Norikazu Kawashima

Between 1983 and 1988 Kawashima drew twentynine kakioroshi tankoubon for the publisher Hibari Shobou whose books are eagerly sought after by collectors of horror manga. According to his widow Kimie he originally worked for a manufacturer of car parts near his hometown. Beyond that practically nothing is known about his life before he became an artist. Actually not much is known about his life even after he became an artist. Kawashimas name first appears within the annals of manga at the age of seventeen. Among the honorary mentions of of the reader submissions pages in the July 1967 issue of COMa monthly manga magazine published by Tezuka Osamus Mushi Proone Kawashima Hanichi his real name which can also be read Norikazu from Shizuoka is noted as having submitted a story titled The Gorilla Detective Gorira Tantei though no synopsis or sample imagery is provided. In the late 80sriding Japans economic bubble the manga industry was soaring but it also left artists like Kawashima who worked in dated formats behinds. In a couple of years he had exhausted his savings and decided to leave Tokyo. After throwing out all of his old artwork he returned to his hometown in Shizuoka never to draw manga again. He got married got a regular job and enjoyed fishing on his days off. he passed away from lung cancer in 2018. Source: essay by Kawakatsu Tokushige translated by Ryan Holmberg included in Her Frankenstein