Japanese Literary Awards

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Osamu Tezuka

てづか おさむ

Tezuka Osamu

Aliases: 手塚 治 / マンガの神様
Pen Names: Osamu Tezuka（Pen name used as author (derived from insect name)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1928-11-03 （Toyonaka (formerly Toyonaka Town), Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
Died
1989-02-09 （Kojimachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo (Hanzomon Hospital)） age 60
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
manga artist, anime director, physician
Active Years
1946-1988
Memberships
Japan Cartoonists Association, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan
Influenced By
Walt Disney, Charlie Chaplin, Milt Gross
Influenced
Fujiko Fujio, Shotaro Ishinomori, Fujio Akatsuka, Moto Hagio, Katsuhiro Otomo

Education

Osaka Imperial University Medical Special School (now Osaka University Faculty of Medicine)
Medicine
Period: 1945–1951
Year of Graduation: 1951
Country: Japan
Old-system medical special school (wartime/shortened medical course)
Nara Medical University
Graduate School / Medical research
Degree: 博士（医学）
Period: 1961
Year of Graduation: 1961
Country: Japan
PhD (Medicine) based on electron-microscopic research of abnormal sperm cells

Awards

Shogakukan Manga Award
1957
Work: Manga Biology / Biiko-chan
Category: 学習漫画
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: 受賞
Kodansha Publishing Culture Award
1970
Work: Phoenix (Hi no Tori)
Category: 児童まんが部門
Organization: Kodansha
Result: 受賞（第1回）
Venice International Film Festival - Silver Lion (San Marco)
1967
Work: Feature animation 'Jungle Emperor (Leo the Lion)'
Organization: Venice International Film Festival
Result: 受賞（サンマルコ銀獅子賞）
Hiroshima International Animation Festival Grand Prix
1985
Work: Onboro Film
Organization: Hiroshima International Animation Festival
Result: 受賞（グランプリ）
Asahi Prize
1988
Work: Contributions to postwar manga and animation
Organization: Asahi Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Japan SF Grand Prize (Special Award)
1989
Work: Lifetime achievements
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan
Result: 受賞（特別賞）
Harvey Awards Hall of Fame
2020
Organization: Harvey Awards
Result: 殿堂入り（追贈）
Eisner Award (posthumous)
2004
Work: English edition of 'Buddha'
Organization: Eisner Awards
Result: 受賞（最優秀国際作品部門）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Shin Takarajima (New Treasure Island)

1947 Adventure / Shonen manga 200 pages

A postwar long-form adventure manga noted for its cinematic pacing; widely regarded as a foundational work of modern Japanese story manga.

adventurecoming-of-agejustice

Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy)

1952 Shonen / Science fiction

Centering on the robot boy Atom/Astro Boy; the animated TV series based on the manga had a major impact on Japanese television animation production.

humanityethicsdignity of life
Adaptations
  • [TV animation] Astro Boy (TV series) / 手塚治虫（監修／原案） (1963)
Translations
  • Astro Boy

Hi no Tori (Phoenix)

1954 Epic manga / SF / Historical

A lifelong magnum opus addressing large themes of life, death and reincarnation across multiple interlinked chapters.

lifereincarnationethics

Black Jack

1973 Seinen / Medical drama

Stories centered on the brilliant unlicensed surgeon Black Jack, often standalone chapters probing medical ethics and human drama.

medical ethicshuman drama
Adaptations
  • [TV animation] Black Jack (TV adaptations) (1993)

Dororo

1967 Yokai / Historical

Combines yokai and historical drama elements to explore postwar trauma and aspects of human nature.

effects of warrevengehuman nature
Adaptations
  • [TV animation / live-action film] Dororo (anime / live-action) (2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
cinematic panelingstylized, symbolic character designsmulti-layered, philosophical themes
Recurring Motifs
dignity of lifereincarnation / renewalrelationship between humans and machines

Health

  • scirrhous (linitis plastica) gastric cancer
    1988-1989
    Health declined after diagnosis in 1988; underwent surgery and hospitalization but continued working; died in 1989.

Legacy

A transformative creator in postwar Japanese manga and animation, often called 'the God of Manga.' He influenced generations of artists and filmmakers; his legacy is preserved in museums, retrospectives and international recognitions.

Museums

  • Takarazuka City Osamu Tezuka Memorial Museum Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan Opened in 1994

Academic Societies

  • Japan Cartoonists Association
  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan

Archives

  • Tezuka Productions archives

In Popular Culture

  • Astro Boy remains a fixture in TV, merchandising and collaborations
  • Leo from Jungle Emperor adopted as a mascot by Seibu Lions (professional baseball)

Quotes

  • Please, let me work.
    Source: Reported last words (hospital bed, Hanzomon Hospital; testimony by Takayuki Matsuya) (1989)

Trivia

  • He sometimes publicly gave a birth year different from his real one; actual birth year is 1928.
  • His trademarks were a beret and thick black-rimmed glasses.
  • He loved chocolate — a half-eaten bar was reportedly found in his desk after his death.