Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko were both from
Toyama Prefecture. Fujimoto was born on December 1, 1933, and Abiko on March 10, 1934. Abiko transferred to Fujimoto's elementary school in
Takaoka City and happened to see Fujimoto drawing in a notebook. The two became lifelong friends, and during the early years of their friendship kept their illustrations hidden from friends and classmates out of embarrassment. In junior high school they were greatly influenced by
Osamu Tezuka and his manga series
Shin Takarajima. Fujimoto built a homemade
episcope and together they wrote a piece for it called
Tenküma, which was their first collaborative work. They started submitting work to periodicals such as
Manga Shōnen and opened a joint savings account through
Japan Post to which they both contributed funds and which they used to purchase art supplies. They divided all income and expenses equally between each other, a practice they continued throughout the life of their partnership. In high school, they made their publishing debut,
Tenshi no Tama-chan being adopted for serialization by
Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun in 1951. That same year they paid a visit to Tezuka's residence in
Takarazuka, Hyōgo and showed him illustrations for their work titled
Ben Hur. Tezuka complimented the two's abilities, some years later commenting that he knew then they were going to be major figures in the manga industry. Abiko and Fujimoto treasured the meeting with the respected Tezuka, and kept the
Ben Hur illustrations for their entire lives. It was at this time they decided to make their partnership permanent. The two initially adopted the name Tezuka Fujio out of respect, but later changed it to Ashizuka Fujio as they perceived the use of the name "Tezuka" as too close to that of their idol. Because both Fujimoto and Abiko were eldest sons respectively, they decided to take company jobs after graduating from high school in 1952. Fujimoto found employment with a confectionery company, and Abiko began working for the Toyama Newspaper Company. However, Fujimoto quit within a matter of days. Fujimoto then dedicated his time to submitting work to periodicals, with Abiko assisting him on the weekends. Their first serial as Ashizuka Fujio was terminated in a few episodes, followed by success with the post-apocalyptic science fiction series . At Fujimoto's urging, they elected to move to Tokyo in 1954 as professional manga artists, Abiko only reluctantly as he had steady employment at the Toyama Newspaper Company. Their first place of residence was a two-
tatami mat room at the second floor of a watch shop. They eventually moved to the
Tokiwa-sō apartment complex when Tezuka offered them a room that he was moving out of. Together with Hiroo Terada and several other manga artists of the period, they formed a collaborative group called . At the apartment complex where the group was based, they enjoyed a period of productivity that had Fujimoto and Abiko carry up to six serials a month for publication. Additionally, Abiko contributed to Tezuka's works as an artist assistant, such as drawing a blizzard on the last page of
Jungle Emperor. These were some of the duo's most productive years, resulting in series such as
Obake no Q-Tarō which eventually were made into
anime series on television. Abiko got married in 1966, at the age of 32. Fujimoto concentrated on titles for children, with a particular interest in science fiction. In 1968, Abiko started making manga for a more mature audience, with titles such as
Kuroi Salesman. In the 1970s, Abiko focused on both adult and boys' manga. The style was full of
black humor. Fujimoto focused on both adult and childhood manga. His style was notable for its
sense of wonder.
Doraemon was created in 1969. Since around 1974, its popularity has skyrocketed among Japanese children.
CoroCoro Comic released its first issue in 1977 to showcase the works of Fujiko Fujio. With syndication of Doraemon on
TV Asahi in 1979, a surge of popularity saw up to a dozen collaborative and solo works by Fujimoto and Abiko picked up for publication and syndication throughout the 1980s.
Doraemon is the only work by the duo to ever get an official release in English-speaking countries, most notably the United States, though English dubs of work such as
Perman and
Ninja Hattori-kun have aired in Asia to less fanfare.
Bones have produced an adaptation of Fujimoto's series
Time Patrol Bon for
Netflix, an unusual move due to the original series' obscurity. In 1987, citing creative differences, Fujimoto and Abiko ended their long partnership to concentrate on solo projects. From now on, Abiko would work at
Fujiko Studio K.K. and Fujimoto in
Fujiko F. Fujio Pro K.K. Abiko adopted the pen name
Fujiko A. Fujio, while Fujimoto adopted the pen name
Fujiko F. Fujio. According to Abiko, the cause for the dissolution of the partnership was due to Fujimoto discovering he had
stomach cancer in 1986, and both Fujimoto and Abiko had a desire to settle copyright and financial issues before the other died. Fujimoto died of liver failure at a hospital in
Shinjuku on September 23, 1996. A documentary was aired on TV Asahi on February 19, 2006, chronicling the life and times of Fujiko F. Fujio. The
Fujiko F. Fujio Museum opened in
Kawasaki, Kanagawa on September 3, 2011, which features a reproduction of Fujio's studio and a display of their artwork. Abiko died of
natural causes at his home in Kawasaki on April 6, 2022. ==Awards==