‘Our’ inaugural induction to the Manga Publishing Hall of Fame is Frederik L. Schodt
FOM member and author of “Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan” Frederik L. Schodt (“Fred”) is also the author of numerous non-fiction books on the convergence of Japanese and North American cultures, with subjects ranging from technology to history and religion – but he is especially known for his manga-related writings and translations. Fred began seriously reading manga in 1970 while a student at a university in Tokyo. With some similar-minded friends, in 1977 he began doing pioneering manga translation work. The difficulty of getting anything published led him in 1983 to writing the first book about manga in English. Still in print today and read widely by both fans and scholars, “Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics” (Kodansha) introduced non-Japanese to a vibrant new visual culture. Fred has subsequently written widely about manga, in both articles and books, and he has also worked on translations of noted artists such as Osamu Tezuka, Riyoko Ikeda, Leiji Matsumoto, Keiji Nakazawa, Masamune Shirow, Yukinobu Hoshino, Naoki Urasawa, Hayao Miyazaki, and the pioneering 1931 work of the Japanese immigrant artist, Henry Kiyama. Fred has also won numerous manga-related awards, including, in 2000, the Special Category of the Asahi Shimbun’s Osamu Tezuka Culture Prize; in 2009, the Special Category of the Japan International Manga Award; and, in 2022, the Tom Spurgeon Award at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus. In 2009, the Emperor of Japan granted him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for helping to promote Japanese popular culture in North America. For the last ten years he has also served on the Executive Committee of the Foreign Ministry’s Japan International Manga Award.
Tags: Atom Boy, Fred Schodt, Friends of MacDonald, Manga, Ranald MacDonald, Tezuka
