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Section 3 Ryoko Yamagishi’s World

Theme: 1: From Early Avant-Garde Works to Arabesque

At the start of her career, Yamagishi drew characters with cute, rounded features, until around the release of Rain and Cosmos (1971), when her style shifted toward a more realistic approach characterized by elongated figures. This transformation deviated sharply from the accepted shojo manga aesthetics of the time, reportedly causing no small amount of bewilderment among readers and editors alike.

She also took an avant-garde approach with respect to subject by focusing on an intimate relationship between two women in The Two in the White Room (1971), published around the same period. In the same year, she launched her first long-term serialization, Arabesque, in the October issue of RIBON.

While ballet had been a popular motif in girls’ magazines from the late 1950s through the 1960s, and was largely considered a cliche, Yamagishi took on a full-fledged ballet manga by depicting grueling physical training, based on her own experience. The struggles and growth of Nonna, striving to become a prima ballerina, quickly resonated with readers, making the series a success. Yamagishi successfully depicted ballet not as mere decorative window dressing, but as a serious art form.

The Two in the White Room

SHUEISHA, RIBON COMIC, February 1971

Resine, a girl who has lost her parents, first meets Simone at boarding school. Behind Simone’s delinquent attitude lie hidden feelings of loneliness. Resine finds herself hopelessly drawn to Simone, leading to conflicted feelings about a relationship that society will not accept. A work themed around female homosexuality.

Guessing Game

SHUEISHA, Bessatsu Seventeen, November 1972

As Rupert, the young head of the Roche family, prepares for marriage, his half-brother Michel — the child his father had with a mistress — suddenly appears. Rupert finds himself irritated by Michel's slovenly appearance and provocative attitude… This is the first installment in the "Michel Duthoit series," centered on a bewitching young man who is lonely, sensitive, and pure

The Red-Haired Boy　Original story: Jules Renard, “Poil de Carotte”

SHUEISHA, Bessatsu Seventeen, May 1973

Stéphane, disparagingly called “Carrot” for his red hair and freckles, endures constant abuse until his uncle Emmanuel arrives from the city… This work is a comic adaptation of Jules Renard’s autobiographical novel Poil de Carotte. Yamagishi interprets the novel in her own way to depict the darkness—and salvation—of a dysfunctional family.

Arabesque

Part 1: SHUEISHA, RIBON, October 1971 - April 1973

Part 2: HAKUSENSHA, Hana to Yume, June 1974 (First Issue) - November 5, No. 22, 1975

Nonna, who attends ballet school in Soviet-era Kiev, is troubled by her tall stature and suffers from low self-esteem. After a fateful encounter with Yuri Mironov, however, her innate talent begins to blossom. This authentic ballet manga charts Nonna’s progress as she races down the path to becoming a prima ballerina, torn between fierce competition and her passion for art.

Theme 2: The World of Myth and Fairy Tales

Mainly throughout the 1970s, Yamagishi published numerous short stories borrowing their titles from Greek mythology, Western fairy tales, and folklore. While Tinker Bell (1973) and Rapunzel, Rapunzel (1974) were written as coming-of-age stories — typical of shojo manga — works like Harpy (1978), Sphinx (1979), and Medusa (1979) used legendary monsters to embody madness and psychological distortion. In these works, mythological and folkloric motifs serve not only as simple narrative frameworks, but also as devices to visualize human interiority.

Additionally, her serialized work The Fairy King is a fantasy-adventure epic set in her home prefecture of Hokkaido. A high fantasy following Jack, a young boy who awakens as the reincarnation of the king in a fairy nation and rises to save his country from impending doom, it has profoundly influenced subsequent works across all genres.

The Fairy King

HAKUSENSHA, Hana to Yume, May 5 1977, No. 9 - November 5 1978, No. 21

Jack moves to Hokkaido to recover from an illness. There he meets Cú Chulainn and awakens as the reincarnation of the Fairy King. Jack sets out on an adventure with his companions in order to save the fairy kingdom of Nymphidia, which is on the verge of succumbing to the rule of the evil witch Queen Mab. A unique fantasy action story.

Christmas

Akita Shoten, Monthly Princess, January 1976

After his parents’ divorce, Georges is passed around among relatives until, at the age of seven, he arrives at the Faulk household on a snowy day in Iowa. There the only person to treat him with any warmth is a woman over forty, Miss Sook, who herself has long been mistreated by the Faulk family…

Syrinx Pan

Akita Shoten, Monthly Princess, May 1976

Ossian, a young novelist struggling with his second work, agrees to inherit his uncle’s mansion, partly in the hope of escaping his editor. “You must live there, and keep one Pan,” reads the will. Pan is a pastoral god with a bearded human face, goat ears, and goat legs. What exactly, then, is the “Pan” being kept at the isolated mansion…?

