When many people think of highly influential people for Japanese anime and pop culture, their minds may tune in for Shigeru Mura, also known as Mizuki. Not to confuse Mizuki’s work with Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli), Mizuki brought back Yokai from the underground. Today he died of a heart failure at the age of 93. Before we mourn, let’s learn a little bit more about him and his life.As mentioned in our detailed Yokai editorial from October, Yokai were part of everyday life in Japan until the Meiji Restoration Period where book burnings of everything paranormal occurred as an attempt to bury what was thought as an embarrassing history for believing in the paranormal and superstitious beliefs. Book burnings never benefitted society but a piece of that history lived on through illegal documentation which later turned up in the early 20th century -- This is where Mizuki comes in.Mizuki was drafted into the army at the age of 21 and lost his left arm in war but prior to this he found himself lost in a forest in the mist of war. He was lost and he had thought he had reached a wall which made him just sit down and sleep for the night. The following day he woke up only to realize that there wasn’t a wall in sight but rather a cliff. Something had prevented him from walking over a cliff in the darkness and since then believed in the paranormal force that protected him. After being discharged in 1946 he began to research Yokai and the paranormal leading him to a Shonen syndicate called Hakaba no Kitaro (Kitaro in the graveyard) which eventually became “GeGeGe no Kitaro”. His work was highly researched from historical findings and beliefs of the Yokai which made the stories much more exciting for readers. Of course, much of his work was creatively designed but in the end, he pioneered the modern Yokai culture. His work brought back Yokai from lost history to the public eye and highly influenced work all around the industry. Some of his other works include Akuma-kun (Demon Boy), Kappa no Sanpei (Sanpei the kappa water sprite), Gekiga Hitler (Hitler: The graphic novel) and many others. Mizuki has also earned dozens of awards, and his work can be seen in the form of dozens of bronze statues placed around Sakaiminato (birthplace of Mizuki).After a life time of studying life after death and the realms between our world and another, Mizuki must be happy to see what it’s really like despite the sadness that it causes all of us to see him go. Wherever you are, your influence will forever be part of our world. Shigeru Mura (Mizuki)Born March 8, 1922Died November 30, 2015 (Age 93, Heart Failure)

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