Body found on mountain confirmed as 'Crayon Shinchan' cartoonist

Monday 21st September, 04:55 AM JST

MAEBASHI —

A body found on a mountain straddling Gunma and Nagano prefectures was confirmed Sunday as that of Yoshihito Usui, cartoonist of the popular ‘‘Crayon Shinchan’’ series adapted for TV and film. Usui’s family confirmed the identity of the body that was found by a climber on Saturday on 1,423-meter Mt Arafune, Gunma prefectural police said. The body was covered in bruises and no suicide notes were found near the body or in his belongings. Police said he may have fallen from a climbing path.

Usui, 51, had been missing since Sept 11, after telling his family at his home in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, that he would be hiking on the mountain and would be back by the evening. His family contacted police the following day as he never returned.

Near body, police also found a broken digital camera, a backpack containing a mobile phone and a wallet, and shoes.

The body was retrieved from around 100 meters below a cliff on a climbing path and airlifted by helicopter to a police station.

Usui started drawing ‘‘Crayon Shinchan,’’ the story of feisty kindergarten boy Shinnosuke Nohara living in Kasukabe with his family, in a comic book published by Futabasha Publishers Ltd in 1990.

The city of Kasukabe issued a special residence card for the Nohara family in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the municipality and has also been using Shinchan since April as the city’s mascot for its childrearing support campaign.

Latest 15 of 35 Total Comments Show All

DenDon at 12:26 PM JST - 21st September

I think that Yoshito Usui was cursed for poising a five year old boy to speak a bad language, behave poorly, and have a nasty adventure

luckily millions would agree with me in saying that's a ridiculous suggestion
Triumvere at 02:31 PM JST - 21st September

Broken camera would seem to indicate and accidental fall...
Ninjazilla at 03:24 PM JST - 21st September

where is the big retrospective? Oh wait this guy had talent and did something with his life so he doesnt deserve any tv time-back to JNN Japan NoriP Network
The758 at 06:19 PM JST - 21st September

It's a shame if he did die from a fall, all alone in the mountains.
ca1ic0cat at 08:54 PM JST - 21st September

I don't think he killed himself. His digital camera was out of his pack and away from the body. He was probably taking a picture and lost his balance. Sad end.
IvanCoughalot at 09:15 PM JST - 21st September

Techall, Nibu, you're quite right. The idea of a Japanese man, in his fifties, and one of an artistic temperament at that, is entirely at odss with the concept of suicide. We all know the Japanese are a happy-go-lucky bunch and thoroughly enjoy life to the very dregs.

I have absolutely no doubt this was an unhappy accident. Curse that foreign devil Isaac Newton! It would be perfectly safe for men in their fifties to go anywhere alone if it weren't for that pesky gravity.
timtak at 09:56 PM JST - 21st September

The Japanese press conjected that he may have committed suicide and gave a conjected motive, entirely conjecture, utterly un proven, and, I repeat, conjectural that his membership of a new religion (which seems to have been Yehova's Witnesses according to other Internet conjecture) was a sorce of friction in his family home, especially, it was conjected with his mother who, it is conjected lived with the author.

I imagine a guy who writes about a rebellious five year old for all his life, into his fifties, joining a religion that claims to give its members access to an objective, Biblical truth, a irrefutable foundation, a rock. And then he fell from one. Poor man. RIP.
XXXXX at 10:57 PM JST - 21st September

too bad and sad.
usaexpat at 11:32 PM JST - 21st September

I'm guessing he fell if there was no note. Sad RIP.
IchyaWarFare at 07:54 AM JST - 22nd September

So sad. Really enjoyed his work. You will be missed.
PepinGalarga at 09:47 AM JST - 22nd September

i didnt know who he was but it was a big mistake to go hiking alone. Perhaps police should open an investigation. They spend most of their time checking bycicle registrations anyway.
aedfed at 11:18 AM JST - 22nd September

Hiking alone is not inherently dangerous, especially in Japan where the trails are well maintained and you often encounter other hikers. However, that doesn't mean he might not have accidentally fallen.

Sad that he died. However, if I had to choose between falling off a mountain and being hit by a car in a crosswalk, I'd sure choose the mountain.
richiesama at 11:46 AM JST - 22nd September

>Sad that he died. However, if I had to choose between falling off a mountain and being hit by a car in a crosswalk, I'd sure choose the mountain. I agree with you aedfed, but it would also depend on the size and speed of the car and how far a fall from the mountain - I mean, a nice whack from a shingou-mushi Hino dump truck and you wouldn't even know it had happened. Whereas, a fall from a path that merely breaks a dozen bones in your body would leave you suffering for hours if not days. I'll take the dumptruck in that scenario.
memyselfI at 03:37 PM JST - 22nd September

it really doesn't matter if he had a camera around his neck or not. What matters was his mental state at the time.

I saw on tv the cliff he jumped off of...... It's pretty dangerous do people take off their shoes and leave their mobile phone when they jump in the train tracks ?
AeJaLove at 06:57 PM JST - 22nd September

oh noooooooo.. suicide or not, it's really sad he died like that.. and no more Shin-chan :( RIP Usui Yoshito-san... sniff..