Traces the history of Japanese art from the seventh century through the present, offering insight into its long-time role in Japanese culture and the social factors that are shaping its development in the modern world.

"Simultaneously published in French as Mille ans de manga"--T.p. verso.

The origins of manga -- The magic of the scroll: from the earliest caricatures to the onset of the comic strip -- The birth of the Japanese print: the golden age of caricature -- The dawn of a new type of caricature: Japan opens up to the West -- The rise of the comic strip to the second world war -- Tezuka Osamu: the "god" of modern manga -- Manga today -- Selected portraits of manga artists -- From the manga to anime: the work of Studio Ghibli -- Reciprocal influences -- Glossary -- Timeline -- Our ancestors the mangaka -- Chronology -- Recent statistics from Japan -- Selected bibliography.