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JoJo's Hirohiko Araki Paints His 1st Public Art Mural for Osaka

There are very few manga creators whose art transcends the medium and becomes a form of art unto itself. One such creator is Hirohiko Araki of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. While the art in his series started off rather mundane, Araki has pushed the limits of what a manga creator can do over the course of 35 years of experimentation. And now Araki is taking his skills from the pages of manga to public art in partnership with JR Osaka Station.

The West Japan Railway Company (JR West) announced the partnership between Araki and Osaka Station on May 16. While the announcement was light on details, JR West noted how Osaka Station is launching an “Osaka Station West Side Art Project (tentative name)” with a piece by Araki.

JR West further explained that Araki's first ever public art piece is based on the “Funsui Kozō” (Fountain Boy) figure that was erected with the second-generation Osaka Station building. The fountain had been with the station for 103 years and is currently residing in the Kyoto Railway Museum. Araki's piece in honor of the fountain will go on display on July 31 at the Inogate Osaka building.

Japanese news site Comic Natalie posted two videos of Araki for the Osaka Station project on YouTube. The first video shows Araki working on the piece while the second is an interview.

Araki working on something other than manga seems like an odd prospect, but it's not uncommon for manga creators to step away from manga to work on other art projects. With Araki's gekiga and fantastical touch, it'll be fascinating seeing what the final result.

Sources: JR West website (link 2, link 3), Osaka Station City X/Twitter account, Comic Natalie YouTube channel (link 2), Comic Natalie, Livedoor News X/Twitter account