Keiji Nakazawa was born in 1939 in Hiroshima City. He was exposed to the bomb when he was a first-grade elementary school student. After graduating from junior high school, he worked for a signboard production company but studied comics. In 1961, he moved to Tokyo and began to gain experience as a manga artist. In 1968, he published Struck by Black Rain (Kuroi Ame ni Utarete), the first comic book on the subject of the atomic bombing. After that, he came out with one work after the next exploring the atomic bombing and the war.
Barefoot Gen, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, won overwhelming popularity among children while communicating the war and the atomic bombing to the world.
Profile of Keiji Nakazawa
- 1939:
- Born in Funairi-hon-machi, Hiroshima City
- 1945:
- Exposed to the bomb in Funairi-naka-machi, 1.2 km from the hypocenter
- 1954:
- Graduated from Hiroshima Municipal Eba Junior High School
Studied manga while working for a signboard production company - 1961:
- Moved to Tokyo and started working as a manga artist
- 1963:
- Made his own debut with Spark One in Shonen Gaho
- 1968:
- Published Struck by Black Rain (Kuroi Ame ni Utarete), the first manga to deal with the atomic bombing
- 1973:
- Barefoot Gen begins as a serial in Weekly Shonen Jump
- 1975:
- Received the Encouragement Award from the Japan Congress of Journalists (JCJ) for Barefoot Gen
- 1977:
- Won Best Original Story at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in Czechoslovakia
- 1982:
- Won the Golden Balloon in Italy
- 1983:
- Barefoot Gen released as animated film
Won the OFUJI Noburo Award, a Mainichi film award - 1984:
- Animation film Struck by Black Rain released
- 1987:
- Animation film Barefoot Gen 2 released
Received honorary citizen title in Dallas, U.S. - 1996:
- Won the Hiroshima Home Television Culture and Sports Award
- 2002:
- Won the 14th Kiyoshi Tanimoto Peace Award
- 2007:
- Won the Hiroshima Citizen’s Award
