Momoko Sakura

1.1. Birth and Childhood

Momoko Sakura was born Miki Miura on May 8, 1965, in Shimizu (now Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City), Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. She was the second child in a family that ran a greengrocer. From the age of three and a half, she began drawing girls, an early sign of her artistic inclination. Her childhood experiences, particularly her relationship with her family and friends, heavily influenced her most famous work, Chibi Maruko-chan. As a child, she was often scolded by her mother for being lazy and not taking her studies seriously, a trait she later depicted in her autobiographical works. Despite frequent quarrels with her elder sister during childhood, their relationship mended in adulthood, and they even collaborated on a video game.

1.2. Education

Sakura attended Shizuoka Municipal Shimizu Irie Elementary School, Shizuoka Municipal Shimizu Daini Junior High School, and Shizuoka Prefectural Shimizu Nishi High School. During her high school years, she developed her artistic and writing talents. She began submitting manga to Ribon magazine around her second year of high school, initially keeping her ambition to become a manga artist a secret from everyone except her lifelong friend, Tamae Honami (the model for "Tama-chan" in Chibi Maruko-chan). Her teachers and friends, however, noticed her talent. Her essays were particularly praised, with one evaluator likening her writing style to that of Sei Shōnagon, a prominent Heian-era Japanese writer, noting it was "unlike that of a high school student." This early recognition of her writing ability was a significant factor in her decision to pursue essay manga.

In 1984, while studying Japanese literature at Shizuoka Eiwa College (now Shizuoka Eiwa Gakuin University Junior College), she made her debut with the short manga Oshiete Yaru'nda Arigataku Omoe! (教えてやるんだありがたく思え!^Japanese, "I'll Teach You, Be Grateful!") in the winter issue of Ribon Original.

1.3. Early Career and Debut

After graduating from Shizuoka Eiwa College in April 1986, Sakura moved to Tokyo and briefly worked for Gyosei, a publishing company. However, her dedication to manga creation made it difficult to balance both commitments. After just two months, she decided to leave her job to fully commit to her dream of becoming a manga artist. In August 1986, her most iconic series, Chibi Maruko-chan, began serialization in Ribon magazine, marking the true beginning of her professional career. In 1990, she established Sakura Production, a company founded with her then-husband, Masataka Miyanaga, to support her creative endeavors. Miyanaga served as the initial president before Sakura took over the role.

2.1. Chibi Maruko-chan

Chibi Maruko-chan stands as Momoko Sakura's most iconic and enduring work, capturing the hearts of generations.

2.2. Other Manga Works

Beyond Chibi Maruko-chan, Momoko Sakura created several other notable manga series that showcased her diverse artistic range.

• Kami no Chikara (神のちから^Japanese, "God's Power"), serialized in Big Comic Spirits from 1989 to 1992, explored a different, more nonsensical comedic style compared to Chibi Maruko-chan. A sequel, Kami no Chikarakko Shimbun (神のちからっ子新聞^Japanese, "God's Power Kids Newspaper"), ran from 2004 to 2008.
• Nagasawa-kun (永沢君^Japanese, "Nagasawa-kun"), serialized from 1993 to 1995, focused on a supporting character from Chibi Maruko-chan.
• Coji-Coji (コジコジ^Japanese), a surreal fantasy manga, was serialized from 1994 to 1997 in Kimi to Boku magazine. It was later adapted into an anime series from 1997 to 1999.
• Super 0-kun (スーパー0くん^Japanese), a one-volume manga, was released in 2003.
• Hitori Zumou (ひとりずもう^Japanese, "One-Person Sumo"), an essay manga, ran from 2006 to 2008. This work served as a complete autobiography of Sakura's life after elementary school, reflecting on her journey to becoming a manga artist.
• Her later works included Manga Kurabu (まんが倶楽部^Japanese, "Manga Club"), serialized from 2015 to 2016 in Grand Jump, and Chibi Shikaku-chan (ちびしかくちゃん^Japanese, "Little Shikaku-chan"), a self-parody of Chibi Maruko-chan that began in 2016 and was her last serialized manga work before her passing. She also created a 4-koma (four-panel) version of Chibi Maruko-chan that was serialized in 11 major newspapers across Japan from 2007 to 2011.

2.3. Essays and Writing Activities

Momoko Sakura was a highly prolific and successful essayist, known for her distinctive narrative voice and keen observations of everyday life. Her unique approach, which she called "essay in manga form," blended personal anecdotes with humorous and insightful commentary.

