Kobe - Renewal Through Manga and Shopping
Earthquake-hit City Uses Comics and Animation to Revive Communities
The Japanese port city of Kobe was devastated in 1995's Great Hanshin Earthquake. Now locals plan to use comics and animation to drive a revival downtown. Areas like Nagata Ward have new buildings, but not much new business; the municipal government says that the number of businesses in the area has dropped from 2,500 to 1,600 in the past twelve years.
New buildings replaced the ruins, but residents and businesses dispersed by the quake didn't come back. Many of the new offices and shopping arcades stand vacant.
Gigantor to the Rescue
Last year, local businessmen seeking a way to encourage business and visitors back to the area enlisted the help of one of Kobe's best-loved sons: Gigantor, aka Tetsujin 28-go, the giant robot created by local manga artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama. The Kobe Tetsujin Project was set up as a non-profit organisation to co-ordinate the revival of Nagata.
A life-size 18-meter, 70-ton statue of the metal hero will stand tall outside Shin-Nagata railway station from next year. It will cost about 135 million yen, around $1 million, over half of which will be raised by the city itself with the balance coming from the Japanese Government.
On June 25 2007, Stephanie Chan reported in Asahi Shinbun that the statue will also serve as a monument to Yokoyama, who died in a fire at his apartment in 2004.
Manga Museum Features Yokoyama's Work
A museum devoted to Yokoyama's much-loved manga and anime series Sangokushi, The Romance of Three Kingdoms, is also planned. Visitors to the museum will be able to dress up as characters from the manga and learn about Yokoyama's extensive research on ancient China. His version of the epic tale, set in the second and third centuries of the Christian era, was serialised between 1974 and 1988 and collected in 60 volumes. A 47-episode TV series and five movies followed.
He lived in neighbouring Suma ward, and began drawing comics while attending the local high school. His wide appeal, rather than his local connections, made the community decide to create a museum for his work. Local businessman Kenji Masaoka, director of the Kobe Tetsujin project, told the Daily Yomiuri newspaper in September 2008, "Many elderly people and people from Vietnam and South Korea live in Nagata. Sangokushi (is) a cartoon that anybody can enjoy, and one that can attract people from rural areas."
Encouraging Young Artists
Workspace will be offered at low rents to local artists. The aim is to create a 'manga quarter' where new talent can be nurtured and encouraged. The inspiration for this plan is the legendary Tokiwa-So apartment house in Tokyo.
This was a traditional Japanese wooden building, run down and rather shabby. Its cheap rents made it ideal for young artists. After Osamu Tezuka moved there in 1953, the building became a magnet for young manga artists. It attracted a vibrant community of creatives who were rivals chasing the same work, yet still managed to mentor and encourage each other. Among the talents nurtured there were Fujiko-Fujio, Shotaro Ishinomori and Hideko Mizuno. Kobe residents hope that artists can create a similar atmosphere in Nagata.
Anime and Manga Merchandise Mecca
With one eye on the success of areas like Tokyo's Akihabara and Osaka's Den-Den Town, the Project also plans to encourage anime and manga shops to set up in the area, so as to attract fans and collectors. Locals hope that the worldwide popularity of Japan's comics and animation will help bring Nagata the same prosperity as Akiba. Check it out next time you're planning a visit to Japan.
Kobe's Earthquake Memorial Park
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