Guest Author - James Shea

Manga may seem like a modern creation, but actually the Japanese tradition of combining images and words has been around for over a thousand years.

Religious scholars in the years before 1,000 would often create long stories with pictures, written on scrolls. The religious world refined the art over the centuries, as the nation was torn by warfare.

When peace finally arrived in the 1600s, then others began showing an interest in art. The woodblock prints of the time would involve art and storylines, interwoven. Many of the topics were ones of leisure - the prostitutes, fancy clothes and fashions of the bustling city.

One of the greatest woodblock artists of all time, Hosukai, created the term "manga" in 1815. This was a combination of "man" for whimsical, and "ga" for image.

When the Western ships forced Japan to embrace modern culture, their manga became influenced by western traditions. Printing techniques were improved, word bubbles appeared, and the drawings became more realistic.

After World War II was over, manga art began to flourish. Tezuka Osamu created his Mighty Atom, or Astro Boy. This was an instant success and inspired many other artists to join into the community.