Tinker Bell

SHUEISHA, Deluxe Margaret, 1973, Autumn Issue

Surrounded by her beautiful mother and sisters, Daphne has grown up being scorned as an ugly duckling. When she is four years old, she meets the fairy Tinker Bell. Nicknaming her Tink, she grows up with the fairy as her only friend, until her classmate’s older brother, Guy, begins to take an interest in her. Once Daphne opens her heart to Guy, she can no longer see Tink. A coming-of-age story about an awkward young girl.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel

KODANSHA, Bessatsu Shōjo Friend, June 1974

The botanist Octave Fié comes to stay at the Mélobac estate, a mansion with a tower, for research purposes. One day, he hears a mysterious voice and encounters a beautiful girl with long, golden hair at the top of the tower, and is at once captivated by her. However, Madame Mélobac immediately tries to drive Octave away. An original story based on the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, this work explores the relationship between a mother and daughter.

Tales of Metamorphosis

HAKUSENSHA, Hana to Yume, May 20, 1976, No. 10 - October 20, 1976, No. 20

“Students across the country preparing for college entrance exams! Transform!!”
Kumi Onishi, born into a doctor’s family, just manages to slip into a prestigious prep school at her parents’ recommendation, but is exhausted by a life consumed with studying. It’s then that transfer student Kaname Soga appears. His independence and open demeanor leave the stiff, test-obsessed prep schoolers bewildered… A traditional school youth story, unusual for Yamagishi.

Pannykhis

HAKUSENSHA, Hana to Yume, December 20, 1976, No. 24 - January 5, 1977, No. 1

A short work inspired by the poetry of André Chénier, a poet of the French Revolution. Harry and Nelly, intelligent and beautiful siblings, do not attend school but instead immerse themselves in books and fantasy worlds. As they grow older, however, elder brother Harry moves on to a different school. Nelly, who wants to hold on to the pure, golden heart of childhood, begins to feel a distance opening up between herself and Harry…

Harpy

Shogakukan, Petit Comic, December 1978, Extra Issue

The protagonist has completely lost his rhythm due to the arrival of an out-ofseason transfer student at the prep school he attends. As his grades drop, he begins to sense a mysterious “scent” coming from the transfer student... The title “Harpy” refers to the half-human, half-bird female creature of Greek mythology. It can also mean “plunderer.”

Sphinx

HAKUSENSHA, Hana to Yume, October 20 1979, No. 20

An unnamed boy is trapped in a witch’s mansion, empty and deserted, where a Sphinx appears every day. If he fails to answer its usual riddles, he will be devoured. In the midst of these inescapable, hellish days, something changes in the witch’s mansion: someone begins calling him by the name Erskine. But if the Sphinx notices this, the boy will be eaten. Will he ultimately be saved?

Pied Piper

SHUEISHA, you-all, 1991, Vol. 3

Her husband’s job transfer brings the protagonist to M City, where she once lived as a young child. And in the neighboring S City, a case of a missing child awakens abominable memories from 23 years prior… The “Pied Piper” of the title refers to the man who appears in the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The story depicts the terror caused by a kidnapper who, though unseen, must be close by.

Blue Roses

SHUEISHA, you-all, 1991, Vol. 7

Illustrator Tamiko Kawada has grown up being constantly compared to her more accomplished younger sister, leaving her with low self-esteem. Just before turning thirty, she falls in love with Kazuhisa Nakajima, an editor two years her junior, and discovers the joy of being loved. With new confidence in herself, she begins to look at the world in a different way. Her relationship with Kazuhisa comes to an end, however, and the heartbroken Tamiko looks back on their memories and reflects on her life. A refreshing short story depicting a woman’s emotional independence.

Medea

KODANSHA, amie, March 1997

Hitomi Arimura is a college student whose parents are estranged; her father has left home, and her mother depends on her too much. While grateful to her mother, Hitomi tries to break free from her clinginess, secretly preparing to study abroad and taking steps toward independence. But her mother discovers her plans. Taking its title from the Medea of Greek mythology, this short story depicts the madness and tragedy of motherhood.

Medusa

Kisotengai-sha, Bessatsu Kiso Tengai, 1979, No. 9

Medusa is a monster with snakes for hair and an appearance that turns whoever looks at her to stone. Today, too, she has turned a number of people into stone. At home, however, there is Nicola — the one person who can look at Medusa without being petrified. It is only when she is with Nicola that Medusa can return to being human. A masterful short work that draws on a mythological monster to depict the inner workings of the human heart.

