is a Japanese yonkoma manga series written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the Asahi Shimbun wished to have Hasegawa draw the four-panel comic for their paper, she moved to Tokyo in 1949 with the explanation that the main characters had moved from Kyūshū to Tokyo as well. The first Sazae-san strip run by the Asahi Shimbun was published on November 30, 1949. The manga dealt with everyday life and contemporary situations in Tokyo until Hasegawa retired and ended the series, with the final comic published on February 21, 1974.
As of 1999, the manga had over 86 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. An anime television adaptation by TCJ (later renamed Eiken) began airing in Japan in October 1969 and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running animated television series. It has also been adapted into a radio show, theatrical plays and songs.
Plot
In the beginning, Sazae was more interested in being with her horse than dressing up in a 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 neighbors, 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.
Despite the topical nature of the series, the core of the stories revolved around the large family dynamic, and were presented in a lighthearted, easy fashion. In fact, the final comic, in 1974, revolved around Sazae's happiness that an egg she cracked for her husband's breakfast produced a double yolk, with Katsuo remarking about the happiness the "little things" in life can bring.
In current culture, the popular Sazae-san anime is frequently viewed as a nostalgic representation of traditional Japanese society, since it represents a simpler time before many of the changes brought by modern technology. Its social themes, though very liberal at the time of its publication, are evocative of a bygone and nostalgic era.
Characters
thumb|right|250px|A typical Sazae-san strip
Isono and Fuguta family
- (née )
: The main character. Age 24 (27 in the manga). She marries Masuo.
: She is a housewife, but occasionally works part-time as a maid for the Yumizu family, a wealthy family in the neighborhood.
: She has a unique hair style. This is one of the Victory rolls that were popular at the time Manga was started, and she has maintained this hairstyle since the fad passed.
: She is bright, cheerful, and popular in the town with a personality like that of a split bamboo.
: Her talkativeness and goofiness are shortcomings, and she is sometimes taken aback by her family, but most of the time she is well-liked by those around her.
:Voiced by: Midori Katō
: Sazae's father and patriarch of the family. Age 54.
: He is characterized by a single hair on his bald head, and he is very protective of that single hair.
: He hates crookedness and can be stubborn, often scolding Sazae and Katsuo, but he also has a compassionate and good-natured side.
: He appears to be full of dignity and dignity, but in fact has an unreliable side.
: When he scolds, he often says, (It means "Fool!") However, he does not really believe this, and in his heart of hearts, he has a love for his children, wanting them to grow up to be good people. This is also known as a famous line that symbolizes him.
:Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai (1969–2014), Chafurin (2014–present)
- (née )
: Sazae's mother. Aged in her 50s (48 in the manga); born in Shizuoka.
: She is a stay-at-home mom and proud of her position. She does all the housework and is the epitome of a good wife and wise mother.
: She is calm and trusted by all of her family. She is an important behind-the-scenes supporter of the family, mediating domestic disputes.
: On the other hand, as a girl she was a tomboy, and this side of her personality is sometimes apparent.
:Voiced by: Miyoko Asō (1969–2015), Yorie Terauchi (2015–present)
: Sazae's husband. He is a salaryman in the sales department of a trading company. 28 years old (32 in the manga). Born in Osaka.
: After marrying her, they lived together in a rented house, but were advised by the landlord to move out of the house due to misconduct (in his case, trying to remove the fence of the house without permission), and soon moved in with her family.
: He is good-natured and timid, which can lead to a loss-making role, and he sometimes says and does things that one might consider black-hearted. However, his gentle and honest nature has earned him the trust of Sazae's family, and he himself lives happily every day surrounded by Sazae's family.
:Voiced by: Shinsuke Chikaishi (1969–1978), Hiroshi Masuoka (1978–2019), Hideyuki Tanaka (2019—)
: Sazae's younger brother who is an 11-year-old fifth grader.
: He is quick-witted, well-spoken, and has a flattering personality. He knows how to get on in the world and to be good with people. In the manga in 1973, he was sarcastically referred to by Sazae as "the Kissinger of our family". but, he does not do well with schoolwork and refuses to do his homework.
: He likes mischief and often suffers under the wrath of Sazae when he accidentally insults other guests in the manner of faux-pas.
: He is often scolded by Namihei, usually when he finds out about Katsuo's low test grades and mischief.
: His main activities consist of playing baseball and soccer with his friends.
