Manga artist funds rapid shelters for Kumamoto quake victims
Tetsuya Chiba spearheads a fresh financial drive to deliver swift, innovative emergency accommodation to those displaced by July's severe Japanese
- Renowned manga artist Tetsuya Chiba is leading a crowdfunding campaign to provide rapid shelters for victims of the recent Kumamoto earthquake.
- The funds are for "Instant Houses," tent-like structures designed by a university professor that can be erected in a few hours.
- The current campaign aims to raise 1.5 million yen to build three more shelters to help meet overwhelming demand, with about 100 units already distributed.
- A previous fundraising effort by Chiba's team created a stockpile that enabled the immediate deployment of 10 shelters following the disaster.
An appeal for monetary support is currently underway, led by the renowned 87-year-old creator of the "Ashita no Joe" comics, Tetsuya Chiba.
Launched last month alongside his peers, the initiative seeks to provide swift housing solutions for individuals uprooted by the massive earthquake that struck southwestern Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture in July.
Aiming to secure 1.5 million yen by Tuesday (September 8, 2026), the octogenarian pleaded via the project's digital portal (https://syncable.biz/campaign/10176), stating, "We need your help." Specifically, this current drive intends to cover the 500,000 yen per unit cost to establish three of these temporary shelters.
Financial pledges between 2,000 yen and 1 million yen are welcomed, and as a gesture of appreciation, backers are promised a letter of gratitude featuring an illustration by the manga veteran.
The funds raised will finance the distribution of "Instant Houses." Conceived by Keisuke Kitagawa, a professor at Aichi Prefecture's Nagoya Institute of Technology, these unique dwellings can be erected in mere hours.
The construction involves expanding a fabric structure reminiscent of a tent, followed by coating its interior with insulation material.
This exact design previously proved highly effective in the aftermath of the powerful 2024 tremor across central Japan's Noto Peninsula.
Proactive measures by Chiba’s team have already proven vital.
Between late last year and January this year, following the 2024 tremor, an initial public funding effort generated approximately 7.67 million yen to prepare for future disasters.
This capital permitted the university to stock up on the necessary materials to construct 10 Instant Houses.
When the Kumamoto earthquake struck on July 28, Professor Kitagawa travelled to the stricken zone the very next morning.
Thus far, roughly 100 of these structures have been distributed free of charge.
Notably, 10 units built immediately following the tremor were sourced directly from the stockpiles facilitated by that earlier crowdfunding campaign.
Despite this progress, demand remains overwhelming.
With local governments and private individuals submitting upwards of 400 requests, Kitagawa noted, "There's still not enough places where people can be at ease, with many still living in their cars or taking temporary shelter on their own properties."
For Chiba, the motivation is deeply personal, rooted in his experiences relocating back to his homeland from what is now northeastern China (the former Manchuria) at the end of World War II.
Reflecting on this period, he remarked, "I learned firsthand how lonely it is to lose one's home and how valuable having a place to return to is."
Driven by these memories, he emphasised, "I can't just sit still when I think about those who lost their homes in a disaster."
