Buronson

Buronson (武論尊), also known as Sho Fumimura (史村 翔), is a Japanese manga writer most known by his famous work Hokuto no Ken, known in English as Fist of the North Star. In 2002, he shared the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga for Heat with Ryoichi Ikegami.

Life
Buronson was born as Yoshiyuki Okamura (岡村 善行) on June 16, 1947 in Saku, Nagano. He graduated from the Japan Air Self-Defense Forces Training School in 1967 and served as an Air Force radar mechanic. In 1969 he was discharged from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and was soon hired by Hiroshi Motomiya as a manga assistant. He started his manga writing career when he wrote the script of Pink Punch: Miyabi in 1972, drawn by Goro Sakai. In 1975 Buronson wrote his first big hit The Doberman Detective, drawn by Shinji Hiramatsu. The famous Hokuto no Ken made its debut as Buronson's greatest hit in 1983, drawn by Tetsuo Hara. In 1989 his story Ourou was released as a manga serialized in Animal Magazine, drawn by Kentarō Miura, and in 1990 a sequel entitled Ourou Den was released by the same manga artist. Okamura also collaborated with the manga artist Ryoichi Ikegami in many works as Strain, Odyssey and the famous Sanctuary. Among his other major works are Phantom Burai, with art by Kaoru Shintani.

Influences
Buronson was mainly influenced by movies such as Mad Max, and those of Bruce Lee and Sergio Leone.

The pen name Buronson is a tribute to the American actor Charles Bronson, whose mustache Buronson imitated.

As Buronson

 * Pink Punch Miyabi (1974, art by Gorō Sakai)
 * Doberman Detective (1975, 18 volumes, art by Shinji Hiramatsu)
 * Holdup (1982, art by Hikaru Yuzuki)
 * Fist of the North Star (from 1983 to 1988, 27 volumes, art by Tetsuo Hara)
 * Mammoth (1985-1988, art by Takaki Konari)
 * Maji da yo!! (1987-1988, art by Hikaru Yuzuki)
 * Ourou (1989, art by Kentaro Miura)
 * Ourou Den (1990, art by Kentaro Miura)
 * Japan (1992, 1 volume, art by Kentaro Miura)
 * Mushimushi Korokoro (from 1993 to 1996, 11 volumes, art by Tsuyoshi Adachi)
 * Strain (from 1997 to 1998, 5 volumes, art by Ryoichi Ikegami)
 * Heat (from 1999 to 2004, 17 volumes, art by Ryoichi Ikegami)
 * Go For Break (2000, 3 volumes, art by Tsuyoshi Adachi)
 * Fist of the Blue Sky (2001 to present, 20 volumes (ongoing), art by Tetsuo Hara)
 * Rising Sun (2002, 3 volumes, art by Tokihiko Matsuura)
 * G -Gokudo Girl- (from 2003 to 2004, 5 volumes, art by Hidenori Hara)
 * Lord (2004 to present, 10 volumes (ongoing), art by Ryoichi Ikegami)

As Sho Fumimura

 * Gorō-kun Tōjō (1972, art by Yō Hasebe)
 * Phantom Burai (1978 to 1984, art by Kaoru Shintani)
 * Ring no Takaō (1979, art by Jiro Kuwata)
 * Oh! Takarajika (1981-1983, art by Shinji Ono)
 * Wild Way (1982, art by Daisuke Inoue)
 * Ten made Agare (1982, art by Tatsuo Kanai)
 * Mad Dog (1983, art by Kei Takazawa)
 * Chu-high LEMON (1983-1988, art by Tsutomu Shinohara)
 * Dr. Kumahige (1988, art by Takumi Nagayasu)
 * Shogun (1988-1991, art by Jūzō Tokoro)
 * Migi-muke Hidari (1989-1991, art by Shinichi Sugimura)
 * Human
 * Sanctuary (from 1990 to 1995, 12 volumes, art by Ryoichi Ikegami)