Photo: 内閣官房内閣広報室 — CC BY 4.0Source
Tetsuya Chiba
mangaka · actor · artist · comics artist
- January 11, 1939 · Tsukiji
- October 22, 2026
- 87 years
About Tetsuya Chiba
Tetsuya Chiba, 87, Japanese manga artist (Ashita no Joe).
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Full Biography
|Tetsuya Chiba (Japanese: 千葉 徹彌（ちばてつや）, Hepburn: Chiba Tetsuya; January 11, 1939 – October 22, 2026) was a Japanese manga artist. Considered a major figure in the history of manga, many of his early titles are still in print due to continued popularity.
Chiba is most famous for his sports stories, having been described as "the biggest contributor to the rise of sports manga", in particular for works such as Ashita no Joe, his best known work, and Notari Matsutarō.
Background
Chiba was born on January 11, 1939, in Tokyo, Japan. He lived most of his early childhood in China during World War II. His father was working in a paper factory when they lived in China.
At the end of the war, Chiba's family lived in the attic of a work-acquaintance of his father until they could find a way to get back to Japan. Tetsuya has three brothers, Ken, Akio, and Shigeyuki. Akio and Shigeyuki (using the pen name Taro Nami) are also manga artists, though Shigeyuki's work is almost completely unknown outside Japan, despite him writing popular sports manga.
In 1950, while in elementary school, Tetsuya created a manga club with some friends. He created his first official manga, Fukushu no Semushi, (The Hunchback Avenger), in 1956. In 1958, he made his professional debut in Shōjo Book [jp] with Butōkai no Shōjo.
He received several awards for his manga, including the Kodansha Children's Manga Award for 1, 2, 3, & 4, 5, 6, Kodansha Culture Award for Ore wa Teppei, and both the Japanese Cartoonist Association Award and Shogakukan Manga Award in 1977 for Notari Matsutaro. In 2001 he was awarded the Award from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for his work on youth sports manga. In 2002, he was awarded the Purple Ribbon medal by the Japanese government. In July 2012 he was appointed the chairman of the Japan Cartoonists Association after Takashi Yanase stepped down due to age and health reasons. In Fall 2012 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, by the Japanese government.
Chiba's series Harris no Kaze, Ashita no Joe, Akane-chan, Ore wa Teppei, Ashita Tenki ni Naare and Notari Masutaro have all received anime adaptations. Yuki no Taiyou received a short pilot film in 1972, which was Hayao Miyazaki's solo directorial debut, and an animated film for Kaze no Yo ni premiered in June 2016.
In 2015, he left retirement in order to work on the series Hinemosu no Tari Nikki for Big Comic magazine. The manga is an autobiographical manga about his childhood, experiences from the war and his career as a manga artist. Naoki Urasawa's TV show Urasawa Naoki no Manben featured Chiba's drawing process on the series in 2020.
He lived in Nerima, Tokyo. In January 2022, he successfully underwent heart surgery at the age of 82 and then continued working on his current series.
In 2022, he became the first manga artist ever to be nominated as a member to the Japan Art Academy (alongside Yoshiharu Tsuge).
In 2024, he was awarded the Order of Culture, becoming the first manga artist to receive this honor.
Chiba died at a hospital in Tokyo, on October 22, 2026, due to a myelodysplastic syndrome. He was 87. His death was announced five days later.
Selected works
- Chikai no Makyū (ちかいの魔球; Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Kodansha, January 1961 – December 1962, created by Kazuya Fukumoto)
- 1•2•3 to 4•5•Roku (1・2・3と4・5・ロク; Shōjo Club, Kodansha, January – December 1962)
- Shidenkai no Taka (紫電改のタカ; Weekly Shōnen Magazine, July 1963 – January 1965)
- Harris no Kaze (ハリスの旋風; Weekly Shōnen Magazine, April 1965 – November 1967)
- Misokkasu (みそっかす; Shōjo Friend, Kodansha, August 1966 – August 1967)
- Ashita no Joe (あしたのジョー; Weekly Shōnen Magazine, January 1968 – June 1973, written by Asao Takamori)
- Kaze no Yō ni (風のように; Shojo Friend, 1969)
- Ore wa Teppei (おれは鉄兵; Weekly Shōnen Magazine, August 1973 – April 1980)
- Notari Matsutarō (のたり松太郎; Big Comic, Shogakukan, August 1973 – June 1993 and October 1995 – May 1998)
- Ashita Tenki ni Naare (あした天気になあれ; Weekly Shōnen Magazine, January 1981 – May 1991)
- Otokotachi (男たち; Comic Morning, Kodansha, September 1982 – July 1983)
- Shōnen yo Raketto o Idake (少年よラケットを抱け; Weekly Shōnen Magazine, May 1992 – June 1994)
- Hinemosu Notari Nikki (ひねもすのたり日記; Big Comic, December 2015 – September 2026)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsuya_Chiba
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Oct 27, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 27, 2026
- Oct 27, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Tetsuya Chiba's archived record and the sources above.
