Manga – Japanese Comic Art Exhibition at BM

Hoshino Yukinobu – Professor Munakata’s British Museum Adventure

Nov 15, 2009

The British Museum is mounting an exhibition of manga. The comic art book form by Japanese artist Hoshino Yukinobu is inspired by the collections at the British Museum.

Hoshino Yukinobu, born in Kushiro, Hokkaido Prefecture, in 1954, has become one of Japan’s most important manga artists and creator of the highly successful cartoon character Professor Munakata, a professor of folklore at the fictional Toa Bunka University.

Yukinobu dropped out of university part-way through his studies. Nevertheless, the artist has received numerous awards, including an Excellence Prize, for Munakata Kyouju Ikouroku, at the 2008 Japan Media Arts Festival.

Manga is a Japanese comic book art form, originating in the Edo period (1600–1868), which has become popular the world over, with publications for both adults and children. In Japan alone, millions of readers follow the professor’s adventures in Big Comic, a fortnightly manga magazine.

Since his creation in 1990 the Professor has undertaken numerous adventures exploring history and folklore. In Yukinobu’s new manga for the British Museum the artist has created three new ink drawings depicting Munakata’s latest adventures inspired by ancient treasures in the British Museum such as the Rosetta Stone and an Anglo-Saxon helmet from Sutton Hoo.

The exhibition also includes scenes from the professor’s earlier adventures and a corner of the gallery has been made to resemble a ‘manga kissa’, or ‘manga coffee shop’ where visitors can look through a selection of manga books.

The Professor’s British Museum adventures are not yet complete and Yukinobu plans to add further drawings during 2010 and hopes to publish the complete series in both Japanese and English.

British Musem Films, Gallery Talks and Workshops

To accompany the exhibition there will be a wide programme of events including free gallery talks, workshops, film screenings and family activities. Special public events will include:

Astroboy – Helen McCarthy, author, manga and animé expert, will introduce some of her favourite episodes of the television adaptation of Astroboy, based on the manga series by Osama Tezuka.

Helen McCarthy – Create Your Own Manga

This family activity will start with a tour of the exhibition and digital workshop. Helen McCarthy will outline the history of manga and participants will then have the opportunity to create their own manga inspired by items on show in the exhibition.

Related Displays

In Rooms 92-94 the Mitsubishi Corporation Japanese Galleries explore Japanese history and culture through items from prehistory to the present day.

Manga: Professor Munakata’s British Museum adventure, will be on view until 3rd January 2010. Further information about the exhibition, together with details of all public events, can be obtained from the British Museum.

The copyright of the article Manga – Japanese Comic Art Exhibition at BM in Special Art Gallery Exhibits is owned by Frances Spiegel. Permission to republish Manga – Japanese Comic Art Exhibition at BM in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.