On October 22, publisher Kodansha announced that Tetsuya Chiba, the illustrator of Ashita no Joe and the first manga artist to receive the Order of Culture, has died. He was 87. According to reports, Chiba passed away due to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a type of cancer that impairs the production of healthy blood cells in the bone marrow. His family has already held a private funeral. Kodansha said that it is considering holding an official public memorial service at a later date.
Early Life and Career of Tetsuya Chiba
Chiba, born in Tokyo in 1939, spent his early childhood in the Korean Peninsula and Japanese-controlled Manchuria before returning to his home country in 1946 after experiencing the hardships of World War II. He developed a passion for manga and became a professional artist at 17. His career gained recognition in 1962 when he received a Kodansha children’s manga award. He later created popular works, including Shiden-kai no Taka, a wartime aviation story, and Harris no Kaze, which inspired a popular television anime series.
In 1968, Chiba collaborated with manga writer Asao Takamori, better known as Ikki Kajiwara, to create Ashita no Joe, a boxing manga that follows Joe Yabuki’s journey as he dedicates his life to the sport. A cynical and rebellious orphan, Joe is sent to a juvenile detention center where he meets Toru Rikiishi, a disciplined boxer who becomes his main rival. After both are released, their intense rivalry drives them into the world of professional boxing. It ultimately leads to a tragic match that haunts Joe for years.
Several of Chiba’s series have received anime adaptations, including Harris no Kaze, Ashita no Joe, Ore wa Teppei, Ashita Tenki ni Nare and Notari Matsutaro. His classic 1963 manga Yuki no Taiyou was made into a short film in 1972. It was the solo directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki.
