Manga giant Katsuhiro Otomo hopes that a huge mural based on his illustration, to be displayed at Sendai Airport from March, will serve as a powerful reminder of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, particularly for children.
Manga giant Katsuhiro Otomo hopes that a huge mural based on his illustration, to be displayed at Sendai Airport from March, will serve as a powerful reminder of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, particularly for children.
"(Memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake) are rapidly fading, and children are growing up," the 60-year-old from Tome, Miyagi Prefecture, told The Asahi Shimbun in a recent interview. "I hope they will always remember (what happened)."
Internationally acclaimed as the creator of the sci-fi saga "Akira" and its feature film adaptation, Otomo added that he expects the mural to represent what the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami left for the artist.
"There is something left in our hearts after the disaster," he said. "That something will manifest itself in your work as you do your job in a down-to-earth manner."
The mural, which measures 8.7 meters by 2.8 meters, will show how people relate to nature, even though it often poses a threat to humankind.
During the interview, Otomo also shared his thoughts about the disaster and continuing reconstruction efforts in the Tohoku region.
Excerpts from the interview follow:
* * *
I hope people will stop and look at the relief without passing by it, and ask themselves, "What is it about?" (Memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake) are rapidly fading, and children are growing up. I hope they will always remember (what happened).
If some children have no memory of the disaster, I hope they will ask their parents, "What is this?" and that it will lead to topics like the earthquake and reconstruction.
The Fujin and Raijin are meant to conjure up images of natural threats. There is no way to beat nature, but there are ways that we can get information to prevent damage from typhoons, earthquakes and other disasters to stay safe. I thought it would be better for us to connect well with nature, which is always by our side.
Because the piece is horizontally long, I put in three essential points--namely the warashi, Fujin and Raijin--so that it would be good enough to serve its purpose as a piece of work when viewers take a sweeping view as they stand by it. I drew the "komainu" (lion-like guardian dogs) that the Fujin and Raijin are riding and the goldfish robot that the warashi is riding for enjoyment.
There was no major damage to my family home or its surroundings because it is located in an inland area, but I was shocked when I visited Minami-Sanriku.
The places I had visited since I was an elementary schoolchild on family trips--a place where we used to go to eat sushi--and all the others were completely gone. Rubble was everywhere, and the areas along the coastline were submerged under the sea. I saw a locomotive lying on its side in a spot far away from a park where it had originally been located.
* * *
Measuring 8.7 meters by 2.8 meters, the ceramic mural will be in the first-floor lobby of the International Terminal in March. The Sendai Airport's runways and terminal buildings were deluged with floodwaters from the tsunami spawned by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The project was organized by the Tokyo-based Japan Traffic Culture Association, which continues efforts to donate artwork to airports and railway stations across the country. The mural has been completed at a studio in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture. About 10 artisans worked on the mural based on Otomo's design, using 12 tons of clay.
Otomo was born in 1954 in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture. After graduating from Sanuma Senior High School, he went to Tokyo and made his professional debut as a manga artist with "Jusei" (A Gun Report) in 1973. "Akira," which started its run in the Young Magazine weekly manga anthology in 1982, was published in other languages around the world. Otomo directed an animated feature film adaptation of "Akira" in 1988.
After the global success of the film, the multifaceted creator expanded his range of creative activities and continued to produce animated films including "Memories" (1995) and "Steamboy" (2004).
Over the years, Otomo's delicate drawing style and unusual compositions have made an impact on Naoki Urasawa and many other manga artists. In 2013, Otomo received the Medal with Purple Ribbon, which is given by the Japanese government to individuals to honor their contributions in academics, arts and sports.
(This article is based on an interview by Sakura Funazaki and Satoshi Kimura.)