Daphne

Shogakukan, Petit Flower, 1981, Winter Issue

Sonia, struggling with psychosomatic troubles, comes to Madame Pécourt’s ivy-covered hotel for rest and recovery. Staying there are various other regulars, each seeming to carry a story of their own. One night, a suspicious intruder suddenly enters Sonia’s room — but everyone claims not to have seen such a person. Something is not right about this hotel. A short story tinged with mystery that probes the darkness within the human heart.

Black Helen

HAKUSENSHA, Hana to Yume, June 5 1979, No. 11

The Trojan War, caused by the "Judgment of Paris" of Greek mythology. This manga depicts the story surrounding Helen, the woman at the center of the conflict and the most beautiful in the world. By juxtaposing Helen, beautiful and beloved by all, with her ugly, unloved older sister Clytemnestra, the author reinterprets the myth as a psychological drama in her own unique style.

Abyss: Tartarus

Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, February 1988

Delphine is blonde, blue-eyed, beautiful, and intelligent. Evelyne, her younger sister, is a brunette with gray eyes. Though they look identical in every other way, their fates diverge greatly, with everyone's attention always fixed on Delphine. A short psychological drama exploring the tragedy sparked by jealousy and envy toward an older sister.

The Happy Prince

Akita Shoten, Monthly Princess, May 1976

Martin, living a dissolute life in London, learns from the newspaper that his childhood friend Constance, who had married a wealthy man at the age of sixteen, has taken her own life after suffering a bankruptcy. When he visits her mansion to pay his respects, he finds there a boy who looks exactly like Constance. As he cares for the boy, not only Martin but the people around him gradually grow kinder. A poignant original story reminiscent of the fairy tale "The Happy Prince."

Theme 3: Breaking New Ground with Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun

Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun is Yamagishi’s masterpiece. It was serialized for roughly four years beginning with the April 1980 issue of LaLa, a sister magazine to Hana to Yume (Hakusensha) launched in 1976. Set in the Asuka period, this political drama centers on Prince Umayado (later known as Prince Shōtoku) as he rises to prominence amid the treacherous power struggles of the imperial court. Yamagishi’s depiction of the Prince as an enchanting bishonen (or beautiful youth) fundamentally transformed the public’s vague perception of him as merely “the historical figure on the 10,000-yen bill.”

Possessed of supernatural abilities yet isolated because of them, Umayado also agonizes over an unrequited passion for his subordinate, Soga no Emishi. This is a rich and theatrical human drama that captivated young readers at the time and caused a cultural sensation.

Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun

HAKUSENSHA, LaLa, April 1980 - June 1984

A historical drama depicting the early life of Prince Umayado (later Prince Shotoku). Known as a wise figure who contributed to the creation of a centralized state, he also actively promoted Buddhist culture during the Asuka period. Readers at the time were enthralled by Umayado’s political savvy, as he overwhelmed others with his beauty and superhuman abilities, as well as by the fate of his love-hate relationship with his close aide, Soga no Emishi.

Princess Umayako

HAKUSENSHA, LaLa, November 1984 -

Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, August (First Issue) - September 1985
A spin-off of Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun. After the death of their great father, Prince Shotoku, the surviving princes and princesses learn of the existence of his secret daughter—the Princess Umayako. As disputes arise over this new princess, who possesses a bewitching beauty inherited from her father, the balance of power at the Imperial Court, already so strained, soon begins to collapse…

Theme 4: The Portal to Another World — At the Threshold of Reality 

Many of Yamagishi’s short stories draw inspiration from Japanese folktales and folklore, depicting the boundary between the real and the unreal, or the threshold between this world and the next. In these narratives, everyday life is portrayed not as a closed, secure space, but as something that exists in fragile equilibrium with an otherworld to which it is connected.

Works such as The Visitor in the Rain (1979) offer a gentle depiction of an encounter that transcends time and space, while others, like Voice of the Tide (1983) and Hakuganshi (2000), portray the tragedy and suffering of people cursed with the ability to “see” the supernatural. Furthermore, in works such as Yomotsu Hirasaka (1983) and My Doll Is a Good Doll (1986), intense psychic attachments manifest themselves across boundaries between worlds.

Underlying all these works is a gaze directed toward human folly and desire, as well as the continuity between mind and body. The otherworld is not something that exists externally, but rather something that lurks within people, and Yamagishi insightfully visualizes this critical threshold.

Burial of the Hina Dolls

HAKUSENSHA, Hana to Yume, March 20 1976, No. 6

In the spring she turns sixteen, Yayoi is invited to a Doll Festival at the old family household her great-grandfather was said to have married into. The only current successors of the household are an old woman—the current head—and Shizune, a beautiful girl the same age as Yayoi. But when Yayoi wakes in the middle of the night and wanders through the mansion, she encounters a handsome man who calls himself “Shizuo”… A mystery horror that blends aestheticism and old customs.

