Sazae-san (サザエさん) was the name of a Japanese comic strip created by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the Fukunichi Shimbun (フクニチ新聞), on April 22, 1946. When the Asahi Shimbun (朝日新聞) wished to have Hasegawa draw the comic strip for their paper, she moved to Tokyo in 1949 with the explanation that the main characters moved from Kyushu to Tokyo as well. The comic dealt with contemporary situations in Tokyo until Hasegawa retired and ended the comic on February 21, 1974.

Characters

The main character, Sazae Isono (磯野 サザエ Isono Sazae), married Masuo Fuguta (フグ田 マスオ Fuguta Masuo) very early in the cartoon's run. In the beginning Sazae's mother, Fune Isono (磯野 フネ Isono Fune), was worried that Sazae was too unladylike to ever attract a husband. Masuo moved in with Sazae and her family; she eventually gave birth to a child, Tarao Fuguta (フグ田 タラオ Fuguta Tarao, usually called Tara, タラ ちゃん).

Many of the storylines revolved around Sazae's other family members, like her father, Namihei Isono (磯野 波平 Isono Namihei), and her young siblings, brother Katsuo (カツオ) and sister Wakame (ワカメ).

Also, two families sometimes appear: a neighbourhood family, Isasaka, which consists in a novelist husband, his wife, who was a friend of Fune from their high school days, and their children; also, another branch of the Isono family, Namihei's nephew Norisuke Isono (磯野 ノリスケ Isono Norisuke), his wife Taiko (タイ子) and their one-year-old baby Ikura (イクラ).

Although the comic ran for twenty-eight years, it was reminiscient of others in the medium in that the characters never aged: Sazae was always 27 years old, her husband 28, her father and mother were always 54 and 48, and Sazae's siblings were around eleven and seven years of age, respectively.

Plots

The comic was very topical. In the beginning, Sazae was more interested in being herself than dressing up in kimono and makeup to attract her future husband. Hasegawa was forward-thinking in that, in her words, the Isono/Fuguta clan would embody the image of the modern Japanese family after World War II.

Sazae was a very liberated woman, and many of the early plotlines revolved around Sazae bossing around her husband, to the consternation of her neighbours, who believed that a man should be the head of his household. Later, Sazae became a feminist and was involved in many comical situations regarding her affiliation with her local women's lib group.

The move from Japanese to Western clothing

As the comic moved from the 1950s to the 1960s, the clothes the characters wore changed to fit the times. Sazae, who was famous for wearing a nondescript dark dress, now started wearing pantsuits and even the occasional miniskirt. Holding the traditional role of matriarch, Fune did not dress modern at home but wore Western clothes on family outings.

Publishing

The comic strip was published in book form by Shimaisha (姉妹社), which Machiko ran with her sister, Mariko. In April 1993, the publishing company went out of business and the comic books became out of print. The same year, Asahi Shimbun purchased the right to publish the forty-five paperback volumes. Selected comics have been published in the United States by Kodansha America, Inc.

Sazae in the Japanese media

In 1955, a radio station aired a serial drama based on the comic strip. The same year, a short-lived animated television series was started, and was aired on what is now TBS.

In November 1965, TBS started a dramatic television series modeled after the comic strip. It aired until September 1967.

In October 1969, Fuji Television started an animated comedy series, which is still on the air today.　It has been broadcasted every Sunday from 18:30 till 19:00 and contains three vignettes. The animated series has some characters like Katsuo's classmates who don't appear in Hasegawa's original works.

In 1979, NHK made a dramatic serial which ran for six months, focusing on the creation of Sazae-san and Machiko Hasegawa in her younger days.