Q: Your story, Song of the Wind and Trees is frequently mentioned as THE story that influenced the creation of yaoi and boys love manga, a genre that's very popular in Japan and the U.S. Since it was one of the first shonen-ai stories to appear in Japan, what inspired you to write this story? Was it surprising to you how popular it was when it came out, and how revered it continues to be today?

KT: Back when the issue of sexuality was still taboo for women, the only way to frontally engage realistic passions and bodily transformations was through “boys’ love.” Since the relationships themselves were unusual, I tried as much as possible to depict them on normal and universal terms.

I wanted girl readers to properly clear that hurdle of “sex.” I was quite nervous when it came out, but a general “Yes” assimilated the objections and criticisms.

The story grapples with the basic problem of living one’s life, so I’m glad young people who had problems turned to my work as a guide. Those young readers who started reading it for its sensational surface but who, while being shocked, arrived at understanding—they deserve some real credit.

Q: How does the boys love manga you created compare with what's out there now? How do you feel about how the genre has evolved since then?

KT: Boys’ love was never a pet theme for me, just a possible choice of storyline. My big theme instead has been “boys” (neuter, prototypal). Although that hasn’t changed, I feel that I can now also portray the same quality within girls and women.

Back then, yaoi was still minor but germinating; I’m surprised at how large it’s become. The fact surely tells us what women “really” think. Somebody once said to me, quite memorably for me, “Yaoi’s great because you can adopt both roles.” Women’s notion of gender may already have crumbled away.

Q: Do you have a personal favorite story out of all of the ones you've created? Which story, and why is it special for you?

KT: Fly Me To The Moon! It’s a lovers’ tale set in a happy-go-lucky future. A grown astronaut and a very young girl (an ESPer and thus wise beyond her years) become intergenerational lovers. The eccentric premise and the hyper-optimism made it very easy for me to draw.

Q: Are you currently creating new stories? If so, could you tell us a little bit about your current projects?

KT: At the moment I’m constructing a new Narrative Manga discipline for Kyoto Seika University, so I’m far removed, alas, from the work of drawing. Although what I’m doing now is a lot different from drawing, they both share the difficulties inherent in “constructing” something. I feel that what I’m doing now is creative in its own right, so I’d like to keep at it for a while longer.

Q: Are there any contemporary manga artists that impress you with what they're doing now? And if so, what do you like about their work?

KT: Nobody who I can say takes my breath away. New expressive techniques, nuanced broadenings of the field, yes, but nobody has really appeared whose value system makes your eyes pop open.

Manga has become too much of a big business, which perhaps means that artists get pushed out into the public eye before they’ve achieved artistic maturity.

Q: You're now a professor at Kyoto Seika University, teaching and presenting papers about manga. How and why did you decide to make this transition from being a full-time manga artist to becoming an educator?

KT: When I first became a manga artist I thought the techniques were something that couldn’t be taught, but I’ve come to want to pass them on in some form. Through teaching I hope to construct a theory. I thought I could draw as well when I started, but that’s proved impossible—more people and more responsibility on my shoulders with the creation of a department. The truth is, though, that I want to find the time and place to draw again.

Q: You're in a position to teach and influence many aspiring manga artists. Knowing what you know now, what advice do you give to these new artists?

KT: “Drawing” means stripping yourself naked. You have to think how your work is you. If you’re just pretending, readers will see through the act one day. What lets you draw with confidence is that Your Work = Your Self. I tell my students, If you want to be drawing manga that isn’t just business, get that going.

Q: Finally, any final comments or thoughts that you'd like to pass along to your American fans?

KT: Manga has to have something in it that touches the reader’s heart. It can’t succeed without it, and that’s precisely what goes out from artist to reader, that brings them intimately together. If American readers feel that way too, I’d be very glad. Please keep reading! More!