One of our most popular classes at the studio is Manga Art. Kids love it! It really lets them get creative artistically and gives them the opportunity to create a dialog.  In this blog, we will explore the origins and evolution of manga art, the role of traditional Japanese arts in its development, and how you can learn to draw manga.

But what is manga?

Manga is traditional Japanese art style. In modern days it has become comparable to comic books. Some modern pop culture references are Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, etc. Art museums and galleries in Japan often have exhibitions and workshops on manga and other traditional arts.

Manga art has gained worldwide recognition and popularity over the years. It is an unique art style that has evolved from a combination of traditional Japanese arts and modern Japanese culture. 

Understanding the History of Manga Art

The origin of manga comes from the basic human desire of wanting to express and record.  So, the origin of manga can be referred to as fundamental as scribbles and doodles. The 20th C great master of manga, Osamu Tezuka is recorded to have stated that ‘manga begins from scribbles’. If one goes by this theory, we can argue that the origins of manga can stem as far back as the Stone Age scribbles on the cave walls. (Japanese Gallery, London)

The earliest known example of manga dates back to the 12th century, during the Heian period, when Japanese artists created handscrolls known as emaki. Although manga drawing started as scribbles and doodles it has evolved into a highly popular and profitable art form. There are manga t.v. shows, movies, and most common is comic books.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), Japanese art saw a significant shift towards Chinese style ink painting, which heavily influenced manga art. The imperial court, which had been the center of artistic patronage, lost its influence during this period, and artists turned to painting for the general public.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), Japanese woodblock prints became a popular medium for artists to depict stories of everyday life. The tea ceremony, with its emphasis on simplicity and attention to detail, has also influenced manga art.

Similar to photography and cinematography, comic books were an art form that was not known in Japan before the 19th century. Folklore and mythology often represented famous historical scenes, and the idea of a narrative told by a sequel of images followed by an appropriate text was invented in the West.

What Makes Manga Art Different from Other Art-Forms?

The main difference between the first Western comic strips that started appearing in newspapers around 1900 and the Japanese manga was that the later lacked any political message or intellectual criticism, which would be considered rude and offensive in Japan of the time.

The form, however, rapidly developed in an atmosphere of intellectual creativity of the ’20s and ’30s. One of the first manga magazines to be published in Japan –Shonen Club recorded sales of 900.000 copies as early as 1931. After WWII, whereas American comics got restricted by the new censorship laws, manga exploded into the most productive cultural industry of Japan, marking the aesthetics and visual concepts of the new generations.

What distinguished modern Japanese comic books from the rest of the world was actually the rich heritage of the traditional painting and craftsmanship, as suggested by the very title of the form. Centuries of sophisticated and complex print-making tradition manifested in the modern-day comic books by the selection of subjects as well as by the specific and particular use of perspective.

Wrapping Up

Thereupon, comics in Japan were always meant for everyone and dealt equally with the topics from everyday life same as with fantastic stories. While they were offering complete visual, almost cinematographic experience, with the text being used more as means of providing special effects in the background. The reason is that Japanese artists sometimes use more than 20 pages per single scene, thus visually presenting the entire event, which again can be put into a single sentence. Therefore, comics are not merely ‘read’ but more ‘seen’, an experience which is close to the understanding of Japanese language itself, which can be a reason for the initial development of a specific artistic preferences and therefore style in the first place. Keicichi Suyama, a manga researcher, states in the “Hisory of mangaJournal : World Edition 1972″ translates the word manga as Cartoon, or caricature.

Here are a few student examples from the studio to get a visual!