Author of Long-Running Honobono Kun Passes Away

Manga author, Kimihiko Tsukuda passed away on the 28th of June of pneumonia, it was made public today. He was 80 years old.

His most-known series, Honobono Kun, ran from 1956 till 2007 and was serialised in the Tokyo Shinbun. In that time, there was an approximate total of 7 years break, but 44 years of serialisation is a very well-commended effort. Appearing a total of 15,451 times, the series set the record for most serialised appearances in a domestic newspaper. The second longest-running newspaper comic is the late Yoshiro Kato's "Mappira-kun," which ended on its 13,615th strip in 2001. At the time, Tsukuda-san could no longer continue the series due to ailing health.

In 2004, Honobono Kun won the Japan Cartoonists Association Awards.

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