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Early Manga Creator Tokuo Yokota Passes Away at 85
posted on by Alex Mateo
Early manga creator Tokuo Yokota passed away on April 8 due to senility. He was 85 years old. His funeral service is for close relatives.
Yokota was born in Fukushima in 1936. Inspired by creator Noboru Baba, Yokota aimed to become a manga artist.
Yokota debuted in 1955 with the manga Yamabiko Kenshi. He is known for Margaret-chan, which debuted in Shueisha's Weekly Margaret magazine in 1963, Anko-chan, which launched in Kodansha's Shōjo Club magazine in 1959, and Tamaoki-kun, which ran in Shonen Gatosha's Weekly Shonen King magazine. He specalized in gag manga.
He moved into the Tokiwaso apartment building, which also housed other early manga creators, in 1958. Yokota died one day after fellow Tokiwaso resident, manga creator, and Doraemon co-creator Fujiko Fujio A (real name Motoo Abiko) passed away.
The Tokiwaso is an apartment building in Toshima ward's South Nagasaki neighborhood. It is famous for housing some of Japan's most renowned early manga artists, including Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy), Fujio Akatsuka (Tensai Bakabon), Fujiko Fujio (Doraemon), and Shōtarō Ishinomori (Kamen Rider). Yokota devoted himself to manga alongside other residents and also collaborated with some of them.
Sources: Sponichi Annex, Sankei News via Hachima Kikō
