In commemoration of Shueisha’s 95th anniversary, they are releasing 12 volumes of a series called “Great Figures in the History of Asia” (アジア人物史). The project will cover the history of the vast Asian region and key figures from ancient times to the 21st century. The editorial committee consists of 10 professors who are leading experts in researching contemporary Asian history. The overall supervisor of the project is Kang Sang-jung, a Korean political scientist and writer. Hirohiko Araki, creator of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series, illustrated all 12 covers of the series.
Over 170 scholars have written the books and it features over 3000 historical figures.
© HIROHIKO ARAKI & LUCKY LAND COMMUNICATIONS
Each illustration has a set of three elements: a person, a prop, and a pattern. Araki designed them together with the editorial department after as much historical research as possible. Each illustration is applied to the cover with gold foil stamping.
Japanese customers who pre-order all volumes by February 28, 2023 will receive a set of two original book cards worth 1,000 yen with the cover illustrations of Volume 7 and 8 by Araki as a bonus. Details on how to apply are on the official site.
Volumes
The volumes are not published in the order that they are numbered in. Instead, Shueisha will publish both Volume 7 and Volume 8 first on December 1, 2022. They will publish the final one, Volume 12, on April 26, 2024. An index is scheduled to publish on October 25, 2024.
The total price of purchasing all 12 volumes as well as the index is estimated to be around 54,670 Japanese yen (around ~$389 USD).
Volume 1: Mythical World and Ancient Empires
Releases on January 26, 2023
Price: 4400 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Yasuhisa Hara (Manga artist of Kingdom)
Key Figures:
Hammurabi / Darius I / Jesus / Buddha / Ashoka / Confucius / Qin Shi Huang / Modu Chanyu / Sima Qian / Wang Mang / Cao Cao / Kanishka I / Kaundinya / Purnawarman / Others
Volume 2: Birth and Influence of World Religions and Rivalry of East Asia
Releases on February 24, 2023
Price: 4400 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Tatsuru Uchida (Scholar)
Key Figures:
Nagarjuna / Buddhaghosa / Fu Jian / Xiao Tong / Empress Xiao / Emperor Wen of Han /
King Gwanggaeto / King Jangsu / King Muryeong / King Jinheung / Prince Umayado / Gim Chunchu / King Sinmun / Emperor Tenji / Muhammad / Others
Volume 3: Empires of Eastern and Western Eurasia
Releases on August 25, 2023
Price: 4400 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Mari Yamazaki (Manga artist of Thermae Romae)
Key Figures:
Wu Zetian / Xuanzang / Won Hyo / Shi Daoci / Songtsen Gampo / Tonyukuk / An Lushan / Du Fu / Huang Chao / Sanjaya Belatthiputta / Shailendra / Jayavarman II / Al-Ma’mun / Abaoji / Wang Jian / Others
Volume 4: Cultural Maturity and The Rise of Warriors
Releases on June 26, 2023
Price: 4400 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Kenichi Sato (Novelist)
Key Figures:
Fujiwara no Michinaga / Emperor Shirakawa / Jien / Yi Cha-yŏn / Yi Ja-gyeom / Rajaraja I / Jayavarman VII / Sima Guang / Huizong / Li Qingzhao / Zhu Xi / Baybars I / Choe Chung-heon / Others
Volume 5: Unification of Eurasia by the Mongol Empire
Releases on October 26, 2023
Price: 4400 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Kenzo Kitakata (Novelist)
Key Figures:
Genghis Khan / Kublai / Rashid al-Din / Guan Hanqing / Wang Chongyang / Qiu Chuji /
Hojo Yasutoki / Muso Soseki / Chungnyeol of Goryeo / Nizamuddin Auliya / Gadjah Mada / Ibn Battuta / Ibn Taymiyyah / Others
Volume 6: Land and Sea in the Post-Mongolian Era
Releases on December 15, 2023
Price: 4400 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Masachi Osawa (Sociologist)
