Sci-fi illustrations by Shigeru Komatsuzaki
Here is a collection of sci-fi illustrations by the prolific Shigeru Komatsuzaki (1915-2001), whose fantastic work appeared on plastic model kit boxes and in magazines and picture books in the 1960s to 1970s. Click the "+" under each image for a larger view.
The Missiler, 1970 [+]
Giant Shocker Machine, 1975 [+]
Space colony, 1980 [+]
Crawler, 1968 [+]
Mobile marine airport, 1980 [+]
Tokyo volcano, ca. 1965
Attack Boy, 1970 [+]
Undersea super tunnel, 1981 [+]
SHADO-mobile, ca. 1970 [+]
UFO, ca. 1970 [+]
Solar City, 1982 [+]
Thunderbird 1, 1964 [+]
Thunderbird 2, 1964 [+]
Thunderbird 3, 1964 [+]
Thunderbird ships, 1964 [+]
Rikishi Boy, 1970 [+]
Frog car boat, 1961 [+]
Baron car boat, 1961 [+]
Highway rescue boat, 1981 [+]
Space train, 1981
Moon bus [+]
Air car [+]
HariHari, 1970 [+]
Sea monster battle, 1954 [+]
The Mole (Jet-Mogura Tank), 1968 [+]
Thunderbird 6 - Sky-Ship 1, 1968 [+]
Thunderbird Mars Explorer - Zero X, 1967 [+]
Proteus Bluebird CN7, 1963 [+]
Long John - Spirit of America, 1963 [+]
Earthquake, 1979 [+]
Guardman Robot, 1970 [+]
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Edit: A few more images. (Thanks, Franz!)
Underground metropolis, ca. 1980 [+]
World Space Force, 1982 [+]
Horizon Car, ca. 1960 [+]
Ark of Space, 1968 [+]
I don't get how someone like this gets popular. I find his images outlandish and kiddish. Like someone drew them in kindergarten. Everything is oversized or has rockets, very unnatural and no real though behind them.
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styeve is an idiot folks.
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I apologize for my son. He prefers Shrek.
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I LOVE YOU DADDY!!!!!!!
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Yay robots!
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"Kiddish" Are you trying to say his images look childish, or are you saying that they look like the art of Captain William Kidd: to the best of my knowledge Kidd was not an artist, and was dead long before these images were even thought about. Or are you trying to say they look Kurdish: these people's art is all non-representational. Kiddish is not a word!
These type of paintings were produced in a matter of hours; most people today don't have that skill. Yes, there may be some perspective problems, in a few, but show me a graphic artist today that could do the same without the aid of a computer. These kind of images would take hours and hours of rendering; or if you use something like Photoshop, just to paint it, that's even more time.
Learn something about graphic art before you dish out harsh criticisms; please!
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Steve, I can't believe you would say those things about Shigeru Komatsuzaki. Now the whole internet is mad at you. We have to break up.
I...I always thought you loved my outlandish, kiddish mannerisms and my oversized rockets, but I can see that I was wrong. I don't know where the magic went, but maybe I'll
find more of it with someone who knows how kindergarten art looks.
Sadly,
Stevula
ps. You're no longer invited to the Ark of Space.
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That's exactly why its awesome.
"Everything is oversized or has rockets".. brilliant i say!
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Bart, i could not agree more.
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Steve's lack of any imagination has been a real roadblock to our making any progress in our sessions.
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Steve, I just went through my old files from previous years and pulled out some of your works. You finger painted larger rockets - and far more kiddish. How can you not appreciate Shigeru Komatsuzaki? I am a failure as a teacher.
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Dude, bro. Like, don't be a douche bro! Take the high road on this, dude, bro! What you need, another noogie? Want me to fart on your head while you sleep again? Bro, dude! Listen chill out, man. God, you're such a scrote!
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Steve,
Is this because I wouldn't have sex with you last night?
Sis
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Would someone please get Steve's head out of me? Thanks in advance!
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"Everything has rockets"
You say that like it's a bad thing
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I have to confess... Steve beat me up and took my lunch money. All because I said the artwork of Shigeru Komatsuzaki. You suck Steve!!
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Steve who?? stop harassing me!! I don't know anyone by the name of Steve!! I'm leaving...
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And they call ME the evil twin?
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Okay, okay. I only said those things because I was so jealous of his obvious skill. I could never get my rockets to a kiddish level on par with Shigeru's. I'm so ashamed...
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I think you answered your own question there- his images are outlandish and kiddish, and has oversized rockets. I think a lot of people (myself included) find more allure in this sort of nostalgia and childishness than aversion to the unreallness.
