Barefoot Gen, Volume One by Keiji Nakazawa

Barefoot Gen depicted the bombing and its aftermath in graphic detail, with Gen's experiences being even more harrowing than Nakazawa's own. Immediately after completing I Saw It, Nakazawa began his major work, Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen).This series, which eventually filled ten volumes, was based on the same events as I Saw It but fictionalized, with the young Gen as a stand-in for the author. The story was translated into English and published as a one-shot comic book by Educomics as I Saw It. Nakazawa chose to portray his own experience directly in the 1972 story Ore wa Mita, published in Monthly Shōnen Jump. Kuroi Ame ni Utarete (Struck by Black Rain), the first of a series of five books, was a fictional story of Hiroshima survivors involved in the postwar black market. In 1961, Nakazawa moved to Tokyo to become a full-time cartoonist, and produced short pieces for manga anthologies such as Shōnen Gaho, Shōnen King, and Bokura.įollowing the death of his mother in 1966, Nakazawa returned to his memories of the destruction of Hiroshima and began to express them in his stories. All of his family members who had not evacuated died as a result of the explosion after they became trapped under the debris of their house, except for his mother, as well as an infant sister who died several weeks afterward.

Keiji Nakazawa ( 中沢啓治 Nakazawa Keiji) was born in Hiroshima and was in the city when it was destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945. Despite merciless bullying from his boss and the older apprentices, Gen perseveres in the pursuit of his new calling. Inspired by the artists assertion that art has no borders, Gen vows to become an artist himself, and takes a job as apprentice to a local poster painter. An impoverished but talented artist takes Gen under his wing and teaches him to paint. By keeping this tragedy in our collective consciousness, we can strive to never repeat it and guide humanity towards a course of peace.īarefoot Gen Volume Nine ― 'Breaking Down Borders' ― Gen continues to confront one setback after another - the loss of his home, the death of a friend - when a chance encounter gives new direction to his life. It is vital reading for people of all ages, and especially for today's youth. Nakazawa's manga illustrates the true impact of nuclear weapons when used against a civilian population.

The honest portrayal of emotions and experiences speaks to children and adults everywhere. Beautiful new hardcover edition of Barefoot Gen Volume Nine! Striking new design with special sturdy binding.īarefoot Gen is the powerful, tragic, autobiographical story of the bombing of Hiroshima and its aftermath, seen through the eyes of the artist as a young boy growing up in Japan.

Barefoot Gen, Volume One by Keiji Nakazawa