Gonta King
Description
Gonta King is the professional pseudonym of a Japanese manga artist born in Osaka Prefecture in 1962. The name is a stylized representation of his pen name, written in kanji as 王欣太 and romanized as KING GONTA. He began his career using the name GONTA, winning the Afternoon Four Seasons Award for a work titled A Mess on a Weekend in 1989 before making his serialization debut with Heaven in 1990. His early career included work as a salaryman and designer before he transitioned to manga, a path he has stated was influenced by the work of Taiwanese manga artist Chen Uen.
The creator is best known for Sōten Kōro, a historical manga serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Morning magazine from 1994 to 2005. The series was initially a collaboration with writer Lee Hak-in, who provided the original story. After Lee Hak-in died of liver cancer in 1998, Gonta King continued the series alone, concluding it with the death of its protagonist, the historical figure Cao Cao. The completed work spans 36 collected volumes and a total of 409 chapters. In 2009, Sōten Kōro was adapted into a 26-episode anime television series produced by the animation studio Madhouse.
Following the conclusion of Sōten Kōro, Gonta King created several other manga series. These include the mystery work ReMember, serialized from 2010 to 2012, and the historical manga Tatsujinden: 9-manri wo Kaze ni Nori, which was serialized from 2013 to 2023. Other notable works include Heaven, Jigoku no Ie, and Fire King.
Gonta King’s artistic identity is closely tied to his use of a brush-based style influenced by ink wash painting, a technique he adopted after being inspired by the work of Chen Uen. His pen name, which incorporates the Chinese surname Wang, was chosen to reflect his deep engagement with Chinese history and culture, a central focus of his major works. Sōten Kōro is noted for its portrayal of the Three Kingdoms period, drawing primarily from historical records like the Records of the Three Kingdoms rather than the more romanticized novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and for presenting Cao Cao as a complex protagonist.
His significance in the industry is marked by several accolades. Sōten Kōro won the 22nd Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 1998. Additionally, the deluxe edition art book Gaden Sōten Kōro, which he supervised, received an award at the 41st Japan Book Design Competition in 2007.
The creator is best known for Sōten Kōro, a historical manga serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Morning magazine from 1994 to 2005. The series was initially a collaboration with writer Lee Hak-in, who provided the original story. After Lee Hak-in died of liver cancer in 1998, Gonta King continued the series alone, concluding it with the death of its protagonist, the historical figure Cao Cao. The completed work spans 36 collected volumes and a total of 409 chapters. In 2009, Sōten Kōro was adapted into a 26-episode anime television series produced by the animation studio Madhouse.
Following the conclusion of Sōten Kōro, Gonta King created several other manga series. These include the mystery work ReMember, serialized from 2010 to 2012, and the historical manga Tatsujinden: 9-manri wo Kaze ni Nori, which was serialized from 2013 to 2023. Other notable works include Heaven, Jigoku no Ie, and Fire King.
Gonta King’s artistic identity is closely tied to his use of a brush-based style influenced by ink wash painting, a technique he adopted after being inspired by the work of Chen Uen. His pen name, which incorporates the Chinese surname Wang, was chosen to reflect his deep engagement with Chinese history and culture, a central focus of his major works. Sōten Kōro is noted for its portrayal of the Three Kingdoms period, drawing primarily from historical records like the Records of the Three Kingdoms rather than the more romanticized novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and for presenting Cao Cao as a complex protagonist.
His significance in the industry is marked by several accolades. Sōten Kōro won the 22nd Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 1998. Additionally, the deluxe edition art book Gaden Sōten Kōro, which he supervised, received an award at the 41st Japan Book Design Competition in 2007.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview