Daijiro Morohoshi

In this Japanese name, the family name is "Morohoshi".

Daijiro Morohoshi
Born	Morohoshi Daijiro 諸星 大二郎 July 6, 1949 (1949-07-06) (age 62) Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Other names	Morohoshi Yoshikage 諸星 義影
Occupation	Manga artist, Illustrator, Writer
Years active	1970-present
Known for	Yōkai Hunter, Saiyū Yōenden (The Monkey King and other Chinese Legends)

Daijiro Morohoshi (諸星 大二郎, Morohoshi Daijiro^?, born July 6, 1949 in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He grew up in Adachi-ku, Tokyo. He is well known for SF comics, allegorical comics and horror/mystery comics based on pseudohistory and folklore. The indirect influence by Cthulhu Mythos also appears here and there in his works.

Biography

After graduating from high school, Morohoshi worked for the Tokyo metropolitan government for three years.

In 1970, Morohoshi made his professional debut with his short story "Junko Kyōkatsu" (ジュン子・恐喝, Junko, blackmail^?) in COM.

In 1974, his "Seibutsu Toshi" (生物都市, Bio City^?) was selected in the 7th Tezuka Award. He published "Yōkai Hunter" (妖怪ハンター, Demon Hunter^?) series in Weekly Shōnen Jump and he entered the comics industry in earnest. He published "Ankoku Shinwa" (暗黒神話, Dark myth^?), "Kōshi Ankokuden" (孔子暗黒伝, Dark biography of Confucius^?) in the same magazine afterwards.

In 1979, he published the "Mud men" series in Monthly Shōnen Champion Zōkan.

In 1983, he published Saiyū Yōenden (西遊妖猿伝, Journey to the West: Monster monkey’s Commentary^?) (The Monkey King and other Chinese Legends) based on "Journey to the West" in Super Action. This work won the grand prize of the fourth Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2000.

Anecdote

Because Morohoshi's style of painting was too unique, his assistants said that they didn’t know how to assist him, or Osamu Tezuka said that he could not imitate Morohoshi’s painting. Morohoshi’s "Mud men" triggered Haruomi Hosono of Yellow Magic Orchestra, and Hosono wrote "The Madmen". Hosono said that his production company misspelled "Mudmen" with "Madmen". Hayao Miyazaki told that he was strongly influenced by Morohoshi in various media. When Kentaro Takekuma interviewed Miyazaki, he said that he actually wanted Morohoshi to draw "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind".^[1] According to Toshio Okada who was a former representative director of Gainax, Hideaki Anno always said that he wanted to apply the scene where a giant appeared in "Kage no Machi" (影の街, Shadow Town^?) to his work, and his hope was realized in "Neon Genesis Evangelion".^[2]

Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
1974	Seibutsu Toshi (生物都市, Bio City?)	The 7th Tezuka Award	Nominated
1992	Boku to Furio to Kōtei de (僕とフリオと校庭で, Me and Furio in the schoolyard?)	The excellence prize of The 21st Japan Cartoonists Association Award	Won
	Ikairoku (異界録, Another World Record?)	The excellence prize of The 21st Japan Cartoonists Association Award	Won
2000	Saiyū Yōenden (西遊妖猿伝, Journey to the West: Monster monkey’s Commentary?) (The Monkey King and other Chinese Legends)	The grand prize of the 4th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize	Won
2008	Shiori to Shimiko (栞と紙魚子, Shiori and Shimiko?)	Excellent prize of the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga section	Won

Major Works

Manga

• Yōkai Hunter series
• Saiyū Yōenden (The Monkey King and other Chinese Legends)
• Mud men series
• Seibutsu Toshi
• Kōshi Ankokuden
• Boku to Furio to Kōtei de
• Ikairoku
• Shiori to Shimiko

Novels

• Kyōko no Kyō wa Kyōfu no Kyō (2004)
• Kumo no Ito wa Kanarazu Kireru (2007)

Illustrations for books

• Rōkō ni Ari (Author: Ken'ichi Sakemi)

Movies

• Hiruko/Yōkai Hunter (1991, Film Director: Shinya Tsukamoto)
• Kidan (2005, Film Director: Takashi Komatsu)
• Kabeotoko (British title: The Wall Man) (2007, Film Director: Wataru Hayakawa)

TV drama

• Fukushū Club (1991, Fuji Television, in Yo nimo Kimyo na Monogatari)
• Shiro (1992, Fuji Television, in Yo nimo Kimyo na Monogatari)
• Shiori to Shimiko no Kaiki Jikenbo (2008, Nippon Television)

Radio drama

• Saiyū Yōenden (1989)
• Zoku Saiyū Yōenden (1990)
• Yumemiru Kikai (2000)

OVA

• Ankoku Shinwa Chapter 1/Chapter 2 (1990)

Video games

• Ankoku Shinwa: Yamatotakeru Densetsu (1988)

References

1. ^ pages 135 at the March 2008 issue of Eureka
2. ^ January 10, 1997, NHK-BS Manga Yawa featured "Boku to Furio to Kōtei de"

External links

• Yōkai Hunter Hiruko (movie)
• Daijiro Morohoshi Museum
• List of Daijiro Morohoshi works

Persondata
Name	Morohoshi, Daijiro
Alternative names
Short description	Manga artist
Date of birth	July 6, 1949
Place of birth	Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Date of death
Place of death