Fanspot
Tokiwaso
“Astro Boy! Astro Boy!!! What a cute name. That’s what I’m called now.”
Astro Boy
Tokiwaso, residence of master mangakas
Tokiwaso is the place of creation par excellence. An apartment in a small wooden house in the Toshima district of Tokyo where many mangakas have created thousands of pages of stories. For thirty years, between 1952 and 1982, the greatest artists succeeded one another, from Yoshiharu Tsuge to Sin’ichi Suzuki, via Shōtarō Ishinomori or Osamu Tezuka.
And Osamu Tezuka invented Astro Boy
The sensei (master) Osamu Tezuka worked in Tokiwaso in 1953 and 1954. It is in this apartment that the mangaka imagines the first adventures ofAstro Boy. He continued to make them until 1968, especially in the studio built in the garden of his house in Tokiwa.
Astro Boy is a science fiction series featuring an android robot created by Dr. Tenma after the accidental death of his son. He recreates it in his own image but it does not grow. Mad with rage, he tries to destroy it. When the scientist dies, the little mechanical boy is sold to a circus. He is then taken under the protective wing of professor Ochanomizu. Endowed with superhuman strength, Astro fights evil and injustice.
This small mechanical being is known in the whole world thanks to the animated series of 1963 then that of 1980 realized by Tezuka in his studio Mushi Production.
A Tokiwaso monument and museum
Tokiwaso was then too dilapidated and demolished on November 29, 1982. To celebrate the lost building, a memorial is built 300 m from its location.
In 2020, a museum will open its doors to spread manga culture to visitors. They can also discover the daily life of mangakas thanks to the reproduction of their living spaces: room/workshop, common kitchen and toilets.
At the time, Osamu Tezuka was a well-known mangaka, but he also studied medicine. He graduated in 1961.
3-chōme-9-22 Minaminagasaki
In the Toshima district of Tokyo at 3 Chome-9-22 Minaminagasaki stands the Manga Museum.
Not far from the old flat where many Japanese authors created their manga, a museum dedicated to this art form has been open since 2020.
While the Tokiwaso flat was used from 1952 to 1982, it was destroyed because it was too dilapidated.
To pay tribute to these mangakas, a monument was erected 300 metres from the place of creation in 2009.
In the museum, in addition to a large bookshop, visitors can discover reconstructions of Tokiwaso’s rooms, workshop, toilets and communal kitchen.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
SAN FRANCISCO map of the 100 most famous places (French Edition)
The San Francisco Fantrippers map, an original way to discover the Californian city! Through 100 pop culture places, walk its streets from another angle. Movies, TV shows, music, comics and novels, will allow you to spend a pleasant moment in The City by the Bay. With a folded size of 10 x 18 cm and an unfolded size of 60 x 54 cm, it slips easily into your pocket or bag for easy reference.
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Discover all the places Astro Boy on our map
By Damien Canteau
Passionné par l'Histoire, les animés, les Arts et la bande dessinée en particulier, Damien est le rédacteur en chef du site spécialisé dans le 9e art, Comixtrip.