History of Chinese Anti-Japanese Comics---The 15-year Anti-Japanese Struggle of Chinese Comic Artists

Author: Shigeru Mori (Japan), written by Yuqinde, Baowenxiong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-09-01
Features: A comprehensive historical work on China's Anti-Japanese Movement, a labor of love by Japanese manga artist Shigeru Mori that spanned three and a half years. Combining documentary and oral historical materials, it authentically records the moving history of the Chinese people's Anti-Japanese War and artistically recreates the 15-year struggle of Chinese manga artists against Japanese aggression.
Author's Statement: The Beginning of Modern Chinese Manga
I stayed in Beijing for three and a half years and learned about the unique Chinese "Anti-Japanese Manga Movement," known as "War Manga," during the period from 1937 (Showa 12) to 1945 (Showa 20). The Anti-Japanese Manga Movement refers to the spontaneous nationwide educational and propaganda activities initiated by manga artists during the full-scale Sino-Japanese War, starting with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, with the aim of "arousing the people to unite in hatred against the enemy and fight the war to the end." At that time, the now-famous elderly manga artists of modern China were still young men and women in their twenties and thirties. Facing the national crisis caused by Japanese aggression, they organized manga teams and participated in the war as if they were frontline soldiers, using their pens as weapons. This team fought from Shanghai to Wuhan, Guilin, Chongqing (with some going to Yan'an). They bravely engaged in the "manga war" against the enemy, just like frontline fighters. Due to the scarcity of printing materials, they carved woodblocks and published anti-Japanese manga publications. They held anti-Japanese manga exhibitions on the road, braving daily air raids to boost public morale, call for unity and resistance, and inspire people to persevere in the war and sacrifice their blood. With unwavering perseverance, they made significant contributions to the final victory.
Faced with the Chinese military and civilians who were determined to fight the war to the end and wage a protracted war, the overly confident Japanese military, which had overestimated itself, was destined to consider surrender from the moment the (artillery fire) began. Mr. Yingtao, the editor of the People's Daily's satirical and humorous manga supplement, once told me, "Anti-Japanese manga is the beginning of modern Chinese manga."
After the Sino-Japanese War, the manga warriors remained active in the subsequent liberation war. Even after the founding of New China, these manga warriors were undeniably outstanding representatives of the Chinese people in every sense. One of them is now in his seventies or eighties, and when he speaks of those days, his memories are vivid—even the names of places or people come to him effortlessly, as if events from over 50 years ago happened just yesterday. At such moments, one can often see the youthful vigor of a young person in his face. For him, it was a battle that he would never forget for his entire life—a desperate fight!
The true Anti-Japanese Manga Movement was one that utilized the inherent elements of manga itself. When the brush became a weapon, the powerful combat power of manga was revealed, as demonstrated by the anti-Japanese manga in this book. In a sense, anti-Japanese manga is also one of the historical testimonies to the Japanese invasion war. It is a great honor to be able to record these historical traces of anti-Japanese manga on the 50th anniversary of the war's end and to compile and publish them after careful reflection, dedicating them to my friends and brothers in the Chinese manga world.
Shigeru Mori, Summer 1995
A comprehensive historical work on China's Anti-Japanese Movement, a labor of love by Japanese manga artist Shigeru Mori that spanned three and a half years. Combining documentary and oral historical materials, it authentically records the moving history of the Chinese people's Anti-Japanese War and artistically recreates the profound suffering caused by Japanese aggression to China. Among the 248 anti-Japanese manga works from over 50 years ago, each is invaluable.