Acting on the recommendation of a local (thanks Amber!) today I boarded a train and headed north about half an hour to Ishinomaki. It’s a coastal city with an economy steeped in fishing, but as soon as I exited the train and walked into the station building the reason for my visit was obvious:
These are characters created by Shotaro Ishinomori, one of the leading figures in the history of manga and tokusatsu (superhero/sci-fi series). Specifically we have Kamen Rider snd Cyborg 009 represented in the statues at the station, and many more statues of his characters were to be seen as I walked along the sleepy main street.
Ishinomori’s legacy cannot be underestimated; of the three pillars of tokusatsu (Kamen Rider, Ultraman and Super Sentai) he created two. Cyborg 009 – a series about superhero androids – was created in 1964 and spawned an industry that continues to this day. Ishinomori drew over 100,000 pages of manga in his life and authored over 700 series. He is known as the ‘King of Manga’ and it is said that even Osamu Tezuka (the ‘God of Manga’) considered him a rival.
In addition to the statues I saw representations os his characters on several buildings, including some in disrepair. I wondered about this as I walked the mile or so to my destination.
And there it is: the Ishinomori museum! An entire three-story structure dedicated to his works. It only cost ¥900 to go in, and since I’d done zero research I was very curious what I’d see inside.
The staff were cute. I was deep into the ‘no tourist’ zone and none of them seemed to understand (much less speak) English which surprised me since surely I’m not the only tourist with a respect for these characters? They seemed a bit nervous as they tried to explain a stamp rally to me (which I didn’t participate in) and details about the limited exhibit, which was the first thing they suggested I enter.
I followed their advice… and didn’t expect a ’30 years of Pickles The Frog’ exhibit! This had nothing do with Ishinomori, but it was interested enough especially the large displays of merchandise. I’d never heard of the character but I found the exhibit charming. I also saw it ends soon and will be replaced by the same Junji Ito exhibit I saw when I was here last year.
Pickles seen, I entered the main gallery of the museum and this was the first room:
The museum is small, but I felt did a great job showcasing his legacy and his characters that have now become immortal. For obvious reasons a distinct focus is on Kamen Rider, and they include all the series since he died up to the present day.
They also have sections for Cyborg-009, Kikaider and a few other of his manga. You can read any of his works in a library (as well as thousands of other manga) and there’s a few interactive exhibits for the kids as well.
They have a few panels of original art (I don’t know what series the above is from), and the following display of ‘his favourite items’:
But there’s very little about the man himself. This is definitely a museum focused on his works.
I had lunch in a comedically tiny cafe, and headed for the gift shop. On my way I noticed a large panel detailing the 2011 tsunami and the effect on Ishinomaki city. This was sobering to say the least: the largest number of tsunami-related deaths (almost 5000) were in this city, and 28,000 buildings were destroyed. The city was devastated.
The manga museum sits on a small island in the middle of the river through the city, and today is one of only two structures on the island. I saw pre-tsunami photos showing the island with a dozen or more buildings, but all the others were completely washed away. The manga museum withstood the force of the water, although it was submerged to a depth of 20 feet and the first two floors were flooded. Reading this while standing in the first floor gave me a newfound appreciation for the power and terror of that tsunami.
It also explained why the main street has so many vacant lots and buildings in various states of disrepair and why much of the infrastructure (roads, paths, lights etc) look new. What is vacant now used to be a shop or a business that was lost, and much of the infrastructure was obviously replaced/repaired since 2011. Considering how much had been destroyed, the rejuvenation of the town is impressive.
The manga museum is doing its bit to help revitalize the town through tourism, and I felt a little better for that. I didn’t spend a lot of money while I was in the city, but I’m happy I enjoyed my visit and have them some of my business in the process 🙂