Yoshito Usui | |
---|---|
Born |
Usui Yoshihito April 21, 1958 Shizuoka City, Shizuoka, Japan |
Died | September 11, 2009 Shimonita, Gunma, Japan |
(aged 51)
Residence | Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan |
Nationality | Japanese |
Occupation | Manga artist |
Known for | Crayon Shin-chan |
Yoshito Usui (臼井 儀人 Usui Yoshito?, April 21, 1958 – September 11, 2009), was a Japanese manga artist known for the popular Crayon Shin-chan series. He was born in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
In 1977, he graduated from Saitama Kasukabe technical high school. After graduating he attended a part-time design-related college but dropped out. In 1979, he joined an advertising company called POP Advertising. He made his debut as a cartoonist in 1987 when Weekly Manga Action began running his Darakuya Store Monogatari.
In August 1990, his series Crayon Shin Chan began running in Weekly Manga Action. An animated series based on the comics began in 1992, and a Crayon Shin-Chan boom followed the release of a 1993 animated film. For a year beginning in 1995, Usui's Super Shufu Tsukimi-San comic strip ran in the magazine Manga Life.
He and his wife raised two daughters; both had moved out of the house at the time of Usui's death.
On September 12, 2009, Usui's family reported him missing from his hometown of Kasukabe when Usui did not return from hiking in nearby Gunma Prefecture. On September 19, 2009, a body with clothes matching those described in the report filed by Usui's family was found at the bottom of a cliff at Mount Arafune in Gunma. The body was identified by dental records and family members the next day as being that of Usui. His camera was recovered and the final shot was taken from the cliff.
His funeral was held 23 September in a private service.
Controversy arose when Chinese media showed the wrong picture of Yoshito Usui when reporting his death. The picture shown depicted Japanese artist Seitarō Kuroda (黒田征太郎), who is still alive. Seitarō Kuroda took a picture with Yoshito Usui once; this caused confusion, since Usui does not have a lot of pictures on the web.