Toshiko Ueda

Toshiko Ueda (上田 トシコ) was a Japanese manga artist who helped shape the face of modern shojo manga. She wrote under three pen names: 上田としこ for manga, 上田とし子 when writing for newspapers, and later 上田トシコ, all three of which are read as Toshiko Ueda in English.

Toshiko was best known for her manga Fuichin-san, which won the 5th annual Japan Cartoonists Association Award for Excellence and the 1960 Shogakukan Manga Award. She was also recognized for "distinguished service" during the 100th Anniversary of the Japanese Copyright Act in 1999. She was one of the first female shojo artists at a time when the field was dominated by men.

Selected works

 * Boku-chan (ぼくちゃん), Shojo Book, 1951 to December, 1958.
 * Bonko-chan (ぼんこちゃん), Ribon, September 1955 to Dec 1961.
 * Fuichin-san (フイチンさん), Shojo Club, January 1957 to March 1962.
 * Ohatsu-chan (お初ちゃん), Heibon, February 1958 to April 1969.
 * Ako-Baachan (あこバアチャン), Ashita no Tomo, 1973 to 2002.

Biography

 * 1917: Born in Tokyo. 40 days later, her family moves to Harbin, Manchuria. They return to Japan after she graduated from elementary school. At this time, Ueda discovers Katsuji Matsumoto's Poku-chan and decides to become a manga artist.


 * 1935: Becomes Katsuji Matsumoto's apprentice.


 * 1942: Returns to Harbin, Manchuria, where she works in the offices of the Manchuria Railroad. Switches jobs to work at the Harbin Daily Newspaper, where she remains until the end of World War II.


 * 1945: Age 28. The War ends and she is held in detention for 1 year. During this time she draws manga to help cheer up people from the war's aftermath.


 * 1946: Is repatriated to Japan in October.


 * 1951: Age 34. Shojo Book magazine debuts, and with it is Ueda's own first manga, Boku-chan.


 * 1955: Ribon magazine debuts, and with it is the first chapter of Ueda's Bonko-chan.


 * 1957: Age 40. Fuichin-san starts running in Shojo Club magazine, based on Ueda's experiences in Harbin.


 * 1960: Fuichin-san and Bonko-chan win the 5th Annual Shogakukan Manga Award.


 * 1989: Ako-Baachan wins the Japan Cartoonists Association's Award for Excellence.


 * 1999: Ueda receives a special cultural award as part of the 100th anniversary of the Japanese copyright act.


 * 2003: Ueda is given the Japan Cartoonists Association's Ministry award.


 * 2003: Release of the 60-minute anime adaptation of Fuichin-san from Ekura Animal.


 * 2008: Suffers a fatal heart attack at her home in Tokyo on March 7, age 90.