| Sho-chan | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Sho |
|
First Appearance |
Shō-chan no Bōken (January 1923) |
|
Original Publisher |
Asahi Graph |
|
Created by |
Katsuichi Kabashima and Nobutsune Oda |
Origin[]
The Adventures of Shōchan (1924-25)
Shō-chan was a young reporter who with his sidekick squirrel Risu would go on various adventurous journeys in their Japanese four-panel manga titled Shō-chan no Bōken (Shō-chan's Adventures) . An example of one of their adventures would be when Shō-chan, Risu, and their friend, Princess, are saved from a waterfall plunge by the sudden appearance of a magical rainbow bridge.
It was very popular among readers of the time for its fantastic stories, reminiscent of fairy tales and illustrations with a Western flair. Originally issued in black and white in the magazine Asahi Graph, Shōchan was revised and colored when it was released in book form the following year.
During the serialization, the main character began to wear a knit cap with a large pom-pom on his head, which was called Sho-chan cap and became popular among children.
In 1926, the Asahi Shimbun published a picture book (large vertical book, 60 pages, new text) titled "Shō-chan no Kogo". In addition to Shochan and Risu, "Donkichi" the acorn dwarf appeared in this book. In the same year, "Shochan to Risu" was published by Kanao Bunʼendō, for which Kabashima did the cover and frontispiece, and the comic included in the book was illustrated by Shimizu Kimikichi.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Sho-chan from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Shō-chan no Bōken (1923-1925)
- Shō-chan no Kogo (1926)
- Shochan to Risu (1926)
Notes[]
- A similarity between Sho-chan's artwork and themes and Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin (first published six years later, in 1929) has been pointed out; it is unclear if the former influenced the latter.
- This was the first Japanese manga to incorporate speech bubbles into dialogues.