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Steve, can you draw? if you can draw, why don't you showcase your stuff and let us critique your work. otherwise, please don't view the artist' past work from your f@!*ing armchair.
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It's SF Steve! - it should be outlandish and unnatural ... that's why people like it.
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Dude, we can all see that you cant appreciate sci-fi but please keep it to yourself.
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So a company comes to you, the artist, and says "we have these toys we would like to sell to children, please make artwork that will sell these toys." Do you, the artist, say
A. I'm going to make something very rational and aimed at adults.
or
B. I'm going to use my training in perspective, color theory and composition to try and match the imagination of a child.
I understand these may not suit everyone's taste, but if not one image in this entire series stirs anything in your heart, you have lost touch with the thrill of grabbing a toy in each hand and smashing them at each other in an epic battle in the theatre of your imagination.
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nice one
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This Guy is absolute cult in japan. I have been to an exhibition of his works in a gallery in harajuka last year. I like the level of detail in his works (esp. in some displays of "historical" works not shown here).
The thing i liked most about his work was that though it seemed western on first sight after looking deeeper you can see how different it is from typical american pulp scifi/fantasy art of the time.
I uploaded a few pics i did there last year:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/franzschuier/sets/72157622527141663/
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Awesome paintings! The mark of an era.
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That's awesome ! Thanks a lot for sharing !
I noticed that some illustrations are actually use for the CD covers of the Mix-up compilations by Takkyu Ishino, Ken Ishii and Fumiya Takana : http://j.imagehost.org/0585/mixups.jpg
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Really, I agree with Steve. These drawings are generally of pretty low quality and lacking imagination. However, I suppose if you were a kid when these types of products were being offered, then you might enjoy them for the nostalgia. But really, most of those images shown above were messy and poorly drawn...
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You guys, any criticisms of this artwork is overruled by the fact that there is artwork portraying a giant robot shooting what appears to be fire at a dinosaur. This is the new standard in awesome for me.
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Steves' MOM rules!! ;)
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Also that wasn't meant to be a specific reply, that's just a general statement. Giant robot shooting fire at a dinosaur = awesome.
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Wow. Nice collection. I found myself wondering off into a dream....like i was 10 again :D Awesome!
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How come there is no entry for him in Wikipedia? If any of you have any background on him, he certainly deserves a page. His artwork is representative of his industry at the time.
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There *is* one:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B0%8F%E6%9D%BE%E5%B4%8E%E8%8C%82
(it's in Japanese however, not English)
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These illustrations are in no way sloppy or poorly drawn. Try drawing something like this with a box of markers. (At least I'm pretty sure it's markers.) Take a look at your stick figures, then consider that you may have been comparing 1960's illustration to 2010 CGI.
If you need something to compare to, take a look at this blog:
http://todaysinspiration.blogspot.com/
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@ steve... you want to tell me if something is oversized and unnatural it's no art... travel back couple years in time and say it straight to salvador dalis face! surrealism is a strong art movement. and btw. you should consider the historical context of the japanese toy and movie develelopment after WW2. Godzilla was a reaction of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. that was 1952. people like ... people copy! simple as that.
nevertheless this is awsome art!
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I really appreciate these drawings. They have a western feel to them,
yet sooo retro Japanese sci-fi... I think this artist was inspired
by the classic Thunderbirds tv show from the '60s, and also by the
vintage Japanese toys manufactured by Bandai back in the day.
My favorites are all the robot drawings, especially "Attack Boy".
Great work there, Shigeru, keep them coming! *^__^*
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Shigeru Komatsuzaki is not known to be good at Sci-fi art only, military mechanics (especially WW2 era) too.
In Japan, the series of Battle Ship Yamato are known as his master piece.
You can find some of them at
http://www.artcafe.co.jp/artist_index/komatsuzaki_1.html
Thumnails are so small though...
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I saw a small exhibit of his work 2 years ago in an expensive shopping district near the harajuko (sp?) (first visit to Jp) I was charmed as heck!
Armchair art critics should take note that a lot of the designs were made to be printed
on inexpensive toy boxes, some 50 years ago, using bright process colors, sloppy color registration, on cardboard...
He was really up on era sci-fi illustration too: Check out the nebula effect in Thunderbird 3 - mmmm.. homage to Kelly Freas (GIYF).
Now, I think I will go and re-watch some Thunderbirds episodes..
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Romantico :-)))
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These are representative of an era in commercial art work. Everything from that time looked similar, and it was cutting edge. Next you're going to complain that GI Joe cartoons look outlandish and silly.
What is amazing is that these images inspired our current scientists, engineers and artists to push the boundaries of knowledge even further.
