Original article was published on January 8, 2017. Corrections, suggestions welcome.



The stage is Hokkaido in the Meiji era. The manga Golden Kamuy is an action adventure tale about a duo of an ex-soldier who’ve just returned from the Russo-Japanese war and nicknamed “Sugimoto the Immortal” and an Ainu girl in a race to find hidden gold against the 7th Division Army and the remnants of Shinsengumi.

Golden Kamuy has gained popularity since the start of serialisation in 2014 with its fast-paced development and powerful art, and it also shone in last year’s Manga Taisho 2016.

However, there was bitter experience behind this success.

After spending almost 10 years as an assistant, at the opportunity for full debut, Noda Satoru chose the story about a high school ice hockey club in Tomakomai that he’d been mulling about for several years. “Why isn’t there any story set in Hokkaido where I came from, in a genre that has not been overused? I was convinced that I could write the real deal.” With such confidence, he began his first series, Supinamarada! in his 11th year.

However, it didn’t gain the expected response from readers. In the following year, his editor said “I don’t want you to waste time”, telling him to end the series, and thus the work concluded in six volumes. Looking back at it now, there are many points to reflect on, such as the title that was difficult to understand and the way the story progressed. He now fully realised how difficult it would be to redeem once a work failed to attract the readers.

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Afterwards, it took him almost a year before the idea of Golden Kamuy was settled. “That bitterness wouldn’t heal unless my next work sells well. I’ll pay this back by making (my next work) a hit.” That’s the force that drove Noda on.

The starting point of the idea was the life of Noda’s great grandfather, who’s a tondenhei (farmer-soldier) who also served in the Russo-Japanese war. Blended with the novel about hunting set in Hokkaido that was introduced to him by his managing editor, the skeleton of the story began to take shape. Considering the demand of readers, an Ainu girl was decided as the protagonist’s partner. Noda decided to draw upfront the rich Ainu culture that had been rarely picked up and would have felt fresh for many people.

Reflecting on his previous work, he thought “At any rate, I must draw readers’ attention with all might from the first chapter.” Action, hunting, the Ainu culture such as their ceremony and food, also gags… a lot of elements are put in. Supported by his confidence that “This will become absolutely popular!” he carried out thorough research. He believed that manga wouldn’t be interesting if it’s drawn based on only his own experience and imagination.

Not only reading literature, he also goes to meet people in real life and interview them many times. Since before the serialisation began, he visited various places such as museums in Hokkaido. He consulted researchers to be able to write about Ainu language and tools as close to reality as possible. In-between his time preoccupied with writing, he went hunting with a hunter and also ate the raw internal organs of the animals they caught. “After properly collecting data and studying, it’s important to have boldness to tell a big lie on the verge of bankruptcy.” That gave his story vitality.

For instance, in Ainu community, there’s a clear division of roles between men and women, and there was no woman bringing an archer’s bow like the girl who appeared in the manga; he received criticism from the editorial department that pointed out the mistake. However, he learnt from Associate Professor Kitahara Jirouta Mokottunas from Hokkaido University’s Indigenous People Research Center who provides supervision, that there are folk tales about female hunters remaining in places like Biratori and Shiraoi.

In-depth data collection re-produces reality, and affects reality as well. Such sincere attitude has gained him deep trust from Ainu community authorities and researchers.

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What is the greatest power to make your desire come true?

Noda said, “The frontier spirit of taking challenges in new things.” The courage to go to the direction nobody else is heading to despite the risks. If we go to the same direction like everybody else, there is less of the share for us. “To choose a gambling-like life, one needs to be prepared to sacrifice everything.” (Yamauchi Kouji)

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Noda Satoru. From Kita-Hiroshima (a town in Hokkaido – GKC). Based on his principle “We must consider the work and the artist separately,” his photographs and detailed biography are not officially published. The replies to the interview too were written. In 2003, he made his debut through Kyouko-san no kyou toiu kyou. In 2006, he won the Chiba Tetsuya Award in Young Bumon Taishou. Now Golden Kamuy is being serialized in Young Jump. Volume 10 is on sale. (When the article was published. – GKC)

Interview memo

“Although he’s not talkative, he’s a very determined person,” said managing editor Ookuma Hakkou (32).

Basically he seemed to be the type that likes jokes. At first, he planned to make Golden Kamuy as a serious work with gags restrained, but, “Right now it’s become a work with abundant practical jokes,” the man himself said.

The passion in his drawing is intense. He produces his work digitally, and when it’s the time to turn it into tankoubon (bundled volume), he’ll fix it down to each chest hair until he’s satisfied. His next target is “To keep running to the goal with all might. Not to die when the serialization still runs,” he stated.

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Full text of his interview replies

Q: How did you become a mangaka?

