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At the age of 16, HASEGAWA Machiko became one of the first female mangaka, by working as an apprentice to TAGAWA Suiho. She received People's Honor Award in 1992. Her death was caused by heart failure on May 27, 1992, at the age of 72.
HASEGAWA's postwar strip (Sazae-san) was serialized in a daily newspaper. It was usually four only four panels in length, it was for families and it was rarely controversial (only when she wrote feminist panels, some controverses appeared). It was groundbreaking in that it starred a female protagonist: Sazae.
She worked with her sisters and mother by creating a publishing company, so she could live of her manga. Now, Kodansha has the rights of Sazae-san and all of her other works.
Her comic strip Sazae-san, created in 1946, was turned into a dramatic radio series in 1955 and a weekly animated series in 1969, which is still running as of 2025. In 2024 ( Reiwa 6), it has been on the air for over 55 years, holding the Guinness World Record as the longest-running animated television program in the world .
There's an art museum in Setagaya, Tokyo, that showcases original drawings, clay dolls and paintings, as well as works by Western and Japanese artists.
