This year marks the 70th anniversary of Ambassador Atom 「アトム大使」, the short manga series known for launching Astro Boy to a worldwide stage. To celebrate this milestone, a print exhibition dedicated to the works of the man behind the manga, Osamu Tezuka, is now being held in the Shinjuku Odakyu department store in Tokyo.

Astro Boy was one of the handful of characters that appeared in Ambassador Atom. The bright-eyed android gained popularity among the manga’s young audience and prompted Tezuka to create a separate manga series with Astro Boy as the star. The popularity and lasting influence of the subsequent manga, alongside his other works, was what gave Tezuka his title as ‘The Father of Manga’.

The exhibition features prints from his other works, such as ‘Kimba the White Lion’ and ‘Black Jack’. There are also paintings made by Junji Kobayashi, a student of Tezuka’s who worked alongside him in animation.

Lastly, the Osamu Tezuka print exhibition is happening simultaneously with a different print exhibition highlighting another influential manga artist, Shōtarō Ishinomori. Ishinomori was the person behind the similarly popular ‘Kamen Rider’ and ‘Cyborg 009’ series.

Osamu Tezuka Print Exhibition: 70th Anniversary of Atom's Debut (Concurrently held with "Shōtarō Ishinomori Print Exhibition")

• Date: August 11-17, 2021
• Hours: 10:00-20:00 (Closes at 16:30 on last day of exhibition)
• Venue: Odakyu Shinjuku Department Store Main Hall 10F, 1-1-3 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
• Admission: Free