:Voiced by: Nobuyo Ōyama (1969–1970), Kazue Takahashi (1970–1998), Miina Tominaga (1998–present)
: Sazae's younger sister. Age 9 (7 in the manga). She features a Bob cut.
: She is one of the characters whose personalities differ greatly between manga and anime.
: In the manga, she is a talkative girl with a noticeably mischievous personality due to her young age.
: In the anime, she is a kind honor student. Therefore, her role in the manga is sometimes handled by Tarao, but sometimes, she shows her mischievous nature from the manga.
: She likes to study, but is not good at PE. Her main hobbies are reading and fashion.
:Voiced by: Yoshiko Yamamoto (1969–1976), Michiko Nomura (1976–2005), Makoto Tsumura (2005–present)
: Masuo and Sazae's 3-year-old son. Usually called .
: He is interested in everything and has a curious nature.
: While a mostly well-behaved toddler, he can be a bit stubborn.
: Sometimes he tries to be selfish and annoys his parents. However, he is a child who can honestly admit and apologize when he knows he is wrong.
: In the anime, he is so polite and uses honorifics that it makes it hard to believe he is 3 years old. This is said to reflect the character of Takako Sasuga, who voiced him from the beginning of the broadcast until her sudden death in 2023.
:Voiced by: Takako Sasuga (1969—2023), Rikako Aikawa (2023–present)
:The Isono family's pet cat. He hates mice.
:Voiced by: ?
Isono and Fuguta family's kin
: He is a nephew of Namihei and a cousin of Sazae, Katsuo, and Wakame. Ages 24–26. He works for a newspaper publisher.
: He is a cheerful character, an optimist who is always ready to take it easy without worrying about details.
: He is also shrewd and has a brazen side, such as entering Isono family's house without telling them and eating the cakes they keep without permission, but he is not a hateful type of person, so he gets a lot out of life.
:Voiced by: Ichirō Murakoshi (1969–1998), Tarō Arakawa (1998–2000), Yasunori Matsumoto (2000–present)
: Norisuke's wife. Age is about 22 years old.
: She is known as a particularly beautiful woman in the anime and has a demure personality. She also has a strong core and supports Norisuke behind his back like his wife would, and Norisuke cannot resist her.
: She is very comfortable with Sazae, who she is close in age with.
:Voiced by: Ryoko Aikawa, Masako Ebisu (1969–1979), Emiko Tsukada (1979–2013), Sayaka Kobayashi (2013–present)
: Norisuke and Taiko's son. Age is about one and a half years old.
: He is Tarao's friend and only says "chan", "hai", and "babuu".
:Voiced by: Reiko Katsura (1969-2025), Sachie Hirai (2025–present)
: Namihei's Meiji Revolution samurai ancestor. Around the time of the Bon Festival, he haunts Namihei's (or sometimes Katsuo's) dreams.
:Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai (1970–2013), Chafurin (2014–present)
: Namihei's twin older brother.
:Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai (1970–2013), Chafurin (2014–present)
Isasaka family
: A novelist who lives in the next house over from the Isono family's house.
:Voiced by: Sanji Hase (1970–1978), Eken Mine (1985–2002), Atsushi Ii (2002), Yasuo Iwata (2002–2009), Kōtarō Nakamura (2009–2023), Shigeru Ushiyama(2023–present)
: Nanbutsu's wife. Fune's childhood friend.
:Voiced by: ? (1970–1978), Reiko Yamada (1985–2023), ? (1994, 1996), Yui Komazuka (2023–present)
: Nanbutsu's daughter.
: She is one of the characters that Katsuo is secretly in love with.
:Voiced by: ? (?), Miho Ochiai (1974), ? (?), Keiko Han (1985–1989), Reiko Katsura (1989), Miina Tominaga (1989–1998), Eriko Kawasaki (1998–present)
: Nanbutsu's son.
:Voiced by: ? (1970–1978), Hiroshi Takemura (1985–2023), Manabu Sakamaki(2023–present)
: The Isasaka family's pet dog.
Other characters
: An original anime character modeled after a guest character from the manga.
: An old man who lives in a house in back of the (ura-no) Isono family's house.
:Voiced by: ? (?–1985), Eken Mine (1985–2002), Atsushi Ii (2002–2013), Mitsuru Takakuwa (2013–present),
: An original anime character modeled after a guest character from the manga.
: Ura-no Grandpa's wife.