Summer Fable

SHUEISHA, Monthly Seventeen, August 1976

Sumio is hoping to enjoy his summer vacation when he’s tasked with housesitting at an acquaintance’s home for two weeks in H City. In the sweltering heat of the city there is a girl he often sees, and soon he begins to wonder where she lives and why she wanders the summer streets… The “summer flash” in manga expression pierces the reader’s heart.

A Visitor in the Rain

SHUEISHA, Monthly Seventeen, July 1979

Kuniko Itoi, forty and unmarried, works at city hall and thoroughly enjoys her single life. Society looks coldly on a woman who avoids socializing and refuses to marry, however. One rainy day, when Kuniko returns home, a girl who calls herself Bell is waiting for her. Bewildered by Bell, who claims to have always lived with her, Kuniko finds her fate beginning to change. A heartwarming story.

Yomotsu Hirasaka

Akita Shoten, Bonita, October 1983

A short work bearing the name of the slope that, in Japanese mythology, exists between the living world and the underworld. The story begins with a woman awaking in deep darkness. Unable to move her body or to remember anything clearly, she panics—until, at a certain moment, she hears sounds she couldn’t hear before, and unfamiliar scenes suddenly come into view. What on earth has happened to this woman?

Voice of the Tide

Shogakukan, Petit Comic, November – December 1982

Seventeen-year-old Sawa is a psychic girl who appears on television. For a magazine feature on the occult, she stays at a deserted mansion with other psychics. Although she continues to encounter strange phenomena there—piles of medicine wrappers, wandering children, and the sound of the tide—she is mocked as a “fake” and no one believes her. As Sawa is pushed to the edge by fear and isolation, disbelieving adults only pressure her further. A tale of the uncanny, where the gap between fiction and reality erodes the mind.

Tsukuyomi

Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, August 1986

A work that takes as its motif the three noble deities of Japanese mythology: Amaterasu-Omikami, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, and Takehaya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Tsukuyomi faithfully serves his sister Amaterasu, even as he harbors feelings of longing for her. He spends his days anguished by the fact that, though both he and Susanoo are younger brothers, his sister avoids him while favoring Susanoo. Then, one day, Amaterasu asks him to run an errand to Ukemochi-no-Kami…

The Bird in the Cage

Shogakukan, Petit Flower, September 1981

Despite being born into the Bird clan, Toru is unable to fly. His grandmother, who has made a living by “flying” despite being blind, tells him on her deathbed, “You might be able to fly now.” What does the boy, who had been unable to break out of the tight-knit circle of the clan, obtain in the outside world...?

The Ayakashi House

Shogakukan, Petit Comic, June 1981

To attend high school in Tokyo, Aoi begins living with her aunt Yuko. Her aunt’s house, though newly built, is far from the authentic Western-style mansion her aunt had wanted, and is plagued with inexplicable phenomena like broken appliances and doors that open and close when no one is there. Yuko, however, seems not to mind them, and conducts herself in a more or less carefree manner. A bizarre comedy depicting the wonder and oddity lurking in everyday life.

Kiraigo

Asahi Sonorama, DUO, November 1981

Toshiko, exhausted by city life, begins a live-in job working at a seaside house. The master is a beautiful and kind woman who runs a tea ceremony class, and yet… After hearing from the housekeeper an old tale that demons appear if stones in the garden are moved, Toshiko begins to encounter certain anomalies that occur alongside earth tremors, and will eventually witnesses a harrowing sight. A story depicting the terror of a person who experiences the paranormal.

Yao Bikuni

Shogakukan, Petit Flower, September 1982

Ezaki, a high school girl who has moved to Tokyo, is suffering from loneliness and boredom when she meets a beautiful girl named Yaeko. Invited to the seaside house where Yaeko lives with her elegant young mother and aunt, Ezaki receives a warm welcome, but soon anomalous changes appear in her body. Rooted in the legend of mermaid flesh and immortality, “Yao Bikuni,” this is a bizarre tale suffused with a young girl’s feelings of fascination, unease, discomfort, and terror.

Chibiki

SHUEISHA, Bouquet, September 1984

The “Chibiki no Iwa,” as related in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), is a boulder that requires the strength of a thousand people to pull, and is considered the boundary separating this world from the underworld. Kanako, having transferred from Tokyo, senses something unusual about the abandoned gymnasium behind her school. After seeing a human figure in the pre-war building, she steps inside, as if being guided, and soon comes into contact with the presence of the otherworld. A short work depicting the strange phenomena surrounding liminal spaces.

Ame no Torifune

Shogakukan, Petit Flower, January 1985

Kazuya, having failed his high school entrance exams twice, attempts suicide with sleeping pills, but changes his mind and tries to return home. Still disoriented from the drug, however, he slips and falls from a cliff. Badly injured, Kazuya is rescued by an elderly man who runs an inn and a beautiful, mute girl. Though it always bustles with guests, there is something strange about this inn… A story about life and death that takes its title from Japanese mythology.

