Bakudan Tankurō | Kyuta Ishikawa | Manga-Ō March 1959 | pg.5

Kyūta Ishikawa – Bakudan Tankurō (ばくだんタンク郎), 1959

Original page published in Manga-Ō (漫画王), March 1959, Akita Shoten.

Bakudan Tankurō (Tankurō the Bombshell) is an early humorous manga by Kyūta Ishikawa (1940–2018).
The series follows the mischievous adventures of Tankurō and his schoolmates, combining slapstick comedy with the expressive character designs typical of Japanese children's manga of the late 1950s.


Originally serialized between March and June 1959, the story was later collected in Ishikawa's Tsūkai Bunko (痛快文庫) edition of Detective Kozō (探偵こぞう).

Bakudan dates from a particularly interesting moment in Ishikawa's early career, just one month before the debut of Super Rose, one of his most successful creations. Although only 19 years old, Ishikawa had already been publishing manga professionally for 4 years, and his his lively compositions, exaggerated facial expressions and confident use of ink reflects the influence of Mitsuaki Suzuki, his mentor.

Early original artwork by Ishikawa is particularly interesting for its contrast with the realistic animal and adventure manga that would later define his reputation. These unusually large-format pages preserve an excellent example of his playful, energetic early style.

Medium: Pencil and ink on drawing paper
Condition: Very good
Dimensions: 27.3 × 39.7 cm