Ishinomori Manga Museum

1 20121121084127 — Exterior shot of the museum.

The Ishinomori Manga Museum (石ノ森萬画館, Ishinomori Mangakan) also known as the Ishinomaki Mangattan Museum (石巻マンガッタン博物館, Ishinomaki Mangattan Hakubutsukan), is a museum in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan. It was proposed by the mayor of Ishinomaki in 1995 and opened in 2001 to commemorate the life and legacy of Ishinomaki's most famous resident, Shotaro Ishinomori.

As Ishinomori was well known for writing science fiction manga, the museum has a unique UFO shaped design that makes it an iconic landmark of Ishinomaki. The site is a popular tourist destination especially for fans of Ishinomori's work, who visit the museum on special days such as Cyborg 009 Day (The anniversary date of the manga's first publishing in 1964).

2011 Tokuhou Disaster and reopening[]

6a0128757dcdf7970c014e5ff78154970c-pi — An interior shot of the museum after the tsunami hit.

After the March 2011 Tokuhou earthquake and tsunami, the museum was damaged with many of the displays wrecked from the tidal waves. However, the building itself was still structurally intact and some of the statues were still standing among the devastation. The most iconic image from the disaster being the Kamen Rider and Akarenger statues still standing intact after all the wreckage, inspiring hope to those who survived the ordeal.

Screen Shot 2016-06-24 at 11.26 — Inazuman, Kamen Riders 1, Den-O, Wizard and Fourze along with Sea Jetter Kaito, appear as part of the event to commemorate the reopening of the museum and deliver a message of hope and happiness to the citizens and children of Ishinomaki.

Afterward the city of Ishinomaki, fans in Japan and around the world gave their moral support to repair it. The museum was fully repaired on November 17, 2012 with newly refurbished exhibits and displays and had a reopening event on March 23, 2013. The repairs cost ‎¥‎146,000,000 and was all donated by fans.^[1] The reopening was commemorated with a ceremony featuring Hiroshi Fujioka and performances by Ichiro Mizuki, as well as appearances of several Toei Superheroes including the Kamen Riders to cheer up the kids and families of Ishinomaki.

Exhibits and attractions[]

Mangattan Liner[]

マンガッタンライナー号01 — A Mangattan Liner with a picture of Kamen Rider 1 on the front of the train car.

A special line of trains that can take tourists to and from Ishinomaki Station near the museum. The trains were made by the JR East Railway company in collaboration with the city in 2003. These trains connect with stations in Sendai to transport tourists to Ishinomaki. The train cars are decorated with characters created by the manga artist. One of these train cars has chibi art of Kamen Rider 1 covering its sides and another has him on the front with characters from Cyborg 009 covering it.

Due to the extensive damage to Japan's railway system caused the Tokuhou Earthquake, the Mangattan line was shut down for over four years to work on repairs and then was reopened for travel on May 30, 2015 when repairs were completed.

Exterior[]

Outside the museum are many figures of Ishinomori characters and recent characters from the Kamen Rider series, such as a sculpture of Ankh's hand from Kamen Rider OOO. Also on display near the entrance gate is the TriCyclone prop vehicle from the movie Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3. Sometimes, special movie premieres will be held near the Kitakami River at night and the part of the dome facing the river acts as the movie screen.

During certain times, a special animatronic will descend from the ceiling of the museum to welcome guests. The animatronic is a white dragon with Kamen Rider 1, the manga version of Kamen Rider Black, Robot Detective, Akarenger, Henshin Ninja Arashi, Cyborg 009 and Cyborg 003 in her ballet outfit riding on top of the dragon.^[2]

Inside[]

1st floor[]

Gift Shop[]

Contains licensed Bandai toys and museum memorabilia such as postcards, coffee mugs, keychains and t-shirts that tourists can purchase and take home.

The Life of Shotaro Ishinomori[]

A detailed timeline and exhibits detailing the life of the manga creator from his childhood to his death in 1998.

2011 Tokuhou disaster restoration timeline[]

A timeline showcasing the Tokuhou disaster in Ishinomaki and the restoration of the city and the museum.

Movie Theater[]

A small theater that showcases Ishinomori works or special presentations such as Sea Jetter Kaito: The Movie. Showings vary depending on the times and events going on at the museum.

2nd floor[]

Kamen Rider Exhibit Room[]

13384379425 f6b27a9300 b — An example image of the masks in the Kamen Rider Exhibit

The Kamen Rider Exhibit features detailed information on the popular television series and displays of the masks of each main Kamen Rider up to the current series. The displays also feature video clips of each series.

It also features exclusive interactive video games such as a racing game where players control Kamen Rider 1 on a Cyclone replica and chase down Man Spider to save Ruriko while trying to beat a certain time^[3]. Another game is controlled by motion capture where players can select their favorite Rider in a reflex rhythm game and Rider Punch and Kick targets to get a high score.

Cyborg 009 Exhibit Room[]

KS00036802000003949 — The Cyborg 009 exhibit.

A wing dedicated to Ishinomori's most beloved manga work, Cyborg 009. The exhibit features figurines of the nine cyborg heroes and characters from the manga with bio data, video footage from the three different TV anime adaptations and collections of manga and graphic novel art sketches from the various books including the American adaptation by Archaia. At one point in 2015, a special display was shown showcasing artwork from the Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman crossover OVA film.

Sea Jetter Kaito[]

Sea Jetter Kaito is the local hero of Ishinomaki, based on an unused Ishinomori concept drawing. The Museum has a display exhibit highlighting the character as well as an outside waterpark stage show during the summer months. In addition, there is a movie theater in the wing that features Sea Jetter Kaito: The Movie, a Museum-exclusive film created by Toei and directed and produced by some of the staff of Kamen Rider. Starring Seiji Takaiwa and Yuki Sato.

Ishinomori Art Exhibition Room[]

Ishi art — A display of Cyborg 009 concept art and rough drafts. This exhibit was featured alongside art of the HOTEL manga in June of 2016.

Showcases artwork from Ishinomori as well as from other manga artists or productions. The curators rotate or change some of the art pieces on display, usually depending on what is featured at the museum at that time.

3rd floor[]

Ishinomori Manga Studio[]

This wing of the museum is full of drawings done by Shotaro Ishinomori as well as special interactive art studios that let people draw their own manga art by hand or digitally on a computer. It also has a library filled with 6,000 manga books for patrons to read and a digital archive of Ishinomori's works. There is also an art class workshop in the library during certain times of the day.

Cafe Blue Zone[]

A dining cafe where patrons can eat. The cafe serves Ishinomori character themed dishes and beverages. (Ex. Kirenger Curry, Hakaider Soft Drink Floats, Kamen Rider Black Coffee)

The cafe also has random special items monthly like Gorenger Shaved Ice or during events such as an Ultraman Exhibit, they sold Alien Baltan-shaped sundaes and other Ultraman-themed items.^[4]

Notes[]

Kamen Rider Revice actor Junya Komatsu had attended the grand opening of the museum when he was seven years old.

External Links[]

References[]

[1] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL7sGToPywQ

[2] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmAeVVerBOI

[3] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsOetmRV624

[4] ttp://mangakan.weblogs.jp/bz/ Cafe Blue Zone Blog

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