A new series by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, a manga artist known for his work on character design for the anime Mobile Suit Gundam, titled Silver Road: The Handa Silver Mine Ibun, began in issue 14 of the manga magazine Young Jump (Shueisha), released on March 6th. This is the first time that the 77-year-old "master" Yasuhiko has serialized a manga in Shueisha's manga magazines, including Young Jump, and the series will be a short, concentrated, biweekly series. Set in Fukushima, the story follows the great Meiji merchant Godai Tomoatsu as he paves the way for the restoration of the silver mine.
When Yasuhiko began serializing "Inui and Tatsumi: The Transbaikal War Chronicles," which ran in "Afternoon" (Kodansha) from September 2018 to May 2024, it was announced that it would be his "last new series," which became a hot topic, but it did not end there, and instead a new series will begin, albeit in a short, concentrated period.
The new series begins in May 1874 (Meiji 7), when Hayata Dennosuke, head of a prominent family in Fukushima Prefecture and contractor for the Handa Silver Mine, is struggling with financial difficulties at the mine and, as a last resort, decides to hand over management to Godai Tomoatsu, a merchant from Satsuma. Godai faces strong opposition from his family, including Yuriko, and leaves the air of turmoil as he sets foot in Fukushima. The series can also be read on the manga app Young Jump!
Yasuhiko was born in 1947 in Engaru, Hokkaido, as a third generation pioneer settler. He entered Hirosaki University in 1966. He was expelled for participating in student protests and moved to Tokyo, where he worked on character design and animation direction for Mobile Suit Gundam. He directed the animated feature film Crusher Joe and also produced the TV anime Gorg, which was based on his own original work. He later became a manga artist, releasing works such as Arion, Venus Wars, Star of the Kurds, Namji, and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin.
