Japanese Illustrator Shoji Yamafuji Dies at 87

Jiji Press

12:13 JST, October 1, 2024

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Japanese illustrator Shoji Yamafuji, known for his popular caricatures of politicians and celebrities, died Monday of old age in Tokyo. He was 87.

Born in Tokyo in 1937, Yamafuji graduated from then Musashino Art School and became an independent illustrator in 1964 after working for an advertising agency.

Satirical cartoons in his self-authored book and his illustrations in a book written by the deceased novelist Akiyuki Nosaka drew attention. Yamafuji received a prize from Japanese publisher Kodansha Ltd. in 1970 and from Bungeishunju Ltd., another Japanese publisher, the following year.

In his “Black Angle of Shoji Yamafuji” cartoon series, published in the then Shukan Asahi weekly magazine, he depicted popular people of the day and social satire with a unique touch, and they were well received. He was known as “a man who leads people to open the magazine from its back” since his works were always on the last page.

Yamafuji launched another series, “Portrait School by Shoji Yamafuji,” in the magazine in 1981. Both series continued until 2021.

He won the Kikuchi Kan literary prize in 1983 and the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2004.