HISTORY

1941 [13 years]

Off to middle school (April 1941/ at the family home, Takarazuka)
Entered Osaka Prefecture Kitano Middle School.

Graduates from elementary school, enters Kitano Middle School and joins the art club as well as the geography and history clubs. He is watched over suspiciously by his teachers, who were of military training, for drawing comics. The art teacher Okajima Yoshiro, however, often defends Tezuka Osamu. He becomes engrossed in insect collecting and drawing comics, including about insects such as "A Record of the Insect Battle Front" and "Stories of Insects' Lives". He also draws a comic entitled "The Story of the Detective Mamar".

1942 [14 years]

• June

  Tezuka Osamu and his classmates establish an animal lovers' club.

• July 31

  Publishes the bulletin "The World of Animals 1" for the animal lovers' club. Tezuka Osamu starts to issue a large notebook-sized illustrated quiz book entitled "A Midget Bag of Wisdom", which is published until the following year (the last issue was No. 18).

1943 [15 years]

• January 15

  Publishes the first volume of "A Color Picture Book of Beetles."

  The 1st series of the Illustrated Catalogue of Beetles

• March 1

  Publishes "The World of Animals 2."

• March

  Draws "The Old Man Detective" using a pen and ink for the first time with "Higeoyaji" as the main character.

• April 15

  Publishes the second volume of "A Color Picture Book of Beetles."

• May

  Publishes "The World of Animals 3"

• June

  Publishes "The Story of the Old Man Detective: The Baritone Factory Incident"

• August 12

  Forms an unofficial group called the Rikuryo Insect Study Society.

• August

  Forms an unofficial group called the Rikuryo Insect Study Society.

• September 18

  Issues the bulletin "The World of Insects 1" for the Rikuryo Insect Study Society

• October 3

  Issues "The World of Insects 2."

• November

  Draws the comic "A Record of the Southern Battle Front by Higeoyaji."

• November 20

  Issues "The World of Insects 3."

• December 20

  Issues "The World of Insects 4." Engages in information exchange and other activities with his friends using a Notebook of Insects, which is published by Hankyu Department Store.

1944 [16 years]

• March 31

  Publishes a collection of essays entitled "Essay in Idleness of Insects."

• March 31

  Publishes "A Revised and Enlarged Color Picture Book on Hydrozoans" originally put out on May 31, 1943.

• March 31

  Issues "The World of Insects 8."

• April 1

  Issues "The World of Insects 9."

• May 1

  Issues "The World of Insects 10."

• May 31

  Publishes "A Color Picture Book on Comb Jellies."

• June 1

  Issues "The World of Insects 11."

• August

  Joins the Ichiriyama Health Training Center in Nigawa but soon leaves after contracting dermatophytosis on his arms.

• September

  Works at an Osaka Asbestos factory located along Yodo river as part of his labor service.
  Publishes a collection of essays entitled "Research Records and Miscellanies: Butterflies in Spring."

1945 [17 years]

• March 28

  Graduates from Kitano Middle School.

• April 12

  Sees the film "Momotaro: A Divine Soldier of the Sea" in Osaka.

• June

  Draws a war comic entitled "Until the Day of Victory", featuring a full array of comic characters of settings in Japan and the United States

• June

  Draws a comic entitled "The Ghost Man" using a round pen and Indian ink

• July 1

  

  Tezuka Osamu, the medical student (1940s/ Osaka University, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka)
  Tezuka Osamu wearing the white coat of a doctor in the department of medicine at Osaka University.

  Admitted to the medical department of Osaka University. Draws a comic with a realistic narrative touch entitled "The Old Man's Treasure Island", which later becomes known as a draft of "West Rush."

1946 [18 years]

• January 1

  

  Manga artist, Tezuka Osamu (1940s/Osaka, location unknown)
  The birth of the Manga artist, Tezuka Osamu. A portrait.

  "Diary of Ma-chan", the comic strip that marked his debut as a Manga artist, is first serialized in the Mainichi School Children's Newspaper.

• May 15

  The medical department of Osaka University holds a culture festival, where Tezuka Osamu plays piano solos. This festival leads to the formation of a student theater company, "Gakuyuza", and Tezuka Osamu joins the company.

• June 15

  Makes his stage debut in a performance of "The Death of Domomata."

• August 20

  Attends regular meetings of the Kansai manga artist club, at which he is asked by Sakai Shichima to draw manga in book form.

• October 30-31

  "Gakuyuza" gives its first performance, "The Crown of Life" (written by Yamamoto Yuzo) in which Tezuka Osamu plays the role of an old man named Sugimoto Ehei. Draws his first version of "Lost World."

1947 [19 years]

• January 30

  

  New Treasure Island (1947)

  Publishes a long comic entitled "New Treasure Island", based on the story by Sakai Shichima; the manga went through several editions with 400,000 copies sold

• April 29

  Appears in a performance of "Marriage Proposal" given at the Asahi Hall during Osaka University's cultural festival.

• May 3-6

  Appears in the second performance of "Gakuyuza", "Men in White" by Sydney Kingsley; in this drama, he plays the part of a small, chubby intern nicknamed Shorty, who creates a comic scene with a tall, gawky intern called Pete.

• August

  Travels to Tokyo bringing a copy of "New Treasure Island" with him, and calls on Niizeki Kennosuke and Shimada Keizo for their evaluation.

• November 1-3

  Appears in the company's fourth performance, "The Good Hope" by Herman Heijermans; in this drama, he takes the part of a drunken ship carpenter named Simon.

• November 4

  Plays a piano solo at a medical department-sponsored get-together, and wins the first prize in the category of individual participants.

• November 27-28

  Appears in the performance, "Crime and Punishment"; here, Tezuka Osamu plays the role of Dimitri, a painter. (This is the last performance for "Gakuyuza.")