{{Short description|Comic strip format}} {{italics title}} thumb|right|150px|Traditional ''yonkoma'' layout {{Anime and manga}} {{nihongo|'''''Yonkoma'' manga'''|4コマ漫画||"four cell manga" or '''4-''koma''''' for short}} is a comic strip format that generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size, following a structure known as ''kishōtenketsu''.
==Origin== Rakuten Kitazawa (who wrote under the name Yasuji Kitazawa) produced the first ''yonkoma'' in 1902. Entitled ''Jiji Manga'', it is thought to have been influenced by the works of Frank Arthur Nankivell and of Frederick Burr Opper.<ref name="Fischer">{{cite web|first=Carolin|last=Fischer |website=Mangaka.co.uk|url=http://www.mangaka.co.uk/?page=yonkoma|access-date=2009-10-29|archive-date=2010-07-20|title=Yonkoma Manga|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720205620/http://www.mangaka.co.uk/?page=yonkoma}}</ref>
==Structure== Traditionally, ''yonkoma'' follow a structure known as ''kishōtenketsu''. This word is a compound formed from the following Japanese kanji characters: *''Ki'' ({{lang|ja|起}}): The first panel forms the basis of the story; it sets the scene. *''Shō'' ({{lang|ja|承}}): The second panel develops upon the foundation of the story laid down in the first panel. *''Ten'' ({{lang|ja|転}}): The third panel is the climax, in which an unforeseen development occurs. *''Ketsu'' ({{lang|ja|結}}): The fourth panel is the conclusion, in which the effects of the third panel are seen.<ref name="Fischer"/>
Yonkoma most commonly consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom. They also sometimes run right-to-left horizontally or use a hybrid 2×2 style, depending on the layout requirements of the publication in which they appear.
==Uses== These comic strips appear in almost all types of publications in Japan, including manga magazines, graphic novels, the comics section of newspapers, game magazines, cooking magazines, and so forth. The plot often ends within the four panels; although some serial development may pass on to future installments, creating a more continuous story. Some ''yonkoma'' also tackle serious topics, though most do so with humor. Some manga occasionally use ''yonkoma'', usually at the end of a chapter or bound volume, as a non-canon joke to complement the story.
==See also== {{Portal|Anime and manga}} * ''Jo-ha-kyū'' – A type of three-act structure found in many traditional Japanese narrative forms * American comic strips, where ''Peanuts'' popularized using four panels<ref name="Walker">{{cite book|title=The Comics: Since 1945|first=Brian|last=Walker|year=2002|publisher=Harry N. Abrams, Inc.|location=New York}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Comics}}
Category:Yonkoma Category:Comics formats Category:1902 introductions Category:Anime and manga terminology Category:1902 in Japan