Personal Information
Hiroshi Hirata was a Japanese manga artist who passed away on December 11, 2021, following heart failure. Introduced to Garo magazine by Sanpei Shirato, Hirata became best known in the United States for his samurai series Satsuma Gishiden, which is published there by Dark Horse Comics. His works fall within the gekiga, or "dramatic pictures," genre, featuring a realistic artistic style often compared to Kojima Goseki's work on Lone Wolf and Cub. Hirata was also renowned for his elaborate calligraphic dialogue, a technique he applied to Akira; this distinctive calligraphy has been preserved in the American editions of his work, even though the text is translated. According to Frederik L. Schodt's Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga, the acclaimed Japanese author and militarist Yukio Mishima held Hirata's work in high regard. Additionally, Stan Sakai, the creator of Usagi Yojinbo, has praised Hirata's artwork. Hirata stands as one of the very few manga authors whose work has been translated into Hindi. In 2005, Yoshiyo Takakura translated his 1978 manga Chi Daruma Kenpo for publication by Yamamatsu Yuukichi's Delhi-based Ganga Yamato Company. His younger brother was Tomi Shinzou, and Oki Keiichirou served as one of his assistants.