The allure of the “real thing” discovered through reprinted T-shirts【20th UT ARCHIVE vol.7　 KAZUO UMEZZ】

Countless alluring graphics have adorned UT items to date. As we mark UT’s 20th anniversary this year, an archive project has started to reprint some of our past offerings. What kinds of feelings and emotions rest in the motifs that have transcended time and are loved by people all over the world? Let’s explore this through the words of the creators and those involved. This time we are focusing on Makoto-chan, who appeared on UT in 2008. We spoke with Kazuo Umezz, the character’s creator, to get his thoughts about horror manga. Kazuo is again a focus of attention after releasing new work for the first time in 27 years, ZOKU-SHINGO.

Horror manga predicts the future

Q. On the T-shirt this time, Makoto-chan’s characteristic pose “Guwashi!” (an outstretched hand with the thumb, index finger, and ring finger extended and middle finger and pinky folded in) is used. How did this character come into being?

A. When I created the story Again, about an old man who becomes young again, I thought it would be nice if he had a grandson as well, so I drew the character without thinking too deeply about it. Makoto-chan, who thus came into being, became very popular, so I later drew him as a one-off manga. It was during the serialization of Drifting Classroom. Which, also became incredibly popular.

Makoto-chan makes his first appearance in Again (Shogakukan).

Q. How did his trademark pose “Guwashi!” come about?

A. At the time, the peace sign (extended index and ring fingers) everyone is familiar with was popular, so I thought I wanted to do something different to that. Moreover, I thought a pose that would be “difficult to do” would be good. The first pose I created was one that apparently “shouldn’t be done,” and I got a letter from California informing me of that (laughs). So, I incorporated one from among the suggestions readers had submitted.

A scene where the familiar “Guwashi!” pose first appeared.

Q. Are you particular about anything when creating characters?

A. I don’t overthink things. I draw as soon as an idea pops into my head. I don’t think about ghost characters in particular. I start drawing and look at what I create. Or I may think about it while drawing and just draw it as it is. I do not research anything deeply or study anything. It is all done via feeling.
The same holds true for the ZOKU-SHINGO works presented at the Kazuo Umezz Great Art Exhibition. When asked, “What will you draw?” I said, “Oh, in such a case, I’ll draw like this.” My answer and thoughts are simultaneous.

Kazuo Umezz’s first new work in 27 years, “ZOKU-SHINGO - Little Robot Shingo Museum.” A series of 101 paintings, a sequel to his “My name is Shingo” series done in the 1980s.

Q. Please tell us your favorite among the characters you have drawn.

A. I like Makoto-chan a lot, but I also like a girl character named Dodohiko who is very ugly. It’s nice for a character to be pretty, but ugly ones have artistry and impact.

One of Umezz’s favorite characters, “Dodohiko.”

Q. What is the message you wish to convey through Makoto-chan?

A. I wanted to depict all that is “play” to children. Or, to pose an academic question, “What is a child?”

Q. This year, you released your first new work in 27 years, ZOKU-SHINGO; what made you want to start creating again?

A. I think it was just luck and coincidence. I created new works simply because I said, “I’m going to hold an exhibition.” I don’t think I would have created anything new if I hadn’t said that. The new works were born out of a natural exchange. I don’t really have any particular challenges I want to take on. I started drawing while thinking, “I am finished with manga! Next is art!” Basically, that’s how it came about.

Kazuo Umezz The Great Art Exhibition is currently touring. [Osaka venue] September 17 to November 20, 20222, ABENO KARUKAS Art Museum. The dramatic nature of “manga” and the rich sensibility of “art” come together to create a major turning point in manga and art! 　You should witness this historical moment!!!

Q. What does horror mean to you?

A. In the genre of science fiction, “interesting stories” become commonplace over time. In the past, people used to think, “A time machine is amazing” and “What a discovery!” Nowadays, however, such things are not considered so amazing, are they?
Some things become commonplace with the passage of time, but others do not. But what sticks out? Something that will twist and turn in the minds of people and their existence. In other words, horror. I think I was correct to focus on horror.

Q. What is manga to you?

A. I believe it is the quickest method to predict the future. With literature, you are bound by restrictions telling you to do this and that in how to structure something, and in most cases you can only draw what is obvious. With manga, however, you can depict the unthinkable without hesitation.
People say things like, “that is so ridiculous, it’s like a manga.” So, as it is often see that way, you can draw something as ridiculous as you want without receiving complaints. I think that is what predicting the future is all about.
However, there is also documentary-style manga. About things like sports, war, and historical stories, for example. However, these are documentaries and not in the world of creativity. I didn’t do things like that.

Q. What does art mean to you?

A. Creative art is drawing something interesting that is detached from reality, and something that contains twists and turns that will pierce the depths of your heart.
If those elements are not included, it is simply art. In that sense, art is close to horror. The ugly girl in Makoto-chan is very close to art!

Q. Mr. Umezz, you always wear a red and white striped T-shirt. Why is that?

A. As I said in a previous discussion with Yayoi Kusama, “polka dots” express the very existence of things themselves. Like the earth, or for a smaller visualization, a stone used in the game of Go. That is why the things Ms. Kusama is doing are wonderful.
Then, what are “stripes?” What happens when a molecule or a presence moves and pops out somewhere? If it moves at a high speed, there are only stripes.
In other words, stripes have action while Kusama’s dots only have existence. Polka dots are wonderful, but they do not represent movement. If they move, they become stripes. So, stripes are action. As long as we are alive, action is necessary. That is because it is a life force. “Polka dots” may also be life, but stripes are not just existence; they’re action. They convey an energetic appearance.
The same holds true for the color red itself. Plants that are just emerging often have red buds. It is said that this color help protect them from UV rays. That is why red is good for UV protection.

Q. Please share your feelings about having your work reprinted on a UT for this collection.

A. It would appear that the “Guwashi!” pose is being used a little in Europe and other places. By collaborating with UNIQLO on this occasion, I hope it will further spread to become a globally recognized pose. And I am looking forward to that! “Guwashi!”

PROFILE

Kazuo Umezz, prominent artist. He was born in 1936 and raised in Koya, Wakayama Prefecture. He started drawing manga when he was in the fourth grade, and when he was a senior in high school, he debuted having his works Bessekai (Another World) and Mori No Kyodai (Siblings of the Forest) published by Tomo Book. With hit works such as Hebi Shojo (Reptilian) and Nekome Kozo (Cat Eyed Boy), he has been called the “God of Horror Manga.” His work Hyoryu Kyoshitsu (Drifting Classroom) won the Shogakukan Manga Award. Meanwhile, Makoto-chan also demonstrated his talent for writing comedy gags. One of his gags, “Guwashi!” became a social phenomenon. He has created many other great works, including Orochi, (Orochi) Senrei (Baptism), Watashi wa Shingo (My Name is Shingo), Kami no Hidarite Akuma no Migite (God’s Left Hand, Devil’s Right Hand), and Jyuyon-sai (Fourteen). Additionally, he is active in a variety of other genres and holds many titles such as TV personality, singer, and film director. In 2018, he won the Heritage Award for Watashi wa Shingo at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. In the same year, he also won the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs award. In 2022, he released his first new work in 27 years, ZOKU-SHINGO.