{"product_id":"osamu-tezuka-s-astro-boy-big-x-kamishibai-for-koide-shinkosha-c-1964","title":"Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy \/ Big X Kamishibai for Koide Shinkosha, c. 1964","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eIn 1964, Koide Shinkosha, a Japanese publisher and maker of children’s games and paper goods, produced this stunning and very rare kamishibai, which lies at the heart of a remarkable collection of original art by Osamu Tezuka.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eKoide\u003c\/span\u003e, alongside companies such as Hanayama,\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e was an important force in the development and distribution of ‘Trump’ card games, board games and puzzles during the post-war Shōwa era.\u003c\/span\u003e They are best known for producing highly sought-after vintage games and karuta cards featuring iconic 1960s anime and manga characters.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe original colour illustrations used in the production of this rare television-shaped kamishibai were created by\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e none other than the godfather of manga, \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eOsamu Tezuka\u003c\/span\u003e, at a time when Astro Boy was already one of the most recognizable manga and anime characters to come out of Japan.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKoide Shinkosha and Tezuka \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecleverly combined two properties\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e: the already dominant \u003ci\u003eTetsuwan Atomu\u003c\/i\u003e and the newly launched \u003ci\u003eBig X\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eEach character received its own impressive opening image, allowing the theater to be displayed with either Astro or Big X at the front.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAstro was the established star, instantly recognizable through the long-running manga and the huge success of Mushi Production’s television series; Big X was the newer attraction, still fresh from its late-1963 magazine debut. The set therefore functioned both as a toy with Astro Boy and Big X and as early publicity for Big X.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe format itself i\u003c\/strong\u003es\u003c\/span\u003e a remarkable meeting point between old and new media. It operated like \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ea traditional kamishibai\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e: a series of illustrated cards was placed into a frame while narration on the reverse guided the person telling the story. Yet the frame was \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003edesigned as a television set\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, transforming the established paper-theater tradition into \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ea toy shaped by the still-young age of television\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChildren could effectively stage their own Astro Boy broadcast at home. The product did not merely reproduce television imagery; it translated the television phenomenon back into a performative object.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Astro Boy section appears to present a self-contained adventure made specifically for the paper theater.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe cards show Astro in an alien kingdom with knights and a princess who needs saving, a world of flying saucers, a purple monster, conflict and rescue.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe story has not been linked to a specific manga or television episode, and no individual title is printed on the cards. It is therefore more convincing to see it as a short Astro Boy scenario devised or adapted especially for this format, built around clear action and strong images that would work immediately for a young audience.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Big X material draws on the early Big X stories involving the giant rat, part of the postwar plot in which the legacy of the wartime Big X project resurfaces and the attack of V3.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBig X had only begun in late 1963, while its television adaptation would not start until August 1964. The presence of Big X alongside Astro places this object at a specific point in Tezuka’s career:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAstro was already a mass cultural phenomenon, while Big X was being introduced as a new hero.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy 1964, Astro Boy was no longer simply a successful manga character. The original \u003ci\u003eTetsuwan Atomu\u003c\/i\u003e serial was still running in Kōbunsha’s \u003ci\u003eShōnen\u003c\/i\u003e, and the Mushi Production television series had been on air since January 1963 and was already in its second year.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAstro had become the face of Tezuka’s new animation studio, a national television success and a rapidly expanding merchandising property.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eThat same year saw the launch of the Astro Boy Club, the beginning of Kappa Comics’ thirty\u003c\/span\u003e-two-volume \u003ci\u003eAstro Boy\u003c\/i\u003e edition and the publication of Suzuki’s ten-volume \u003ci\u003eOsamu Tezuka Complete Works\u003c\/i\u003e. Astro also received the Special Award at the second Television Journalists Association Awards.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis Koide Shinkosha kamishibai belongs directly to the great expansion of Astro beyond manga and television into toys, games, books and licensed objects.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt this stage, Astro merchandising was widespread but fragmented. Different companies handled toys, paper goods, stationery, food promotions, games and household products.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKoide Shinkosha belonged to this licensing environment. They were neither an animation studio nor a major Tezuka publisher, but a maker of “Trump” playing cards, character games and such related paper products.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe television-shaped kamishibai was innovative. It uses a traditional paper format but makes television itself part of the product design.\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eIt reflects the period before Astro merchandise became more closely monitored and standardised, when many companies were still inventing their own ways of turning the character into something children could own and play with.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe surviving original art is particularly important because it preserves both sides of the production process. The fronts are finished, highly detailed colour illustrations created for reproduction in the published theater. The reverse carries handwritten narration and scene information in Osamu Tezuka’s own hand, exactly as in the published kamishibai.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat same text was reproduced on the printed cards. The originals are therefore not merely illustrations; they are historical documents in which Tezuka’s visual art and narrative voice remain physically joined.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe blue Astro Boy opening image\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e is the most outstanding and striking piece in the set. It \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eis a fully resolved Astro Boy icon created to function as the face of the entire kamishibai\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e. The image turns Astro into an emblem. There is \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eno villain, no secondary character and no plot\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e to decode. Everything supports the central image of Astro in flight.