Enter the world of Mangaka Jiro Taniguchi

The prolific Japanese manga artist Jiro Taniguchi , who passed away in 2017, left behind an immense body of work that continues to be admired both in his home country and abroad, detailing much of Japanese culture. In Japan, he is perhaps best known for his illustrations in Kodoku no Gourmet (“Lonesome Gourmet”), a cooking manga written by Masayuki Qusumi . However, his solo works like Aruku hito (“The Wayfarer”) and Haruka na machi e (“Farward Neighborhood”) had to travel abroad to really shine.

Jiro Taniguchi began his career as a mangaka in the 1970s. A prolific author who produced around fifty albums throughout his forty-year career, and who tried his hand at various genres such as westerns , police manga, and historical epics . Jiro Taniguchi made his mark in this particular area with The Time of Botchan in 1987, before embarking on more intimate narratives in the 1990s, centered around everyday characters.

Making part of his style Jiro Taniguchi was inspired by Franco-Belgian comic artists such as Mœbius and François Schuiten and it was in Europe that his works found a mainstream audience. He was knighted by the French government and titled in Italy. Perhaps it was his success abroad that prompted those at home to take a closer look. And a closer look it deserves.

Taniguchi ‘s works are noted for their use of simple lines, their ability to capture expressions, and their attention to detail. His body of work crosses genres from historical and crime to science fiction and even fantasy. As a storyteller, he creates introspective, Zen-like heroes that aren’t flashy covers or collectible figurines, but rather modern portraits of people you might see on the streets of Japan.

For example, one of his most representative books is “A distant neighborhood” where he reflects on childhood in a sensitive and poetic story recounting the experience lived by Hiroshi , a man in his fifties who, on his way back from a business trip, is involuntarily diverted by his hometown, where he blacks out and when he comes to, he finds himself in his adolescent body. This going back in time becomes an opportunity to reconnect with his history and become aware of everything that had escaped him when he was young.

Jiro Taniguchi ‘s manga convey humane and relaxing stories of everyday life in Japan, addressing themes that are simple and universal. His style, close to that of European comics, is defined by an approach to the characters that is based on emotions, the inner world and the intimate.

Many of his manga have been translated into Spanish, so we highly recommend reading some of his works to walk the streets of Japan and learn more about their culture in detail.