Thrilled at the Indian team’s performance in UK last year, Japanese manga artist shares why in a country that doesn’t favour the sport, she blends cricket and Indian mythology
Art from Bhagavat Crease, which was first published in India in 2013 with a sequel in 2018. The story follows Amir, a 9-year-old Muslim boy and incarnation of Lord Vishnu, raised by Patrick, a retired IPL player turned sage
In Shizuoka, where Mount Fuji looms majestically, manga artist Kiyomi Koizumi has carved a unique niche by creating the world’s first cricket manga, Bhagavat Crease. “I like Mohammed Siraj’s nickname, ‘Lionhearted Siraj.’ He’s humble and embodies the spirit of cricket,” Koizumi said, messaging via a Japanese-to-English translator after India’s thrilling six-run victory at the Oval cricket ground in England earlier this month. A fan of Indian cricket, Koizumi follows stars like Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja, despite cricket’s limited popularity in Japan, where it’s known as “Kuriketto”.
Koizumi’s Bhagavat Crease, first published in India in 2013 with a sequel in 2018, blends cricket with Indian mythology. The story follows Amir, a nine-year-old Muslim boy and incarnation of Lord Vishnu, raised by Patrick, a retired Indian Premier League (IPL) player turned sage. “I was the first Japanese person to draw a cricket manga. There was no precedent, so it was challenging,” Koizumi shared.
Cover art from the manga
Born in Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka, Koizumi began her manga career in her twenties, earning accolades like a Special Jury Award at the 2004 Square Enix Manga Awards in the shōnen category. Her interest in India sparked in her teens through Hindu mythology, particularly Lord Krishna. “All the ideas for the manga are my own,” she said, despite initial inhibitions from the Japanese Cricket Association and friends wary of depicting religion in manga. “In Japan, blending Hinduism with cricket was taboo, but I felt mythology was essential to appeal to Indian fans.”
Navigating Japan’s male-dominated shōnen genre wasn’t new for Koizumi. “In the ’90s, female creators often used male pen names. I used Joe Haruo initially but later switched to my real name,” she explained. For Bhagavat Crease, she collaborated with a Japanese agent and Tara Press, an Indian publisher enthusiastic about Japanese culture. Kenichiro Matsumura, a Japanese cricket expert, guided her on terms like “nightwatchman” and “googly,” compensating for the lack of a dedicated supervisor common in sports manga.
Kiyomi Koizumi
Though cricket remains niche in Japan, played since the 1860s in Yokohama and featured in events like the Asian Games, Koizumi’s passion endures. She watches junior matches in Shizuoka, supporting teams like the Sano Braves and Chiba MyYs. Her manga received praise in India for its mythological elements, though cricket’s low profile in Japan limited its local impact. “Publishing overseas was rare for Japanese artists then,” she noted.
Koizumi admires the most famous Indian cricketer and the highest run-scorer in international cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, although she is intrigued by his post-cricket career as a nominated parliamentarian, and follows the results of the IPL, cheering for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Beyond manga, she contributes to international comics festivals, including Algeria’s, and local projects in Shizuoka. “My main sources of Indian cricket updates are X and Facebook friends from India,” she said. Koizumi’s work bridges Japanese manga artistry with India’s cricket fervour, proving, as famous Trinidadian cricket writer and historian CLR James wrote, “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?”
What is manga?
Manga refers to Japanese comic books or graphic novels, known for their unique art style and storytelling. The creators or artists of manga are called Mangaka. Manga is categorized into genres such as shonen (targeted at young boys with action-packed stories), shojo (aimed at young girls with focus on romance and drama), seinen (for adult men with mature themes), josei (for adult women with realistic narratives), and kodomo (for children with simple, fun stories).
Suvam Pal is a Taipei-based broadcast journalist and documentary filmmaker.
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