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(43, 0, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe blue background is unusually rich and controlled, giving the work a more finished, almost poster-like quality. The Earth is not a quick symbolic globe. It is carefully painted with coastlines, landmasses, cloud-like texture and tonal modelling, while Saturn is rendered with considerably more care than one would expect from a children’s product cover.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe red boots and green belt stand out sharply against the blue field, while the diagonal flight path creates a clean, powerful movement across the image. The image sells the entire object from the first glance. It behaves like a cover in the strongest sense: it gives the whole Astro fantasy in one image.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis distinction becomes clear when compared, for example, with Tezuka’s later published colour illustrations, such as the 1965 \u003ci\u003eShōnen\u003c\/i\u003e title-page original from \u003ci\u003eRobio and Robiette\u003c\/i\u003e, exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in 2024. This is an excellent narrative illustration, built around a specific action or scene and a particular chapter.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Koide image works differently. It is not tied to one plot point. It does not introduce a villain, a setting or a story. It presents Astro in his most complete symbolic form: flying through space above Earth, surrounded by planets and stars, as a child robot who stands for science fiction, adventure, television and the future.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll this is to say that neither the title illustration nor any of the others was created lightly. \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThese were not some quickly created illustrations. The attention to detail and the balanced use of colour point in the direction of a skilled artist.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe question of authorship is therefore worth approaching carefully.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTezuka worked with many assistants, and by the early 1960s the boundaries between manga work, animation work and commercial illustration could be a little fluid. Several artists around Mushi Production were technically capable of drawing Astro Boy at a high level.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe question is not whether assistants existed or could draw high-quality colour artwork, but whether this set of original drawings can be visually or historically connected to any particular one.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShotaro Ishinomori\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e is a fascinating first historical possibility. In 1955, while still a teenager, he helped Osamu Tezuka on an Astro Boy supplement and proved capable of drawing characters as well as backgrounds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTezuka reportedly altered some of Ishinomori’s character work because the young artist’s own hand was already too recognisable. Ishinomori would have been a wonderful attribution in his own right, but his documented Astro assistance belongs to the mid-1950s, almost a decade before the Koide theater. By 1964, he was already an established independent creator.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFumio Hisamatsu\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e is another important name in Tezuka’s circle. He entered Tezuka’s studio at a young age and later proved fully capable of carrying complete \u003ci\u003eAstro Boy\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eJungle Emperor Leo\u003c\/i\u003e manga by his own hand.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis involvement shows that Tezuka could entrust major characters to assistants far beyond background work or finishing. However, the Koide theater appears to predate Hisamatsu’s documented work on those properties, while around 1964 he was beginning to establish his own career through television tie-in manga such as \u003ci\u003eShōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru\u003c\/i\u003e and, shortly afterwards, \u003ci\u003eSuper Jetter\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis published work is strong, graphic and narrative-driven, whereas the Koide originals belong to a different category and simply do not match Hisamatsu’s known hand.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJun’ichi Uchino\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e was another artist capable of closely imitating Tezuka’s style, and his connection with Astro material in the 1950s is well documented. However, by the early 1960s he had moved into animation work.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHideaki Kitano\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e is the strongest near-period alternative. He later became the most important documented substitute artist for Astro Boy and could imitate Tezuka convincingly. Yet his known replacement work begins after the likely date of the Koide theater, and his visual hand remains more regular and controlled than Tezuka’s own.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Koide illustrations have a more elastic composition, eccentric spatial logic and idiosyncratic colour decisions associated with Tezuka’s credited colour originals.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAssistant involvement in colour or finishing cannot be ruled out completely. That would be impossible to prove without surviving production records. But \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ethe surviving original art is not animation material, routine storyboards or generic licensed images. These are high-quality, finished presentation pieces made to carry the entire product. Combined with Tezuka’s handwritten narration on the reverse, the quality and character of the art strongly support attribution to Osamu Tezuka.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlmost all of the original artwork surfaced after the death of the president of the Kyoto Tezuka fan club, whose son dispersed the existing collection. The original art had remained together as part of that collection for decades before entering the market.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeveral of the Astro Boy illustrations later achieved substantial prices through Heritage Auctions, while others were acquired directly by collectors and are now held privately.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTwenty original colour paintings are now scattered across the same globe as the one painted on the title page.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e They are surviving production art from a very precise moment in Tezuka’s history: the year in which Astro Boy had become a national icon, transforming the character into a complete media phenomenon, while Big X was being introduced to the public under Astro’s immense commercial shadow.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eManga became television, television became a toy, and the toy was built from amazing original colour paintings carrying Tezuka’s own handwritten words.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"George Akiyama","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53471254151496,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0799\/6974\/7272\/files\/koidethumb_2.png?v=1783441856","url":"https:\/\/sultansofmanga.com\/products\/osamu-tezuka-s-astro-boy-big-x-kamishibai-for-koide-shinkosha-c-1964","provider":"Sultans of Manga","version":"1.0","type":"link"}