Original Manga Drawings at Risk of Being Lost

Yomiuri Shimbun

a day ago

Japanese manga comics, celebrated worldwide for their creativity and influence, now face a pressing challenge: The original drawings that bring these stories to life are at risk of deteriorating and disappearing.
A major factor is the lack of adequate storage space, which often forces manga artists to keep their original artwork themselves. As a result, these valuable drawings are sometimes damaged during storage or, in unfortunate cases, discarded after the artist's death. Without proper preservation efforts, a vital part of manga's cultural heritage could be lost forever.
Stored at home, workplace
A survey conducted by the Cultural Affairs Agency between October 2022 and January 2023 asked 540 manga artists in Japan about how they store their original drawings. About 90% of respondents said they keep their works at home or at their workplaces.
Traditionally, publishers return the paper originals of manga published in magazines to the artists. While digital drawings created on tablets and other computers are becoming mainstream, the sheer volume of manga published in the past means that more than 50 million paper originals are estimated to exist in Japan.
Although some museums and other institutions do preserve original manga drawings, they are unable to accommodate such a massive number of works.
In 2009, the administration of then Prime Minister Taro Aso, an avid manga enthusiast, proposed creating a national center to collect and exhibit original manga artwork. The plan was ultimately abandoned, however, after facing criticism from opposition parties, some of which dismissed the proposed facility as a 'state-run manga cafe.'
Risk of disappearing
Prominent manga artist Machiko Satonaka, 77, has expressed concern about the future of her original artwork. 'I'd like to donate my original drawings somewhere after I'm gone, but I'm not sure if I can find a place to leave them,' said Satonaka, renowned for works such as 'Tenjo no Niji' (Celestial Rainbow). She currently serves as president of the Japan Cartoonists Association.At present, Satonaka stores more than 60,000 original drawings in a climate-controlled room within her own production company. 'Given my age, I need to find a place to entrust them someday. I'm worried about what will happen to these original drawings in the future,' she said.
Satonaka explained that many manga artists keep their original drawings at home or in their studios, where they are vulnerable to damage from rainwater leaks or may even be discarded by family members after the artist's death. 'For someone as famous as Osamu Tezuka, a personal production company continues to preserve the original drawings even after the artist has passed away, but such cases are rare,' she said.
If the deterioration and loss of original drawings continue unchecked, many past works may eventually become inaccessible to future generations.
'Many people assume that as long as magazines or independent manga books still exist, old works will always be accessible,' Satonaka explained. 'However, the paper and printing quality at the time of their publication was often poor. Over the years, yellowing and ink bleed-through have rendered many of these copies unsuitable for viewing. In fact, they tend to deteriorate even faster than the original artwork.'
Satonaka noted that works created before 2000, prior to the widespread adoption of digital printing, often lack digital backups. As a result, there is growing concern that these titles may become completely unreadable in the future, she added.
To avoid fate of ukiyo-e
In recent years, museums in Japan and abroad have hosted a series of special exhibitions dedicated to Japanese manga, highlighting the cultural significance of original drawings and the unique artistry of manga creators.
Given this prominence, it is surprising that there are so few facilities dedicated to properly storing and preserving original manga artwork.
One reason for this, Satonaka emphasized, is that manga has long been regarded as 'popular entertainment.' She said, 'Popular entertainment is often viewed as disposable, so few people felt the need to protect it.'
The neglect of original manga drawings is sometimes likened to the historical fate of ukiyo-e, the traditional Japanese woodblock prints.
Today, a number of ukiyo-e masterpieces are housed in overseas museums, having left Japan, it is believed, during a time when their artistic value was not widely recognized at home.
'By the time people realized their true worth, many had already been scattered or lost overseas. The same fate is now threatening original manga drawings,' she added, her voice tinged with concern.
Satonaka emphasized the importance of 'digitizing original artwork' to ensure the long-term preservation of creative works. This process involves capturing high-resolution digital images of the original pieces and securely saving the resulting data. Ideally, the digitization should be done directly from the original artwork, rather than from printed magazines, as the latter may lose fine details or suffer from issues like ink bleed-through, she said.
'I hope that, through digital technology, we can preserve the works that still remain before they are lost forever.'
Govt launches efforts
The government is finally stepping in to address the issue.
Plans are underway to establish a national center for media arts dedicated to collecting, preserving and exhibiting original works. By around fiscal 2030, a storage facility will be built in Sagamihara. In addition, the government intends to create an institution to train specialists in preservation and research.
But the facility's capacity for storing original manga drawings has yet to be determined. An official from the Cultural Affairs Agency said, 'Given the sheer volume, it is difficult to comprehensively store all original drawings.'
The government is discussing plans to establish a center that would collect not only original manga drawings, but also animation cels, special effects miniatures and game planning documents.
These materials, known as 'intermediate products,' are by-products created during the content production process. Many of these valuable items have been lost to overseas outflow or have deteriorated over time due to insufficient preservation and limited utilization.
Preserving these works presents unique challenges, however. Unlike traditional cultural assets such as Buddhist statues and Japanese paintings, there is limited expertise in conserving and restoring original manga drawings and game documents, which have a relatively short history.
'For example, when it comes to original drawings on paper with film-based screentones, the conditions that cause deterioration differ between the film and the paper,' the agency official said. 'It is therefore necessary to explore appropriate preservation methods.'
The government's efforts to preserve original manga drawings were once criticized. Nevertheless, attitudes have shifted significantly in recent years.
'As more people have grown up with anime and manga from a young age, there is now a broader understanding that these are important cultural assets worthy of preservation,' an official explained.
'As a nation, we are determined to safeguard these creative legacies and support Japan's content industry.'