Tributes poured in yesterday for Japanese cartoonist Yoshito Usui after confirmation the bruised body of a man found on a mountain was that of the creator of the popular Crayon Shin-chan series.
Usui, 51, who was popular worldwide among manga enthusiasts, disappeared on Sept 11 after he went hiking on his own on a mountain range straddling Gunma and Nagano prefectures, north of Tokyo.
A body was found on Saturday by a fellow hiker and his family late Sunday confirmed it was Usui,a recluse who was married with two daughters.
The indications are he fell and there was no suggestion of suicide, police
and reports said.
His death dampened celebration yesterday on the Respect for the Aged holiday in Kas-
kabe, a suburban city
outside Tokyo which has become wellknown nationally as the place where the ca-
toonist lived and set
the Crayon Shin-chan story.
"I'm deeply depressed to hear the
unfortunate news. I pray his soul rests in peace with citizens here," Kasukabe mayor Ryozo Ishikawa said by telephone.
"I saw many sorrowful citizens today as 'Shin-chan' is definitely a Kasukabe kid. We hope 'Shin-chan', a byword for cheerfulness, will keep staying here with his family," he said.
Usui made his debut as a manga author in 1987 and sprang to prominence in the 1990s with Crayon Shin-chan ,which features the daily life of Shinnosuke, a mischievous five-year-old boy.
The series ran regularly in a magazine and later was made into a book and animation version.
"We had been praying for Mr Usui's safety with his family but now feel the utmost regret over how things have turned out. We are in a big shock,"Futabasha, the publishing house of Crayon Shin-chan , said in a statement.His books have been translated in 14 countries and the animated version has been aired in 30 countries.
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