:Voiced by: ?, Sumiko Shirakawa, Keiko Yamamoto, Reiko Yamada (1990s substitute)
: The employee of Mikawaya who makes house calls for food orders.
: An original anime character modeled after a guest character from the manga.
:Voiced by: Issei Futamata
: An original anime character.
: One of Tarao's friends.
:Voiced by: Reiko Katsura (1969–2025), Taeko Kawata (1997), Sayaka Kitahara (2025–present)
: An original anime character.
: One of Tarao's friends.
:Voiced by: Sumiko Shirakawa (?), Reiko Yamada (?–2019), Eriko Kawasaki (?), Miina Tominaga (?), Nozomi Mikajiri (2020–present)
: An original anime character modeled after a guest character from the manga.
: Katsuo's best friend and his classmate.
:Voiced by: Sumiko Shirakawa (1969–2015), Rumi Ochiai (2015–present)
: An original anime character.
: Katsuo's girlfriend, she is said to be the most beautiful girl in her class.
: She is one of the characters that Katsuo is secretly in love with.
:Voiced by: ? (1969–?), Reiko Katsura (?–2025), Michiko Nomura (1972, 1975), Taeko Kawata (1997)
: One of Katsuo's girlfriends.
: She is one of the characters that Katsuo is secretly in love with.
:Voiced by: ? (?), Reiko Katsura (1975), Keiko Han (1985–1990), Miina Tominaga (1990–1998), Eriko Kawasaki (1998–present),
: An original anime character modeled after a guest character from the manga.
: One of Katsuo's girlfriends, who has a crush on him. She is the daughter of a real estate agent.
: Although Katsuo is bewildered and avoids her ardent approach, they actually tend to get along quite well.
:Voiced by: Mitsuko Asō (1971–?), Tikako Akimoto (1971–?), Yoshiko Ōta, Keiko Yamamoto (?–2023), Teiyū Ichiryūsai (2015), Kazue Ikura (2020), Kumiko Watanabe (2023—present)
: An original anime character.
: One of Katsuo's best friends.
:Voiced by: ? (1971–?), Reiko Yamada (?–present)
: An original anime character.
: One of Katsuo's best friends.
:Voiced by: Katsue Miwa (1972–?), Emiko Tsukada (?–2013), Sayaka Kobayashi (2014–present)
: An original anime character.
: Katsuo's teacher.
:Voiced by: Hiroshi Ōtake (1969), ? (?), Kaneta Kimotsuki (1971), ? (?), Eken Mine (?–2002), Sanji Hase (?), ? (2002), Ikuya Sawaki (2002–present)
: An original anime character.
: Wakame's boyfriend.
: Since the 2010s, he has been described as a psychopathic speaker and has become an Internet meme in Japan. also, He used to be set up by Wakame as secretly liking him, but in recent years Wakame has sometimes made statements that seem to indicate that she dislikes him.
:Voiced by: Sumiko Shirakawa (1971–?), ? (?), Emiko Tsukada (?–2013), Sayaka Kobayashi (2014–present)
: An original anime character.
: Wakame's best friend.
:Voiced by: Reiko Katsura (?–2022), Sayaka Kitahara (2022–present)
: An original anime character.
: One of Wakame's best friends.
:Voiced by: Reiko Katsura (?–1990), Miina Tominaga (1990–1998), Eriko Kawasaki (1998–present),
: An original anime character modeled after a guest character from the manga.
: One of Masuo's co-workers. He has thick lips, which are his charm.
:Voiced by: Kazuya Tatekabe (1971−197?), Norio Wakamoto (197?–present)
:Voiced by: ? (?), Norio Wakamoto
: The shopkeeper of Mikawaya, a sake shop.
:Voiced by: ? (?), Norio Wakamoto (?), Ikuya Sawaki (2019–present)
: An original anime character.
: Hanako's father. Boss of the Hanazawa Real Estate Agency.
:Voiced by: ? (?), Norio Wakamoto (?–present)
Media
Manga
The comic strip was published in book form by from 1946 to 1974, which Machiko ran with her sister, Mariko. In April 1993, this publishing company went out of business and the comic books went out of print. The same year, Asahi Shimbun purchased the right to publish the forty-five paperback volumes. Twelve bilingual (Japanese-English) manga volumes were published by Kodansha between 1997 and 1999 as The Wonderful World of Sazae-San. The volumes were re-released in 2004, and in 2015 another three bilingual manga volumes were released as The Best of Sazae-san. By 1999, it has sold over 86 million copies.