Photo: Lighthalzen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Hitoshi Iwaaki is credited as a mangaka and visual artist. Hitoshi Iwaaki was born in Tokyo, Japan on July 28, 1960. That works out to 66 years old in 2026. Schooling on record includes Wako University. Listed accolades include Seiun Award for Best Comic (1996), Kodansha Manga Award (1993), Japan Media Arts Festival (2010) and 1 more.
My Take
Reading Parasyte for the first time is a strange experience, because the horror premise turns out to be the least interesting thing about it. Creatures take over human heads, yes, but Hitoshi Iwaaki spends the whole series doing something colder and more useful: interrogating what a human being actually is, without ever letting sentiment settle the question. Born in Tokyo in 1960 and educated at Wako University, he has been recognized from directions that rarely overlap. The Kodansha Manga Award in 1993 and the Seiun Award for best comic in 1996 came from inside the genre world. The Japan Media Arts Festival in 2010 and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2012 came from the cultural establishment. His long-running project Historie moves the same analytical instinct into the ancient world. He is not a fast or prolific artist by industry standards. But each page reads as though it was reasoned into existence rather than merely drawn, which makes the waiting easier to forgive.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Hitoshi Iwaaki
- Name (Japanese)
- 岩明均
- Reading
- いわあき ひとし
- Born
- July 28, 1960 (age 66)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Rat
- Origin
- Tokyo, Japan
- Occupation
- mangaka / visual artist
2. Background
- University
- Wako University
Awards & achievements
- 1996 Seiun Award for Best Comic
- 1993 Kodansha Manga Award
- 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival
- 2012 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize
3. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Parasyte | — | |
| Notable work | Historie | — |
4. Links
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitoshi%20Iwaaki
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B2%A9%E6%98%8E%E5%9D%87
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1191638
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-08-07
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Hitoshi Iwaaki born?
Born July 28, 1960 (age 66).
Where is Hitoshi Iwaaki from?
Hitoshi Iwaaki is from Tokyo, Japan.
What does Hitoshi Iwaaki do?
Hitoshi Iwaaki works as mangaka, visual artist.
What is Hitoshi Iwaaki known for?
Notable works include Parasyte, Historie.
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