Morohoshi grew up in Adachi-ku, Tokyo.
After graduating from high school, he worked for the Tokyo metropolitan government for three years.
In 1970, Morohoshi made his professional debut with his short story "Junko Kyōkatsu" (ジュン子・恐喝, Junko, blackmail) in COM.[1] In 1974, his short story "Seibutsu Toshi" (生物都市, Bio City) was selected in the 7th Tezuka Award. His breakthrough came in the same year, when he started publishing the series Yōkai Hunter (妖怪ハンター, Demon Hunter) in Weekly Shōnen Jump.[2] He published Ankoku Shinwa (暗黒神話, Dark Myth) and Kōshi Ankokuden (孔子暗黒伝, Dark Biography of Confucius) in the same magazine afterwards. In 1979, he published the Mud Men series in Monthly Shōnen Champion Zōkan.
In 1983, he published Saiyū Yōenden (西遊妖猿伝, Journey to the West: Monster monkey's Commentary) (The Monkey King and other Chinese Legends) based on Journey to the West in Futabasha’sSuper Action. This work won him the grand prize of the fourth Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2000.
Style and themes
Morohoshi takes inspiration from ancient history, mythology and folklore, influenced by the essays of Tatsuhiko Shibusawa. Yōkai Hunter revolves around archeologists discovering strange incidents around Japan, Mad Men shows myths from Papua New Guinea clashing with modernity and Saiyū Yōenden is based on the classic Chinese fantasy novel Journey to the West.[3]
Morohoshi's style is perceived as unique in the manga industry. In a roundtable discussion between Morohoshi, Yukinobu Hoshino and Osamu Tezuka, Tezuka said that he could not imitate Morohoshi's painting.[4] For this reason, manga critics have considered him to be part of a New Wave of manga artists in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[5]
Legacy
Morohoshi has been a key influence to two important anime directors of the 1980s and 1990s, Hayao Miyazaki and Hideaki Anno. Miyazaki mentioned that he was strongly influenced by Morohoshi. His 1997 film Princess Mononoke has references to Mud Men.[1] When Kentaro Takekuma interviewed Miyazaki, he said that he actually wanted Morohoshi to draw Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.[6] According to Toshio Okada, who was a former representative director of Gainax, Hideaki Anno always said that he wanted to apply the scene where a giant appeared in Morohoshi's "Kage no Machi" (影の街, Shadow Town) to his work, and his hope was realized in Neon Genesis Evangelion.[7]
His style has inspired also musicians. Morohoshi's Mud Men triggered Haruomi Hosono of Yellow Magic Orchestra, and Hosono wrote "The Madmen" for the album Service. Hosono said that his production company misspelled "Mudmen" with "Madmen".[1]
His work has gained some international attention since the 2000s. Manga of his have been translated into French[8] and Spanish.[9]