• Her debut essay collection, Momo no Kandzume (もものかんづめ^Japanese, "Momoko's Canned Peaches"), released in March 1991, became an instant bestseller, selling over 2 M copies within three years.
• This success was followed by two more million-selling essay collections in 1992: Saru no Koshikake (さるのこしかけ^Japanese, "Monkey's Perch"), which won the 27th Shimpusho Award, and Tai no Okashira (たいのおかしら^Japanese, "Red Snapper's Head").
• Other popular essay collections include Ano Koro (あのころ^Japanese, "Those Days"), Maruko Datta (まる子だった^Japanese, "I Was Maruko"), Momoko no Hanashi (ももこの話^Japanese, "Momoko's Stories"), and Sakura Biyori (さくら日和^Japanese, "Sakura Weather").
• She also published a series of diary-style essays, Momoko no 21 Seiki Nikki (ももこの21世紀日記^Japanese, "Momoko's 21st Century Diary"), which ran for eight volumes from 2002 to 2008, and Momoko no Mannen Nikki (ももこのまんねん日記^Japanese, "Momoko's Perpetual Diary"), published annually from 2010 to 2012.
• Her essays often featured self-deprecating humor and candid observations, sometimes with a touch of cynicism or dark humor, particularly in her later works. She also explored themes of health and wellness, publishing Momoko no Omoshiro Kenkou Techou (ももこのおもしろ健康手帖^Japanese, "Momoko's Interesting Health Notebook") in 1999, where she discussed various folk remedies.

2.4. Lyric Writing

Momoko Sakura was a versatile lyricist, contributing to numerous songs, most famously for anime theme songs and popular artists.

• Her most renowned lyrical work is "Odoru Pompokolin" (おどるポンポコリン^Japanese), the iconic ending theme for the Chibi Maruko-chan anime, which earned her the Japan Record Award in 1990.
• She also penned the lyrics for "Hashire Shojikimono" (走れ正直者^Japanese, "Run, Honest Person"), sung by Hideki Saijo, which became the second ending theme for Chibi Maruko-chan in 1991.
• Other notable contributions include "Ureshii Yokan" (うれしい予感^Japanese, "Happy Premonition") for Marina Watanabe, "Arara no Jumon" (アララの呪文^Japanese, "Arara's Spell") for TARAKO and Bakushō Mondai, and "100-man Nen no Shiawase!!" (100万年の幸せ!!^Japanese, "A Million Years of Happiness!!") for Keisuke Kuwata.
• She wrote "Maru-chan no Shizuoka Ondo" (まるちゃんの静岡音頭^Japanese, "Maru-chan's Shizuoka Dance"), an official song for Shizuoka City, performed by Pierre Taki.
• One of her posthumously released lyrical works was "Itsumo no Fūkei" (いつもの風景^Japanese, "Everyday Scenery"), which became an ending theme for Chibi Maruko-chan in 2019, sung by Kazuyoshi Saito.

2.5. Other Creative Activities

Momoko Sakura's creative endeavors extended beyond manga and essays into various other media.

• She designed characters for several video games, including Sakura Momoko Gekijō Coji-Coji for Dreamcast (2000), Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival for Game Boy Advance (2002), and Every Party for Xbox 360 (2005). Her elder sister, Noriko Miura, was involved in the planning and scenario for Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival.
• Sakura served as the editor-in-chief of the mook (magazine-book) Fujisan (富士山^Japanese, "Mount Fuji"), published by Shinchosha from 1999 to 2002. This publication featured interviews and essays, often discussing her hometown. The first two issues sold 680 K copies by mid-2000.
• She also worked on GJ8man, an original net animation (ONA) series that began in 2016, where she conceptualized characters and even voiced a villain. This project was left unfinished due to her passing.
• Sakura contributed illustrations for various public projects, including designs for Shizuoka City's public buses and manhole covers. Two manhole covers featuring Chibi Maruko-chan characters, donated by Sakura to Shizuoka City on August 7, 2018, were among her last completed works.

• She designed album covers for artists like Tama (band) and Tatsuo Kamon, and character designs for companies like Sugakiya and Kao Corporation (for their household cleaning products campaign). Her final illustration was for a special edition Nivea cream container, released posthumously in September 2018.
• Sakura also hosted radio shows, including Sakura Momoko's All Night Nippon (1991-1992) with Masataka Miyanaga, and Momoko's Chat Channel (2015).

2.6. Sakura Production

Sakura Production is a company established by Momoko Sakura in 1990, initially with her then-husband Masataka Miyanaga as president, to manage and support her extensive creative activities. After their divorce in 1998, Sakura herself took over as the company's representative. Following her death in 2018, her eldest son, Yoichiro Miura, assumed the role of president in 2019, primarily overseeing the management of her works. In January 2023, the company transitioned to a co-presidency system, with Hiroo Nabata of Light Air Inc. (who had a connection with Sakura through her GJ8man project) joining Miura. The company continues to manage her intellectual property and new projects based on her works.