Wadatsumi no Iroko no Miya

Shogakukan, Petit Flower, April 1985

Toshiko, who has returned to her hometown with her daughter Kazumi for the thirteenth anniversary of her father’s death, stands before the sea and recalls her childhood memories. She can no longer remember why she once despised her hometown, but glimpsing the apparition of a young girl, and observing her daughter’s behavior, will revive memories of a girl in a hat who has appeared in her dreams. As she traces her memories, Toshiko uncovers her own past, as if guided by the sea, along with a hidden truth.

Tokijiku

Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, October 1985

On their eighth birthday, with their clan watching over them, Hyuga and Hikage partake of a special fruit. The fruit holds a mysterious power that allows the one “chosen” between them to cease aging. As the two go on to experience life differently, they adopt increasingly distinct roles and ways of being. A story depicting the profundity of human destiny, and the mysteries that lurk between the visible and the invisible.

My Doll is a Good Doll

Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, February - April 1986

Feeling responsible for the death of Hatsuko, daughter of the Nomoto family, the Takeuchi household offers a treasured doll as a burial item. But the doll, though meant to be cremated with Hatsuko, is for some reason set aside and preserved. Time passes, and as supernatural phenomena beset Hatsuko’s niece and her daughter Yoko, a grudge dwelling within the doll rises to the surface. “My doll is a good doll…” — set to a nursery rhyme melody, this is a chilling tale centered on a delicate and beautiful doll.

Rain Woman

Asahi Sonorama, Nemuki, 1994, Vol. 17

A manga based on an actual case. Kazuyoshi Mita captivates women with his silver tongue. The story unfolds from the perspective of his wife. Believing herself to be a “rain woman” with no luck in love and Kazuyoshi to be a “sunshine man” with no luck in money, she had high hopes for their marriage, assuming the contrast would make them an ideal couple. Though it pains her to see other women come into his life one after another, she finds herself unable to leave his side. A short story about sin and punishment, and the fateful ties that bind men and women.

Kimono Addiction

Akita Shoten, Bessatsu Princess, August 25 1993

A woman in a kimono walks alone down a small alleyway in town after the rain has lifted. As she walks the familiar path, she recalls various kimonos she once wore, and her thoughts drift to the care she had put into their patterns and how she wore them. A work that conveys the charm of meticulous kimono coordination from the perspective of a kimono-loving woman — or so it seems, until an unexpected development awaits.

Oni

USHIO PUBLISHING, Monthly Comic Tom, October 1995 - January 1996

The story begins with gruesome scenes from the Great Tenpo Famine. Time then shifts to the present day, where seven members of an art school club called “Fushigi-ken” (the Mysterious Academy) hold a study retreat at Korin-ji Temple in Iwate Prefecture. The temple, however, is detested by the locals for unexplained reasons, and soon the students find themselves swept up in eerie phenomena accompanied by the sound of a child crying.

Hakuganshi

USHIO PUBLISHING, Monthly Comic Tom Plus, May - September 2000

In post-war Otaru, the war-orphaned narrator is taken in by Hakuganshi, a blind man who can read people’s fates in their outward appearance, and given the name of Mitsuko. Mitsuko grows up without understanding the man’s powers, but something he tells her leaves a deep impression: “Happiness and unhappiness exist in equal measure for everybody.” A quiet story about human destiny and the nature of life.

The Flower of Time

Shogakukan, BIG COMIC, June 25 2018, No. 12

After a dream in which a flower is held out to her with the words, "It’s time," the protagonist A wakes to find herself lying on a park bench. As she begins to make her way home, nostalgic figures from her past appear before her one after another — a kind acquaintance from her lessons, a schoolteacher. Each time she reflects on her memories of these people, she finds herself back on the very same park bench. A story of a person caught in a loop of time and space.

Ushitora

KODANSHA, Morning, January 9, No. 2-3 (Double Issue) - February 6, No. 6, 2014

In the Chinese zodiac, “Ushitora” refers to the inauspicious space between the Ox and the Tiger — the northeast — and is known as a “demon gate” in Onmyōdō. The story begins with the scene of an unidentified convict’s prison escape. Meanwhile, for her job in publishing, Akiko interviews a psychic medium, who identifies a demon gate inside her home. From then on, Akiko will be plagued by inexplicable injuries and events. A strange tale depicting the intersection of reality and the spirit world.

