The Tale of Princess Chujo | by Makiko Tani | Wild ワイルド | pgs 28&29 | 1967

Makiko Tani (谷真木子) | Lazy Taro published in "Wild ワイルド" (Tiger Book) 09/1967

Size : 20.6 x 31.2 cm (x2)
Media : pencil, ink & watercolor on paper
Condition : Very Good

Makiko Tani was a pioneering Japanese illustrator and author, recognized as one of the most significant female voices in the final era of Emonogatari.
A dedicated protégé of the legendary adventure artist Soji Yamakawa, Tani mastered a signature style that blended her mentor's rugged, pen-and-ink technique with a refined, emotional sensitivity.

The pinnacle of Tani’s career is inextricably linked to the short-lived magazine WILD published in 1967 by Tiger Shobo.
This publication holds a unique place in history: it was the last dedicated emonogatari publication in Japan.

As the "panel-and-bubble" format of modern manga had consumed the industry, WILD, curated by Soji Yamakawa, served as a defiant, high-art sanctuary for the dying tradition of large-scale narrative illustration.
While Soji Yamakawa focused on adventures, Makiko Tani became the primary guardian of Japanese Folklore and Legends, ensuring these ancient tales received a magnificent visual tribute.

Tani’s contributions to WILD constitute a masterful archive of Japanese narrative tradition.
Her work transitioned seamlessly between tragedies, supernatural battles and animal fables.

Tani achieved a vivid, almost mythic fusion of humans and the natural world!
Her portrayal of a child raised by wolves or forming bonds with tanuki, her skill in depicting textures with different media, the richness of Japanese forests, and the expressive faces of legendary heroes distinguished her within a male-dominated genre.
Following the closure of WILD, Tani transitioned into illustrating children's books and educational materials throughout the 1970s and 80s. Her work in WILD remains an essential time capsule, marking the exact moment when the "picture story" era gave way to the modern world of manga.