The popular Japanese manga artist of “Crayon Shin-chan,” Yosh!to Usui, was
found dead in the mountains of Gunma prefecture after apparently falling to
his death off a cliff. Usui had reportedly gone missing on the 11th of the
month after telling his family he was going for a day-hike in the
mountains.
The body of 51 year old Yosh!to Usui was discovered by a hiker yesterday,
September 19th (JST), at the bottom of one of the steep cliffs of Mt.
Arafune, about 90 miles northwest of Tokyo. The incident appears to have
happened on the north face of the mountain about 100 meters (330 feet) from
the summit of a popular hiking trail. Mt. Arafune is famous locally for its
colored cliffs which run between 200 to 300 meters tall (about 650 to 1,000
feet), and is considered to be one of the top 200 mountains in Japan. While
there are no guard rails along the cliff edges, accidents on the mountain
are reportedly rare.
Rescue workers yesterday were unable to retrieve the body, which was
already believed to be lifeless. Today, September 20th, around 17 police
officials hiked up to the body’s location and had it airlifted out by
helicopter in the late afternoon. Although descriptions of the body’s
clothing matched Usui’s, identification was not officially determined until
late this evening after matching dental records. A broken digital camera
and a beige bag were also found in the same vicinity.
Usui, who enjoyed hiking, left his home early in the morning of the 11th
after telling his family that he was going to Mt.Arafune and would be back
by the evening. However, when he didn’t return home or answer his cell
phone on the 12th, his wife went to the police. A faint signal from the
phone was located in the Mt. Arafune area on the 13th, but could not be
pinpointed. The signal disappeared on the 15th according to reports.
The cause of the incident is still being investigated, but his family did
not believe Usui to be suicidal.
About Crayon Shin Chan
Kureyon Shin-chan (Crayon Shin-chan) is an awkwardly-drawn comic and
cartoon revolving around the antics of a fowled-mouthed Kindergartener,
Shinnosuke Nohara, and his family. It first appeared in a weekly Japanese
comic magazine in 1990. It was turned into a TV anime in 1992, followed by
numerous theatrical releases. The cartoon still airs new episodes weekly in
Japan, and the most recent Crayon Shin-chan movie, Crayon Shin-chan: Roar!
Kasukabe Animal Kingdom, was released earlier this year in Japanese
theaters. Dubbed versions of Crayon Shin-chan have played in the U.S. on
Cartoon Networks’ Adult Swim in the past.
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