3.1. Drawing Style

Sakura's drawing style is often described as "heta-uma" (ヘタウマ^Japanese, "charmingly amateurish" or "skillfully bad"), characterized by its simple and somewhat naive lines. While her early submissions to manga magazines had a more conventional shōjo manga style, she intentionally shifted her drawing style when she decided to focus on essay manga. This change was a deliberate strategy to match the tone of her storytelling. Her characters typically have minimal body lines, even in swimwear, where she would slightly inflate shapes to avoid detailed anatomical depiction.

Despite this simplified style, Sakura's cover illustrations for works like Chibi Maruko-chan and Coji-Coji often featured elaborate, painterly designs. These were influenced by her interest in Indian art and her admiration for the Singaporean picture book artist Errol Le Cain. Occasionally, she would revert to a more traditional shōjo manga style, as seen in parts of the manga version of Hitori Zumou.

3.2. Themes and Humor

Momoko Sakura's works frequently explored recurring themes such as childhood innocence, family dynamics, and nostalgia. Her signature humor was a unique blend of gentle comedy and subtle social commentary, often infused with cynical or black humor elements, particularly in her later works like 4-koma Chibi Maruko-chan and Chibi Shikaku-chan. This darker comedic streak was influenced by her teenage fondness for underground manga magazines like Garo, which featured absurd and often cynical narratives. Some of her characters' names were even inspired by "Garo-kei" (Garo-style) manga artists.

Her essays, too, were known for their unvarnished language and unique, often biting, metaphors, even when describing family members. She once stated that she "did not possess the skill to beautify facts" and would "absurdly deform events based on her impressions and facts," accepting that some might dislike this approach while others appreciated it. She frequently used self-deprecating phrases like "What am I, really..." or "I'm so pathetic." In her essays, her parents were typically depicted in their Chibi Maruko-chan forms, regardless of their actual age at the time of writing.

A distinctive visual element in her manga and anime is the "ase-tara tate-sen" (汗たら縦線^Japanese, "sweat-drop vertical lines") - three vertical lines appearing on a character's face when they are stunned, embarrassed, or at a loss for words. This became a widely recognized visual trope and even entered Taiwanese slang to describe similar emotional states.

4.1. Family and Marital Relations

Her pen name, "Momoko Sakura," was chosen during her high school years when she contemplated becoming a comedian or rakugoka, combining her favorite flowers, "sakura" (cherry blossom) and "momo" (peach). She later used "Sumire" (violet), another flower she considered for her pen name, as the name for Maruko's mother in Chibi Maruko-chan.

In 1989, Sakura married Masataka Miyanaga, an editor at Ribon magazine, but they divorced in 1998. She often mentioned their separation in her writings, noting that she had moved out a year prior to the official divorce. Their only son, Yoichiro Miura, was born in April 1994. Yoichiro later co-authored the picture book and essay collection Obake no Te (おばけの手^Japanese, "Ghost's Hand") with his mother in 2002, using the pen name "Sakura Melon." Sakura frequently mentioned "Melon" in her personal blogs, highlighting their close relationship. In 2003, she remarried illustrator Sashimi Unno.

Her childhood relationship with her elder sister was often tumultuous, marked by frequent arguments that distressed their mother. However, after a two-year period of estrangement around 1995 due to a major fight, they reconciled and even collaborated on projects.

4.2. Friendships and Collaborations

Sakura had significant friendships and professional collaborations throughout her career. She was close friends with fellow artists and musicians, including novelist Banana Yoshimoto and manga artists Ai Yazawa and Wataru Yoshizumi. She maintained a strong connection with Tama (band), designing album covers for them.

She had a deep admiration for singer Hideki Saijo, whom she featured as her older sister's idol in Chibi Maruko-chan and for whom she wrote the lyrics to "Hashire Shojikimono." Her passing exactly three months after Saijo's death led to public speculation in Japan and Taiwan that she had "followed" him.

Sakura was also a friend of Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, and Tetsuya Chiba, who described her as being "just like Maruko" when he first met her. Her elementary school classmates included former Japanese national football player Kenta Hasegawa and scriptwriter Hideaki Hiraoka, both of whom were models for characters in Chibi Maruko-chan. Noritaka Hamazaki, the real-life model for "Hamaji," described Sakura as quite shy in elementary school, suggesting that Tamae Honami's real-life counterpart was more like Maruko.

Sakura was known for her unique personality, often described as lazy and introverted, yet spontaneous and observant. Designer Shin Sobue, who worked on many of her book designs, described her as "Maruko grown up" and "troublesome," but also someone who was exciting to work with. Novelist Banana Yoshimoto noted that while Sakura was often like Maruko, she sometimes exhibited a detached, philosophical state akin to Coji-Coji. Her son, Yoichiro, described her as someone who acted more on intuition than logic, a trait he believed was reflected in her works.

