanese
animation influenced by Disney, a beginning that would
have far-reaching consequences later on as it boomed
into popularity.
By
the war, Japanese comics and the caricurists who drew
them served many purposes. They were used for humor
and comedy, as the Western comics were, but they also
were used during the war effort as part of the propaganda
and satire used for the benefit of the country and its
soldiers. However, with the crushing defeat at the hands
of the Allies at the end of World War, many of Japan's
cartoonists were censored by the victors, and the progress
of what would become Japanese "manga" seemed
to be halted. However, after the war, one man would
stand at the helm and deliver to the culture, and to
the world, Japanese comics as they had never been seen
before. This man, Osamu Tezuka, would help to shape
the very first modern manga, and begin an industry that
still holds significance today in the Japanese culture.
>>Go
to Lesson 3 - Tezuka's Vision: Manga Takes Form
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