“There are so many legendary manga artists, but if I had to pick one to meet, I’d choose Takao Yaguchi-sensei.”

So said Akiko Higashimura, author of Tokyo Tarareba Girls and other popular manga that blurred the lines between shojo (manga for girls) and shonen (manga for boys). It was a little unexpected for someone like her to admire Takao Yaguchi as much as she did.

When manga artist and Akita native from Ugo Town, Gō Ōhinata, heard that, he brought Yaguchi and Higashimura together. The reason why she admired him so much was because “His drawing skills are on a whole other level.” After meeting they soon formed a close friendship.

Yaguchi told Higashimura that he was creating a museum for original manga drawings, and that he wanted her assistance. “Of course I’d do anything for you, Yaguchi-sensei!” replied Higashimura enthusiastically. That’s how every single one of the 15,000 original panels from her 15-year career, which started in 1999, ended up being stored in the museum.

Many say that Japan’s manga leads the world in graphics novels. These stored works of art will have an immeasurable effect on the artistic sensibilities of the children and young people who will become the manga artists of the future. In that sense, the original drawings are an extremely valuable cultural asset. Take ukiyo-e woodblock prints for comparison. Like manga, they were made for the entertainment of the common people in the Edo period, but after they became a highly revered form of art in Europe, many of the original printing blocks were taken out of the country. We can’t make the same mistake with manga, and that’s why the Manga Museum has become a place where the original panel drawings of manga are preserved as a cultural asset, and why they are working towards the important goal of preserving manga culture for the future.

Just like Akiko Higashimura, other manga artists and publishing companies who agree with Yaguchi’s endeavor, and who want to contribute to the preservation of manga culture, have donated countless original drawings to the museum. At the time of writing this guide in 2020, 180 manga artists from around the world have donated about 400,000 drawings. Those countless works of art are stored in the next area: the Manga Archives.