She was interested in health and practiced various folk remedies, such as urine therapy and herbal treatments for ailments. Paradoxically, she was also a heavy smoker, stating in her essays that smoking motivated her to be more health-conscious. This contrast was often noted after her death from breast cancer. She was also known to be a heavy drinker, with singer Akiko Wada commenting that Sakura could outdrink her.

5.1. Death

Momoko Sakura died from breast cancer on August 15, 2018, at 8:29 PM JST, at the age of 53. Her death was publicly announced on August 27, 2018, through a message on her official website and by Sakura Production. Her funeral was a private affair, attended only by close family and friends, in accordance with her wishes. On the day of the public announcement, Fuji TV broadcast a tribute message at the end of the Chibi Maruko-chan anime, and a memorial service titled "Sakura Momoko-san Arigatou no Kai" (さくらももこさん ありがとうの会^Japanese, "Momoko Sakura Thank You Event") was held on November 16, 2018, at Aoyama Funeral Hall in Tokyo, attended by over 1,000 people from the entertainment industry.

5.2. Assessment and Impact

Sakura's death was widely mourned as a "great loss to the Japanese manga industry." Following the announcement, sales of her works, including Chibi Maruko-chan and her essay collections, surged, prompting her publisher, Shueisha, to order a reprint of 850 K copies.

Tributes poured in from across the industry and beyond. TARAKO, the voice actress for Maruko, expressed shock at the suddenness of Sakura's death, vowing to continue embodying the character. Aida Soichi, the editor-in-chief of Ribon, emphasized that Maruko's "extraordinary humor" and the warmth of her characters would forever shine in readers' hearts. Manga artists like Tetsuya Chiba and Eiichiro Oda also shared their condolences and appreciation for her work.

Her passing resonated internationally, particularly in Asian countries where Chibi Maruko-chan had a massive following. News of her death was reported by major media outlets worldwide, including NHK World and Kyodo News. Chinese fans expressed their sorrow on social media, recalling the manga as a cherished part of their childhood. China Daily referred to Chibi Maruko-chan as a cultural symbol in Japan and across Asia. In Vietnam, a national television broadcast highlighted the manga's significant impact, noting it was one of the first manga about a young girl to be published in the country.

Journalist Akio Nakamori suggested that Sakura's death, much like Osamu Tezuka's passing at the end of the Shōwa era, signaled the impending end of the Heisei era (which concluded with Emperor Akihito's abdication in April 2019), underscoring her profound cultural significance.

5.3. Awards and Honors

Momoko Sakura received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career:

• 1989**: She was awarded the Kodansha Manga Award in the Shōjo category for Chibi Maruko-chan.
• 1990**: She received the Japan Record Award for her lyrics to "Odoru Pompokolin".
• 1992**: Her essay collection Saru no Koshikake won the 27th Shimpusho Award.
• 2018**: Posthumously, she was honored with the Shizuoka City Citizen's Honor Award in December.
• 2021**: She received the Animation Achievement Award at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival for Chibi Maruko-chan.

5.4. Posthumous Tributes and Commemoration

Following her death, various tributes and commemorations have continued to celebrate Momoko Sakura's life and work.

• An exhibition titled "Sakura Momoko Arigatou no Kai" (さくらももこ ありがとうの会^Japanese, "Momoko Sakura Thank You Event") was held for the general public from January to April 2019 at S-Pulse Dream Plaza in Shizuoka Prefecture.
• In November 2022, the first major post-mortem exhibition, "Sakura Momoko Ten" (さくらももこ展^Japanese, "Momoko Sakura Exhibition"), began its tour across Japan, starting at the Takamatsu Art Museum in Kagawa Prefecture, and continuing to other cities including Yokohama, Shizuoka, Kobe, Nagasaki, Nagoya, and Tokyo.
• In 2019, new Chibi Maruko-chan manga chapters, based on scripts Sakura had written for the anime and wished to adapt into manga, began irregular serialization in Ribon magazine. These new chapters are drawn by Kohagi Botan, a long-time assistant at Sakura Production.
• In December 2018, the Shizuoka City Shimizu Central Library established a permanent section dedicated to Momoko Sakura, featuring a large collection of her manga and essays.

• Audiobook versions of her popular essays, including Momo no Kandzume, began to be released in 2021, with TARAKO (the voice of Maruko) performing the readings.
• Sakura Production's official Twitter account was launched in March 2021, followed by an official note account in August 2023, continuing to share information about her works and legacy.
• In March 2023, nine new Chibi Maruko-chan themed manhole designs, created by Sakura Production, were unveiled in Shizuoka, further cementing her connection to her hometown.