Kitsunejo

Shogakukan, BIG COMIC FOR LADY, April 1981

Nine-year-old Masaru is taken in at a sprawling mansion called the “Inari Estate.” Keenly aware of the complex relationships of the people living there, he spends his days cleverly maneuvering to survive. One day, Masaru notices that a beautiful woman is living in the shrine on the estate grounds. The monologue and sharp gaze of protagonist Masaru, who trusts no one, suggest a relation to Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun, which was being written around the same time.

Chogoraku

Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, November 1986

A fantastical work starring the “Kalavinka,” a mythological creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a bird, said to play heavenly music in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This work tells stories of Tathāgata Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, from the perspective of a lone Kalavinka who has been punished for forgetting its duty to preach the Dharma to sentient beings. It has a unique structure, with the sections of each story divided like movements in music.

Theme 5: The Institution of “Family”

The dynamics of family relationships represent another vital, recurring theme that Yamagishi has explored across various works. In particular, she focuses on the imbalances and oppression inherent to the family as a community.

Celestial Arabesque (1979) is a masterpiece that depicts the tragedy of a woman victimized by the patriarchal system, leaving a shocking, profound impact on readers despite its short-story format. Furthermore, Tokoyo no Naganaki-dori (1985) and Konohana Sakuyahime (1986), drawing on anecdotes from the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), expose the sad reality that parents are not capable of loving their children equally.

Rather than viewing the family as a place of unconditional affirmation, Yamagishi recontextualizes it as a historically constructed social institution. Her perspective pointedly questions the distortions and absurdities embedded within traditional Japanese family values.

Dream

HAKUSENSHA, LaLa, February - March 1978

When her mother remarries, Yuzu Okamoto becomes the cousin of her classmate Shoko Suō. During winter break, she is invited to the magnificent Western-style mansion where the long-established Suō family resides, and there she meets the graceful and beautiful Niō. Yuzu enjoys a dreamlike stay, but gradually begins to notice the strange dynamics among the mansion’s inhabitants. There is also a secret lurking behind Niō’s elegance. A short story that delves into the darkness of the human unconscious.

Celestial Arabesque

Shogakukan, Weekly Shōjo Comic, January 20 1979, No. 2

Kyoko is fascinated by a blue flower blooming by the roadside. She learns its name from a friend, but when she tells her parents about it, her mother admonishes her to call it “Ten-nin Karakusa instead, and her father even scolds her… Examining the madness that lies behind everyday life, and the roles and restraints forced upon women merely for being women, this work became a turning point in Yamagishi’s creative output.

Tokoyo no Naganaki-dori

SHINSHOKAN, grape furuit, 1985, No. 21

The first appearance of chickens in Japanese written records is in the Kojiki, and their epithet “the long-crying birds of Tokoyo” derives from the myth that they were once gathered and made to crow when Amaterasu-Omikami hid herself in the Heavenly Rock Cave. This work opens as a grandmother comes across the corpse of a rooster, during a search for drowned Hanae. Hanae, sickly and beautiful, had long been the focus of her family’s love, leaving her younger sister Yukie feeling alienated and increasingly envious… A work that probes the darkness of love and hatred, beauty and ugliness.

Kamikakushi

Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, November 1985 - January 1986

Kazue Todo is a young district magistrate. After completing his duties in Edo, he has returned to his hometown for the first time in four years. His younger brother Kyoya was “spirited away” — lost — when they were young, and he is still haunted by it. When he visits his ancestors’ graves at the family temple, Kazue has a fateful encounter with a young man the same age as his brother, who calls himself Chifuyu Senoo.

Konohana Sakuya-hime

Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, June 1986

The title refers to the same Konohana Sakuya-hime who, according to ancient Japanese records, became consort to Ninigi-no-Mikoto because of her beauty, while her ugly older sister Iwanaga-hime was rejected. In this work, however, Sakuya is the elder sister, and is as brilliant as her namesake might suggest. The younger sister Noriko, meanwhile, follows a path already decided for her by Sakuya, and is often reminded of how inadequate she is in comparison. Eventually, through an encounter with her sister’s classmate, Noriko gradually begins to reconsider her own way of being.

Yasha Gozen

Shogakukan, Petit Comic, April 1982

The unnamed narrator "I" moves with her family to an old house deep in the mountains, where she senses an unsettling presence hanging over the premises. While struggling with the unfamiliar lifestyle, she is also continually tormented by isolation and anxiety, haunted by the appearance of a woman’s terrifying face and a mysterious black object. Though she endures her suffering out of concern for her family, her physical condition deteriorates as the supernatural phenomena intensify. A bizarre short story that depicts, in rich detail, a grotesque demon lurking within everyday life.

Mirror, Mirror…

SHUEISHA, Bouquet, October 1986

Fourteen-year-old Yuki’s mother is a beautiful, popular actress. While her mother is treated like a queen and fawned over by seven different lovers, Yuki — who shares only her mother’s fair skin but has a plump figure — is bullied at school. One day, after meeting a prominent gentleman who is said to have been her mother’s first lover, Yuki comes to realize a cruel truth. A story about a warped mother-daughter relationship and psychological conflict.