I’ve kept this vague feeling of wanting to become a mangaka since I was a child, but I didn’t make anything seriously. I felt ashamed to my parents and friends of my hope to become a mangaka if I didn’t somehow achieve anything, so I didn’t tell them, but when I participated in a newcomer manga award to test my ability, I was named a winner. I went to Tokyo as an assistant first to learn how to draw manga and about the manga industry. But weekly serialisation is also a hard job for assistants; for 5 days in a week I had to stay over and except for sleeping did nothing but working.

I was totally exhausted on days off, and I’m afraid there was this feeling of having enough because I drew manga every day at work, so eventually days would pass without me working on my own work. I am indebted to Kunitomo Yasuyuki-sensei, who finally allowed me time to make my own manga while earning income for living. If it were with another mangaka, I might still be an assistant now.

Q: Why did you feature ice hockey in your serialization debut, Supinamarada!, and how did you feel when the serialization ended in about a year?

Because ice hockey was a genre that few had touched. Although there were some competing titles that were also about this subject, for some reason none was set in my place of origin Hokkaido, so it was an issue for me. I was convinced if it were me, I could write the real deal. I truly believed it would work, but the response was really cold and I felt down. When I think about it now, there were some unsatisfactory points to reflect on. First of all, the title was hard to remember. Next, it’s really important to attract readers’ attention just with one chapter. Nevertheless, although it wasn’t popular at all, I’m grateful I could have it published up to 6 volumes. I think it could have ended in 2 volumes. My editor-in-chief told me the series was put to an end because “I don’t want you to waste time”. Once you fail to attract the readers, it’s difficult to redeem it no matter how good you write the work.

Now I think that the editor-in-chief’s decision was absolutely right. But at that time, I regretted it.

Q: What were you considering for the serialization of Golden Kamuy?

I think it took about a year before I got the idea for Golden Kamuy. It’s because I got this strong desire to pay it all back by making my next work a hit. I thought if I could make my next work a hit, then people would learn about Supinamarada!, and they would notice how good it was.

The bitterness I felt at that time wouldn’t disappear unless I could sell Golden Kamuy, yet I am still not satisfied. Even now, I still don’t feel the sense of accomplishment for selling more than I thought. I think it has not offset all the hardships in making Golden Kamuy.

At any rate, I decided to made a dash with all might since the first chapter to drag readers along. Even now I feel like I’m running all the time with all my might.

However, what’s odd was that, because my previous work contained a lot of comedic elements, I decided to make Golden Kamuy seriously, with gags restrained. What a joke. Golden Kamuy has become a work abundant with practical jokes.

Q: Your motto is “You can’t make an interesting manga if you don’t carefully use your own feet, look with your own eyes, feel things yourself.”

That’s what I believe since the time I wrote my previous manga about ice hockey. A manga wouldn’t be interesting if it’s drawn based on only one’s own experience and imagination. Writing about a character’s stupid action or a failure of a person is easy.

What’s difficult is writing about professionals. Whether in ice hockey or hunting, professionals created through efforts have skills.

Meeting real people, observing, and listening to their stories are better than reading dozens of books. Even it it’s not a person but a “thing”, if you go to see the real thing yourself, you will notice a lot of stuff about it for the first time. I took pictures as many as possible from every angle of things such as Ainu tools.

Q: What do you think makes Golden Kamuy popular?

When I wrote the first chapter, I felt that this would become popular. The biggest point must be that Ainu culture feels fresh to the readers. I think it’s thanks to the courageous support I received from my managing editor and the editorial department for this delicate subject.

Q: What do you think is the most important thing in your “Power to Achieve” your goal?

I think the most important is the frontier spirit to take challenges in new things, be they the subject of ice hockey or Ainu. It’s important to have the courage to go to the direction nobody else is heading to despite the risks.

Although my previous work was a failure in terms of sales, I think I can leave behind a genuine ice hockey manga for this world. Ainu (culture) is only one of the elements that make up Golden Kamuy, but I think right now it’s the number one manga in terms of drawing Ainu (culture) in detail.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who are troubled because they haven’t found their targets or dreams?

If we go to the same direction like everybody else, there is less of the share for us. To choose a gambling-like life, one needs to be prepared to sacrifice everything.

Q: Do you have any favourite motto that you always take to heart?

“Go to see the real thing.” After properly collecting data and studying, it’s important to have boldness to tell a big lie on the verge of bankruptcy.

Q: Please tell us your future goals.

To keep running to the goal of this work with all might. Not to die when the serialization still runs.

Above: Noda Satoru’s handwriting: “Go to see the real thing!”

He marked that his biggest strengths are “action, determination”, followed by “thinking power” and “originality”, while the lowest are “body strength”, “cooperativeness” and “persistence”.