This article about Yasuda Zenkichi (estimated reading), the artist published as Ashizawa Jin in GRAPH, was published by Yukan Daily, a news site for his home town of Nobeoka, on January 16, 2014. The original article can be found here (archive link here).
A half-century of drawing the stars decorates the 800th issue of Takarazuka GRAPH
Nobeoka native illustrator Yasuda Zenkichi’s ‘fight song’
The opening of the Takarazuka Revue’s 100th year.
This year, the Takarazuka Revue reaches its centennial year. Since the Takarazuka Girl’s Opera Troupe held its first performance on April 1, Taisho 3 (1914), it has bestowed gorgeous performances full of dreams and emotion on its audience. And there is one person who has watched over Takarazuka’s performances for half a century, drawing portraits of its stars. That is Nobeoka native illustrator, Yasuda Zenkichi (79 – currently living in Tokyo).
Takarazuka GRAPH, where Yasuda has been publishing his drawings under the name Ashizawa Jin for 50 years, reaches its 800th issue this month. We will present Yasuda’s illustrations and message that will be published in the commemorative issue.
In the special commemorative issue, Yasuda looks back on the last 50 years.
“I first had a (portrait) illustration published in Takarazuka GRAPH in 1964 (Takarazuka’s 50th anniversary year): it was a bust of one of the stars back then, Fujisato Miho, that I submitted on a postcard.”
Yasuda was born in Showa 9 (1934), in the Kitamachi district of Nobeoka. Even while he lived in Nobeoka he went to the theatre, and when he transferred to Nihon University he frequented the theatre constantly. That was when he began submitting drawings to film magazines and other publications and being hired for his work.
“Since I was a student I would get requests from film magazines to draw portraits of popular stars, with that momentum I think I submitted my drawing to GRAPH without thinking much of it.
“However, the drawing I had thought I was submitting to GRAPH’s picture column ended up being printed quite large on a page in the main part of the magazine, so I was very startled ang delighted, and following up on that I was published regularly, and finally employed to work for them, not just for illustrations, but also to do interviews, so thinking back on it now it really makes me feel that no matter how small a dream you have, the first thing is to try and make it reality.”
He continued his work doing hand lettering for the titles of weekly magazines and other materials for a long time. Even when he was busy with his main occupation he would still go to the Takarazuka theatre. He says that he sees each production 4 times. And for 50 years, he has been responsible for his page [in Takarazuka GRAPH], conducting face to face interviews with Takarazuka stars, writing up the articles, and publishing them together with his portraits every month.
Starting this year Takarazuka GRAPH’s ‘Ashizawa Jin’ column has been re-styled, and under the title ‘THE STARS SUITE’ will be publishing conversation-type columns of Yasuda with Takarazuka stars.
Yasuda’s message for the special commemorative issue:
“Recently when I see Takarazuka stars clearly advancing in their performances, I also get encouragement from that, and when a new fresh star appears, my brush dashes across the page with new feelings. And at the same time, as I start searching so early on to see if there’s someone different standing out among the junior actresses, I understand clearly that I’m definitely a Takarazuka fan. If my illustrations can surve their purpose as a ‘fight song’ for Takarazuka, even if it’s a quiet one, that is enough for me.”
‘TAKARASIENNE’, an exhibition of Yasuda’s illustrations to commemorate the 800th issue of Takarazuka GRAPH, is currently taking place in the Takarazuka Grand Theatre. 200 of the original illustrations Yasuda has drawn of Takarazuka stars over the years are on display. The exhibition lasts until February 3.