Beyond Anpanman: Understanding Yanase Takashi’s Unlikely Rise to the Pinnacle of the Japanese Popular Culture Pantheon

NHK’s 2025 Asadora (morning drama) Anpan tells the fictionalized story of Komatsu Nobu (1918-1993), the wife of the Anpanman (Beanbun Man) cartoon creator Yanase Takashi (1919-2010). Although many Japanese today cannot connect his name with the Anpanman story, Yanase is acknowledged by popular culture historians as one of the most successful children’s manga and picture book writers. Indeed, his Anpanman family of characters, with a one-billion-dollar commercial empire built on its products and intellectual property, is as ubiquitous in the Japanese entertainment and marketing media as not only as its own Hello Kitty and Doraemon, but western imports such as Snoopy, Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse. This article discusses his long and complex life and his role as Kochi prefecture’s most revered cultural figure. It delineates the many influences on him in the pre- and immediately post-war years that led to his late blooming emergence as one of the country’s leading illustrators, artists, and creator of the Anpanman picture book series and animation. It also provides an English language guide for non-Japanese viewers of the NHK morning drama who may be curious about the accuracy of some of the events portrayed. The article has an accompanying slideshow to provide illustrations and other visual information needed to understand Yanase’s unique abilities and influence.