1.What is the birth date of Tetsuya Chiba?
- A.January 11, 1939correct
- B.January 11, 1940
- C.October 22, 1940
- D.October 27, 1939
Tetsuya Chiba was born on January 11, 1939, in Tokyo, Japan.
Source: Background
2.In which country did Tetsuya Chiba spend most of his early childhood during World War II?
- A.Vietnam
- B.Chinacorrect
- C.Korea
- D.Japan
Tetsuya Chiba lived most of his early childhood in China during World War II.
Source: Background
3.What was the name of the first official manga created by Tetsuya Chiba in 1956?
- A.Butōkai no Shōjo
- B.Fukushu no Semushicorrect
- C.Ashita no Joe
- D.Notari Matsutarō
Tetsuya Chiba created his first official manga, Fukushu no Semushi (The Hunchback Avenger), in 1956.
Source: Background
4.Which of these manga series is considered Tetsuya Chiba's best known work?
- A.Harris no Kaze
- B.Ashita no Joecorrect
- C.Akane-chan
- D.Ore wa Teppei
Ashita no Joe is described as Tetsuya Chiba's best known work.
Source: Biography introduction
5.What was the profession of Tetsuya Chiba's father while the family lived in China?
- A.Paper factory workercorrect
- B.Teacher
- C.Manga artist
- D.Government official
Tetsuya Chiba's father was working in a paper factory when they lived in China.
Source: Background
6.Which award did Tetsuya Chiba receive in 2002 from the Japanese government?
- A.Purple Ribbon medalcorrect
- B.Order of the Rising Sun
- C.Order of Culture
- D.Kodansha Culture Award
In 2002, Tetsuya Chiba was awarded the Purple Ribbon medal by the Japanese government.
Source: Background
7.Who was the predecessor to Tetsuya Chiba as the chairman of the Japan Cartoonists Association?
- A.Yoshiharu Tsuge
- B.Asao Takamori
- C.Takashi Yanasecorrect
- D.Naoki Urasawa
Tetsuya Chiba was appointed chairman after Takashi Yanase stepped down.
Source: Background
8.Which manga artist directed the short pilot film for Yuki no Taiyou in 1972?
- A.Shigeyuki Chiba
- B.Tetsuya Chiba
- C.Hayao Miyazakicorrect
- D.Akio Chiba
Yuki no Taiyou received a short pilot film in 1972, which was Hayao Miyazaki's solo directorial debut.
Source: Background
9.What was the title of the autobiographical series Tetsuya Chiba returned from retirement to work on in 2015?
- A.Notari Matsutarō
- B.Hinemosu no Tari Nikkicorrect
- C.Ashita Tenki ni Naare
- D.Harris no Kaze
In 2015, Tetsuya Chiba left retirement to work on the autobiographical series Hinemosu no Tari Nikki.
Source: Background
10.In what city in Japan did Tetsuya Chiba live?
- A.Osaka
- B.Sapporo
- C.Kyoto
- D.Nerimacorrect
Tetsuya Chiba lived in Nerima, Tokyo.
Source: Background
11.What honor did Tetsuya Chiba receive in 2024, making him the first manga artist to do so?
- A.Purple Ribbon medal
- B.Order of the Rising Sun
- C.Order of Culturecorrect
- D.Kodansha Culture Award
In 2024, Tetsuya Chiba was awarded the Order of Culture, becoming the first manga artist to receive this honor.
Source: Background
12.How many brothers did Tetsuya Chiba have?
- A.Threecorrect
- B.Two
- C.Four
- D.One
Tetsuya Chiba had three brothers: Ken, Akio, and Shigeyuki.
Source: Background
13.What was the pen name used by Tetsuya Chiba's brother Shigeyuki?
- A.Taro Namicorrect
- B.Teppei Ore
- C.Joe Yabuki
- D.Shidenkai Taka
Shigeyuki used the pen name Taro Nami.
Source: Background
14.What medical condition caused the death of Tetsuya Chiba in 2026?
- A.Myelodysplastic syndromecorrect
- B.Heart failure
- C.Pneumonia
- D.Cancer
Tetsuya Chiba died due to a myelodysplastic syndrome.
Source: Background
15.Which television show featured Tetsuya Chiba's drawing process in 2020?
- A.Ashita no Joe documentary
- B.Manga Artist Chronicles
- C.The Life of Chiba
- D.Urasawa Naoki no Manbencorrect
Naoki Urasawa's TV show Urasawa Naoki no Manben featured Tetsuya Chiba's drawing process in 2020.
Source: Background
16.In what year did Tetsuya Chiba make his professional debut in Shōjo Book?
- A.1960
- B.1956
- C.1958correct
- D.1950
In 1958, Tetsuya Chiba made his professional debut in Shōjo Book with Butōkai no Shōjo.
Source: Background
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