Green Foods

Part 1: Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, September 1987

Part 2: Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, November 1987

Toby is an angelic child star, idolized by his unremarkable younger sister Marsha. The family revolves around Toby — until his voice breaks and he loses his place in show business. But when Marsha turns out to possess an extraordinary singing voice, the siblings make a successful comeback as the duo known as Toby and Marsha. Yet the twisted love and jealousy between them eventually begin to take a toll on Marsha’s physical health. A cruel psychological drama.

Theme 6: A New Era of Ballet Manga

Following Arabesque, Yamagishi published several short stories based on real-life figures who left their mark on ballet history, such as Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (1989) and Black Swan (1994). In the 2000s, she returned to the genre with a full-scale, long-term serialization: Terpsichore (Part 1: 2000–2006, Part 2: 2007–2010).

A quarter of a century after the conclusion of Arabesque, the standard of Japanese ballet had risen to rival that of Western countries. In Terpsichore, Yamagishi shifted the story’s setting from Europe to contemporary Japan and once again vividly portrayed young women who devote their lives to ballet.

It is also worth noting that the protagonist, Yuki, is positioned not as a prima ballerina, but as a choreographer. This work, which delves not only into the physicality of the dancers but also into their creative perspectives, became a new benchmark for 21st-century ballet manga.

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

SHUEISHA, Bouquet, November - December 1989

In the early 20th century, the genius dancer Nijinsky performs with the cuttingedge Ballets Russes, captivating Paris audiences with his performances under Diaghilev. As he begins to win fame for his leaps and expressive power, he also choreographs Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun himself, and its avant-garde staging stirs up controversy. This work imagines the life of Nijinsky, a solitary dancer who pursued the ultimate limits of art, as seen through the eyes of choreographer Mikhail Fokine.

Black Swan

HAKUSENSHA, SERIE MYSTERY, April 1994

Under Mr. B, a genius choreographer who has defected from Russia, Maria gains both fame as a ballerina and a comfortable married life. However, she is permitted only to dance the classical Swan Lake, and even then only the part of Odette, the white swan, in Act I. Meanwhile, Mr. B’s gaze fixes on a talented young ballerina… The jealousy swirling deep in Maria’s heart will lead her to a certain place.

Wili

MEDIA FACTORY, DA VINCI, January - September 2007

Rena Higashiyama has been cast as the prima ballerina in Giselle, the pinnacle of Romantic ballet. With the CEO of an IT company serving as her patron, preparations for the performance proceed steadily, but there is “a certain rumor” regarding Hall H, where the performance will take place... This work tells a heartbreaking love story reminiscent of the Wilis, the unmarried spirits that appear in Giselle.

Terpsichore

Part 1: MEDIA FACTORY, DA VINCI, November 2000 - November 2006

Part 2: December 2007 - October 2010

Under her mother, who runs a ballet school, Yuki has had a carefree upbringing — in contrast to her older sister Chika, who is expected to have a promising future. But through an encounter with a transfer student, Yuki comes to discover the light and dark sides of ballet… This work portrays in painful detail the growth, anguish, and physical limits of girls aiming for the heights of artistic expression. Winner of the 11th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize Grand Prize.

The Spirit of Language

KODANSHA, BE LOVE, February 15, No. 4 - March 15, No. 6, 2013

“I am a hypocrite.” Ever since failing at a competition the previous year, Sayaka, who aspires to become a professional ballerina, finds herself shaken by even the slightest remarks from those around her… She tries various methods to overcome her emotional fragility. Through Sayaka’s monologues, the work gives expression to the close relationship between words and the body.

Theme 7: The Mysteries Lurking in History

Following Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun, Yamagishi continued to explore historical subjects, deepening her interest in the mysteries and transcendent forces hidden within them.

Works set in ancient Japan, such as Yamato Takeru (originally written by Takeshi Umehara, 1986–87) and The Bronze Era (1998–2000), imagine the relationships between figures who shaped history and divine beings, from ages so distant in the past that even historical facts about them are uncertain.

On the other hand, in Tutankhamun (1994–97), the presence of invisible forces lurking within the vast expanse of history is suggested through the inexplicable phenomena that surround the excavation of ancient Egyptian ruins. Yamagishi may view history not merely as a record, but as something imbued with mysteries that can never be fully unraveled.

The pinnacle of this approach is realized in Revelation (2015–20), her longest recent serialization. Tapping into the legend of the medieval French heroine Joan of Arc, the work meticulously chronicles the tragic life of a young girl, who dies caught between faith and the institution of the Church.