Key Figures:
Timur / Taejo of Joseon / Sejo of Joseon / Ashikaga Yoshimitsu / Sho Hashi / Lan Yu / Zheng He / Wang Yangming / Mehmed II / Babur / Wang Zhi / Dhammazedi / Muzaffar Shah / Lê Thánh Tông / Fan Zhongyan / San Pedro Bautista / Others
Volume 7: Prosperity of the Early Modern Empires and Europe
Releases on December 1, 2022
Price: 3960 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Yuko Tanaka (Sociologist)
Key Figures:
Ismail I / Suleiman I / Evliya Çelebi / Akbar /Francis Xavier / Toyotomi Hideyoshi / Gwanghaegun of Joseon / Yi Sun-sin / Yi Huang / Yi I / Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) / Kangxi Emperor / Huang Zongxi / 6th Dalai Lama / Nyaungyan / Others
Volume 8: Completion of the Shape of Asia
Releases on December 1, 2022
Price: 3960 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Jiro Asada (Author)
Key Figures:
Haneji Choshu (Sho Shoken) / Hoshu Amenomori / Tokugawa Yoshimune / Ogyu Sorai / Yi Ik / Qianlong Emperor / Quang Trung / Gia Long / Hyder Ali / Raja Ram Mohan Roy / Midhat Pasha / Central Asian Intellectuals / Yung Wing / Empress Dowager Cixi / Yuan Shikai / Others
Volume 9: Establishing Nations in Turbulent Times
Releases on February 26, 2024
Price: 4400 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Genichiro Takahashi (Novelist)
Key Figures:
Choe Je-u / Gojong / Bakumatsu Group / Yukichi Fukuzawa / Shibusawa Eiichi / Ito Hirobumi / Uchimura Kanzo / Naito Konan / Sun Yat-sen / Saya San / Jamal al-Din al-Afghani / Mehdi Qoli Hedayat / Mustafa Kemal Atatürk / Revolutionary Generation in Central Asia / Others
Volume 10: Dream of National Liberation
Releases on March 24, 2023
Price: 4510 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Chizuko Ueno (Sociologist)
Key Figures:
Yun Chi-ho / Kim Maria / Li Jae-yu / Lu Xun / Eileen Chang / Lin Xian-tang / Kartini / Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay / Olga Lebedeva / Abdurreshid Ibrahim / Abdur Rahman Khan / 8th Jebtsundamba Khutuktu / Saad Zaghloul / Malak Hifni Nasif / Goto Shinpei / Natsume Soseki / Kunio Yanagita / Sakuzo Yoshino / Hiratsuka Raicho / Iha Getsujo / Others
Volume 11: Beyond the Calamity of World War
Releases on April 26, 2023
Price: 4510 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Tessa Morris-Suzuki (Historian)
Key Figures:
Kim Seong-su / Kim Chon-hae / People associated with Keijo Imperial University / People associated with Taihoku Imperial University / Chiang Kai-shek / Hu Shih / Mao Zedong / Phibun / Sukarno / Aung San / José Rizal / Gandhi / Mosaddegh / Emperor Showa (Hirohito) / Hotsumi Ozaki / Shigeharu Nakano / Tatsuo Hayashi / Yoshiko Yamaguchi / Tomoe Yamashiro / Others
Volume 12: Toward the Asian Century
Releases on April 26, 2024
Price: 4510 Japanese yen
Includes an essay by Akira Ikegami (Journalist)
Key Figures:
Korean War Figures / Kim Dae-jung / Deng Xiaoping / Lee Teng-hui / Bruce Lee / 14th Dalai Lama / Ho Chi Minh / Suharto / Ferdinand Marcos / Ne Win / Sarit Thanarat / Norodom Sihanouk / Mahathir Mohamad / Lee Kuan Yew / Vietnam War Figures / Jawaharlal Nehru / People involved in the War in Afghanistan / Ruhollah Khomeini / Gamal Abdel Nasser / Yasser Arafat / Taizo Ishizaka / Sanzo Nosaka / Nobusuke Kishi / Masao Maruyama / Shigeru Mizuki / Masahide Ota / Others
Sources: Official Site, Shueisha
About Hirohiko Araki
Hirohiko Araki is a manga artist from Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is his most successful series being in serialization for nearly 36 years and highly regarded internationally. The series is divided into eight parts, featuring different protagonists. Araki announced the ninth part in August 2021 but there is currently no details.
