He was 87 years old at the time of his passing.
It has been reported that celebrated mangaka Tetsuya Chiba has unfortunately passed away at the age of 87. He was the creator of the famous boxing manga “Ashita no Joe” alongside Asao Takamori. The reason behind his death was not revealed.
Who was Tetsuya Chiba?
Born on 11 January, 1939, Tetsuya Chiba spent most of his childhood in Shenyang, Liaoning, in northeast China , which was colonized by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese war. He returned to Japan after the war and began his career in 1956. In 1967, Asao Takamori and Chiba began serialising the popular boxing manga Ashita no Joe. The series would receive an anime adaptation by Mushi Productions, which aired from 1970 to 1971.
Chiba’s other works include Harris no Kaze, 1, 2, 3, & 4, 5, 6, Akane-chan, Kaze no Yō ni, Ore wa Teppei, and Notari Matsutarō.
During his lifetime, Chiba received many prestigious awards, including the Kodansha Children's Manga Award, Kodansha Culture Award, the Japanese Cartoonist Association Award, and the Shogakukan Manga Award. In 2001, he received an award from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for his work on youth sports manga.
In 2012, Chiba became the Chairman of the Japanese Cartoonists Association, and received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, by the Japanese Government in the same year.
In 2024, Tetsuya Chiba became the first ever mangaka to receive the Order of Culture.
The manga industry mourns the passing of this legend.