Yamato Takeru　Original story: Takeshi Umehara

Kadokawa Shoten, Monthly Asuka, December 1986 - July 1987

A work depicting, the life of Yamato Takeru, a hero of ancient Japanese history. After accidentally killing his twin brother Prince Ōusu, Yamato Takeru is ordered to lead a brutal subjugation campaign against barbarian tribes, resulting in a series of battles as brave as they are tragic. It is also worth noting that the protagonist boasts a very muscular physical beauty, which is somewhat rare in Yamagishi’s work.

Hatshepsut

HAKUSENSHA, SERIE MYSTERY, October 1995 / II: April 1996

A story concerning Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Menuu is a professional mourner, and her younger sister Seshen has the mysterious ability to stanch bleeding. After treating a certain noble, they are given the chance to meet Hatshepsut — before it seems she might ascend the throne — and are invited to the royal palace. When the current pharaoh playfully asks Menuu for a prophecy, she has a vision of Hatshepsut taking the throne…

Tutankhamun

HAKUSENSHA, LaLa, July 1994 - July 1995

USHIO PUBLISHING, Monthly Comic Tom, May 1996 - April 1997

“I am the one who shall make you king.” This historical drama, based on real events, depicts how archaeologist Howard Carter, guided by a figure in golden sandals who appears at his bedside in a dream, accomplishes the excavation of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. The story is further enriched by the presence of unique and mysterious characters, including a boy who identifies himself as “Ka,” a soul that lingers in the world of the living.

Isis

USHIO PUBLISHING, Monthly Comic Tom, June - August 1997

Upon ascending to the throne, Osiris chooses Isis — one of his two sisters — as his wife. In contrast to her lovely sister Nephthys, Isis is sickly and albino, with white hair and red eyes. Although Osiris pays little regard to her, Isis possesses mysterious powers. This work draws on ancient Egyptian mythology to depict human love and desire, power struggles, revenge, and fate.

The Bronze Era

USHIO PUBLISHING, Monthly Comic Tom Plus, May 1998 - February 2000

On a southern island of ancient Wa, Iyo lives with her deranged grandmother. The two spend their days being treated as a nuisance, until one day a man from the country of Ito, in Yamatai, crosses the sea and visits them. Set in a land ruled by the Shaman Queen Himiko, this historical tale depicts the turbulent fate of a young girl caught up in a royal succession dispute and conflicts with neighboring nations.

Revelation

KODANSHA, Morning, January 15 2015, No. 4-5 (Double Issue) - November 12 2020, No. 48

Jeanne, an ordinary shepherd’s daughter living in the village of Domrémy, is one day driven by a divine revelation: “Go to France, aid the king.” She goes on to lead the French army into battle to reclaim lost territory, unaware of the tragedy that will someday befall her… This work depicts the life of Joan of Arc, also known as “La Pucelle,” who carried the battle flag with a powerful faith in her heart during the Hundred Years’ War between England and France.

Theme 8: Essay Manga and Cover Illustrations

While Yamagishi is known for her serious, tense artistic style, another major characteristic is that at an early stage in her career, she began publishing essay comics based on her own daily life. These works are full of playfulness and humor, revealing a different side of her.

This section introduces two examples: Kesaran Pasaran (2011–12), a real-life account of building her own house, and The Near-Death Ballet Recital (2004), one of a series of works inspired by her experiences returning to ballet classes in her 40s — a hobby she took up as a child.

Additionally, Yamagishi illustrated the cover of the inaugural issue of Monthly Asuka, a manga magazine launched for teenagers by Kadokawa Shoten (now KADOKAWA), and continued to grace the magazine’s cover over the years with her brilliant illustrations.

Time Slip

MAGAZINE HOUSE, COMIC Allez!, November 20 1993

While descending Mount Hiei by taxi, the author experiences a strange phenomenon: the car keeps circling endlessly, unable to find a way out. When she later shares this story, it turns out there are others who have had a similar experience. Were they in fact bewitched by foxes or tanuki? And how did they manage to escape that maze? A mysterious tale about time and distance, based on the author’s own experience.

The Near-Death Ballet Recital

MEDIA FACTORY, DA VINCI, September 2004

An essay manga depicting how the author — who resumed ballet lessons at the age of forty-seven — and her fellow dancers push through one mishap after another during a recital filled with sweat and tears. Will they all manage to make it through Don Quixote in one piece?! A humorous behind-the-scenes account of the recital.

Kesaran Pasaran

MEDIA FACTORY, DA VINCI, March 2011 - October 2012

The story begins when Yurako, a reckless illustrator and essayist, suddenly announces she is going to build a house. Based on the author’s own experiences, this comical and unique work lightheartedly depicts the realistic challenges — and somewhat mysterious elements — of modern housebuilding.