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Manga Creators Draw Covers for 'Learning Japanese History Through Manga' Series

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, Shueisha is revising and re-releasing the best-selling 20-volume Learning Japanese History Through Manga series, which it first published in 1998. Each of the new covers was drawn by a famous manga artist especially for the occasion.

The cover for volume 1, Dawn of Japan: Paleolithic, Jōmon, Yayoi, and Kofun periods, was drawn by Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto. He drew the shaman queen of Yamataikoku, himiko. He also drew the cover of volume 5.

Araki Hirohiko, creator of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, drew the cover for volume 2, The Asuka Period: Towards a Japan Under the Ritsuryo Codes, and Tite Kubo of Bleach drew the cover for volume 3, The Nara Period: Ancient Nara as the Capital of Buddhism. Rurouni Kenshin's Nobuhiro Watsuki, appropriately, illustrated the covers for volume 12, The Edo Period: The Opening of Japan and Downfall of the Shogunate IV, and volume 13, The Meiji Period: Meiji Restoration and Westernization I. He drew Sakamoto Ryōma and the Iwakura Mission, respectively.

Several covers feature illustrations by shōjō artists, including Karuho Shiina of Kimi ni Todoke, Akiko Higashimura of Kakukaku Shikajika and Princess Jellyfish, Aruko of My Love Story!!, and Io Sakisaka of Blue Spring Ride.

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The full list of new cover artists is:

1. Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto)
2. Hirohiko Araki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
3. Tite Kubo (Bleach)
4. Karuho Shiina (Kimi ni Todoke)
5. Masashi Kishimoto
6. Hiroyuki Asada (Tegami Bachi)
7. Daisuke Higuchi (Whistle!)
8. Daisuke Higuchi
9. Yasuhisa Hara (Kingdom)
10. Sui Ishida (Tokyo Ghoul)
11. Ryū Fujisaki (Hoshin Engi)
12. Nobuhiro Watsuki (Rurouni Kenshin)
13. Nobuhiro Watsuki
14. Hiroyuki Asada
15. Akiko Higashimura (Princess Jellyfish)
16. Motoka Murakami (Jin)
17. Aruko (My Love Story!!)
18. Hirohiko Araki
19. Masanori Morita (Rookies)
20. Io Sakisaka (Blue Spring Ride)

The new Learning Japanese History Through Manga series will be released on October 28. Individual volumes can be purchased for 1000 yen (about USD $9.90). The entire series can be purchased for 18,000 yen (about USD $178.60). Customers who purchase the whole series will also receive 5 special clear folders while supplies last.

Update: Daisuke Higuchi drew the cover for volume 8, which was left off the list. Thanks Caramichael and CookieBun.

Source: Anime Anime