Japanese Literary Awards

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Leiji Matsumoto

まつもと れいじ

Matsumoto Reiji

Aliases: 松本晟 / 松本あきら
Pen Names: Matsumoto Akira（Early pen name (used until 1968), hiragana reading of his real name）, Leiji Matsumoto（Primary pen name adopted and used from the mid-1960s onward）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1938-01-25 （Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan）
Died
2023-02-13 （Tokyo, Japan） age 85
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kurume (birthplace) → Kakamigahara (childhood) → Akashi (early childhood) → Nerima Ward, Tokyo (residence)

Career

Occupations
manga artist, original author, character/mecha designer, professor (visiting/emeritus/guest)
Active Years
1954-2023
Affiliations
Japan Cartoonists Association, Tsukuba Expo Memorial Foundation (councilor)
Memberships
Japan Cartoonists Association (executive roles), ACCS (advisory/board roles)
Influenced By
Osamu Tezuka, Unno Jūzō, H. G. Wells, Richard Wagner (music/structural influence)
Influenced
Kaoru Shintani (assistant / influenced artist), Naoko Yamazaki (astronaut; cited Matsumoto's works as inspiration), Numerous anime and manga creators inspired by his SF designs

Education

Fukuoka Prefectural Kokura Minami High School
Period: 1954-1957
Year of Graduation: 1957
Country: Japan
Debuted as a manga artist while in high school

Awards

Manga Shonen Longform Newcomer Prize (1st)
1954
Work: The Adventure of the Bee
Organization: Manga Shonen (magazine)
Result: winner
Kodansha Publishing Culture Award
1972
Work: Otoko Oidon
Category: 児童漫画部門（児童漫画）
Organization: Kodansha
Result: winner
Seiun Award
1975
Work: Space Battleship Yamato (film)
Category: 映画演劇部門
Organization: Japan SF Convention
Result: winner
Shogakukan Manga Award
1978
Work: Galaxy Express 999 / The Cockpit (war manga series)
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: winner
Japan Cartoonists Association Award (Special Prize)
1978
Work: Series of SF works
Category: 特別賞
Organization: Japan Cartoonists Association
Result: winner
Movie Day Special Achievement Award
1979
Organization: Movie Day Committee
Result: recipient
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2001
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: honor
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
2010
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: honor
Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
2012
Organization: Government of France
Result: honor
Tokyo Anime Award — Lifetime/Contributions
2017
Category: 功労
Organization: Tokyo Anime Award Festival
Result: honoree
Japan SF Grand Prize — Achievement Award
2024
Category: 功績賞
Organization: Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan (SF community)
Result: recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Galaxy Express 999

1977 science fiction manga

A seminal SF series following a boy and the mysterious Maetel traveling aboard an interstellar train, exploring themes of humanity, mortality, and social change.

journeylife and deathhumanitysocial stratification
Adaptations
  • [film] Galaxy Express 999 (film) (1979)
  • [TV anime] Galaxy Express 999 (TV) (1978)
Translations
  • Galaxy Express 999

Space Battleship Yamato

1974 science fiction / anime original concept

A space opera concept (inspired by the battleship Yamato) in which a space battleship voyages to save Earth; became a landmark anime phenomenon.

war and sacrificerebirthheroism
Adaptations
  • [TV anime] Space Battleship Yamato (TV) (1974)
  • [film] Space Battleship Yamato (film) (1977)

Space Pirate Captain Harlock

1977 science fiction / adventure

Follows Captain Harlock, a space pirate whose story centers on freedom, justice, and personal honor.

freedomrebellionindividual dignity
Adaptations
  • [TV anime] Space Pirate Captain Harlock (TV) (1978)
  • [film (including remakes)] Captain Harlock -SPACE PIRATE CAPTAIN HARLOCK- (2013)

Queen Emeraldas

1978 adventure / pirate

An oceanic SF-adventure depicting the female pirate Emeraldas; notable for its strong female lead.

piracyfemale representationrevenge and loyalty
Adaptations
  • [OVA / anime] Queen Emeraldas (OVA / anime adaptations) (1998)

Bibliography

  • Galaxy Express 999
  • Space Battleship Yamato
  • Space Pirate Captain Harlock
  • Otoko Oidon
  • The Cockpit / War Manga Series

Adaptations

  • Galaxy Express 999 (film & TV)
  • Space Battleship Yamato (TV & film)

Translations of Works

  • Galaxy Express 999
  • Captain Harlock

Style & Themes

Literary Style
cinematic, illustrational character designdetailed mechanical designlyrical and epic narrative structures
Recurring Motifs
trains and journeysspacecraft and instrumentation (Matsumoto meter)striped cat (Mi-kun)samurai-like lone heroes

Health

  • acute heart failure (cause of death)
    2023-02-13
    Died on 2023-02-13 in Tokyo due to acute heart failure, aged 85.
  • illness / medical emergency (2019, Italy)
    2019-11
    In November 2019 he became ill in Italy, was hospitalized, later discharged and returned to Japan.

Legacy

One of postwar Japan's leading SF manga creators. Works such as Galaxy Express 999, Space Battleship Yamato and Captain Harlock influenced anime, film, public art (train wraps, sculptures), and multiple generations of creators and fans.

Museums

  • Kitakyushu Manga Museum (honorary) Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyushu, Japan Opened in 2012
  • Gifu Kakamigahara Aerospace Museum (honorary) Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan Opened in 1996
  • BIGBAN (Sakai City) (former director) Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan Opened in 1999

Academic Societies

  • Japan Cartoonists Association
  • Japanese SF community / societies

Archives

  • Leijisha (official archives / publisher)
  • National Diet Library and various national libraries holdings

In Popular Culture

  • Train wraps (Seibu, Semboku, Kitakyushu monorail, etc.)
  • Local monuments, manhole covers and regional promotion using his characters

Quotes

  • Even one-way is fine — let me go to space.
    Source: Interviews / public remarks (various media)

Trivia

  • Uses the romanization 'Leiji' (with L) rather than 'Reiji'
  • Had his fingernail flown on a microsatellite (a 'living funeral' act)
  • The distinctive instrument design motif known as 'Matsumoto meter' is widely recognized
  • Married to manga artist Miyako Takemiya (Miyako Takemiya / M. Takemiya listed as spouse)