Fujimaru Of The Wind: The Childhood Of A Ninja | Shonen Ninja Kaze No Fujimaru | Fumio Hisamatsu

Fujimaru of the Wind: The Childhood of a Ninja | Shōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru (1964–1965)

Size: 36.5 x 23 cm
Media: pencil, ink and watercolour on paper
Condition: Good to very good

Shōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru is one of the best-known early works of Fumio Hisamatsu (1943–2021), the #1 assistant of Osamu Tezuka. Having made his professional manga debut at just 15, Hisamatsu was only 21 when he illustrated this popular ninja adventure.

His energetic drawing style, expressive characters and dynamic storytelling reveal the unmistakable influence of Tezuka, while establishing Hisamatsu as an important manga artist in his own right.

Originally published by Kodansha in Bokura magazine from July 1964 to September 1965, the series has its roots in the work of legendary manga artist Sanpei Shirato, particularly Ninja Senpū (1959) and Kaze no Ishimaru (1960). The manga was created alongside the television anime, with later stories credited to Nashio Kitani.

Set during Japan's turbulent Sengoku period, the story follows Fujimaru, a boy carried away by an eagle as a baby and raised by the Fūma ninja clan. As he discovers the ruthless ambitions of his adoptive leader, he becomes involved in a fierce struggle over a secret scroll containing the formula for a devastating weapon.

Kaze no Fujimaru occupies an important place in the early history of Japanese television animation. The 65-episode series produced by Toei Animation (1964–1965) was the studio's second television anime production and one of Japan's earliest major ninja cartoons. Its success helped introduce Shirato's ninja world to a much younger audience and contributed to the enormous popularity of ninja adventures during the 1960s.