Look at the "Undersea Super Tunnel" and then compare it to the Chunnel, or his "Mobile Marine Airport" and compare it to what Hong Kong did to build their new airport. Even some of his attack vehicles look strikingly similar to the US Striker, and his space train looks like a predecessor for the current space elevator designs.
If it's sloppy and childish, look at the inspiration it provided.
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Better analogy would be to compare the GI Joe cartoon to today's cartoons and say it looks outlandish and silly. Or compare an NES game to an Xbox 360 game.
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Daniel your an idiot....you should kill yourself.
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I just put "your" instead of "you're"... damn, if I'm quiet or is that quite? no one will notice it's me who's the idiot.
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Really just awesome, awesome, awesome... Thank you so much.
Synchronistically, I was just reminded of your wonderful blog the other day... Click on: http://cephalopodteaparty.blogspot.com/2010/04/girl-with-pink-tentacles.html
... "Girl with Pink Tentacles".
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Steve, you must log off now.
You have been banned from the intertubes.
Take some art classes now.
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Imaginative and colorful, Komatsuzakia's work is a direct hit for the market it was intended. Many of these paintings are amazingly rich in detail, some are just wonderful silly images of goofy robots. Relax and enjoy the ride!
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great post, AND the works.
thank you!
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"Earthquake, 1979"
Believe me or no, but i drawn the same, i really love to drawing catastrophes.
Great Website :)
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Please cease and desist all hurtful comments regarding my client, Steve. We are prepared to pursue legal action (even if he IS an idiot!)
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Glad Steve and I parted ways years ago...
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I hate to agree, but all posters are right. Steve and I will self-destruct in 30 seconds
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This is INCREDIBLE Artwork!!! TOTALLY TALENTED MAN 4 sure :)
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Thunderbirds...U.F.O....a conceptual "robbie the robot" that far surpasses the original...and a robot breathing fire on a freaking dinosaur.
So far beyond awesome that awesome seems merely nice by comparison. What an artist! :D
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ouch steve, don't you love the rockets anymore?
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Steve,
I got your back on this one. Art it dumb, and so are robots. Combine the two and you get a huge waste of time! I feel like this website owes me 25 minutes of my life back!? I could have been standing in line at the DMV, or something equally awesome.
It just goes to show that the interwet is dumb and art is too.
Che.
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Steve,
A huge Thank you for this. What an incredible collection. Of course you inspired me to re-blog this over at my site, with LOTS of attribution and hat-tips and thanks and links to your great site.
ほんまにありがとう！
Richard
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That's amazing, I saw something like this in my childhood. Thanks))
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ah...welll....among many other things, we got a space subway, an earthquake that truly destroys everything, as mentioned above - a robot firing at a dinosaur, a Titanic ship in the midst of a crumbling city on fire with citizens safe(?) inside the highway rescue boat, varoious totally super futuristic vehicles swirling in space or in the deep blue sea exhibiting strange shine & glow effects - before this artist, both Einstein and da Vinci crumbles, I tell you.
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Some books that might be of interest:
http://www.hlj.com/product/GAK03364
http://www.hlj.com/product/OAK78991
http://www.hlj.com/product/KKU04754
http://www.hlj.com/product/KWD76071
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If you don't remember the original Rock'Em-Sock'Em Robots toy and the like, you're not old enough to appreciate the effect these fantastic images had on young kids who opened their presents to see a piece of a magnificent and strange new world just waiting to be assembled. It cannot be described....it must be experienced. I'm saddened to see that there are no images anywhere today that could, even remotely, stir that magnitude of excitement with a picture alone. Saddened because folks like Steve have not even an inkling of what they've missed, and will laugh at the idea that they've missed anything at all. But many of us DO know, and smile a sad and wistful smile for their loss.
And "Thank You" to Naoto for the links.
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awesome collection, reminds me of some of the books I read as a kid, very nostalgic.
think I read a Kevin Anderson Space opera now
:)
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As punishment, I will embark on a series of Shigeru Komatsuzaki inspired illustrations while you're asleep, I might even draw a silly Hitler 'tache in permenant ink while you sleep tonight.......
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He is RIGHT handed you fool ! Now the Hitler mustache looks all misshapen, and it's permanent !
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All of you who have posted negative comments and/or reviews, Steve included, have been reported to me and are being backtraced and sooner than later you'll be behind bars.
You know what?
Consequences will never be the same!!!
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everyone needs to stop giving Steve a hard time. while his head is up his ass, at least he stopped beating me for a minute. Hi colon!
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I lol'd a little with how broad and simple some of the terms are,
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