Hi

I’m Issey Fujishima, or “Fuji” for short.

I’m a Japanese-German artist living in Jakarta, Indonesia with my wife and son. I enjoy deep conversations, good food with friends, and taking walks at the sea.  

I grew up in Germany and have lived my adult life in Japan, Australia, and Indonesia. I’ve mostly worked in the creative field, doing photography, illustrations, book layout as well as a bit of video production, web design, and  farming. I love to try out different ways of visual expression, and THE REIGN OF GOD is my first work as a graphic novel author . 

MY PASSION IS TO TELL THE BEGINNING OF CHRISTIANITY IN A FRESH AND MEANINGFUL WAY.

My Story

The idea for THE REIGN OF GOD came over ten years ago.

After the events of 9/11 and the wars that followed, I found myself in heated debates about religion, politics, and violence with my friends—Christian, Muslim and non-religious. Until that time, I had taken the version of Christianity I had grown up with for granted: A conservative and “Bible-true” evangelicalism, strongly influenced by American theology.

But now I had to face hard questions about my faith: What if religion is part of the problem? What can Christianity offer to a world so torn? I had to get honest with God.

How the Comic Started

I started studying the roots of Christian faith—its history and context—realizing that there was much that I had never been told before. I found that the Jesus of history—the original Jesus, as far as we can reconstruct his life and work through research—was much more exciting and inspiring, and had something that was very important for us today. I decided to tell his story.

The idea to create THE REIGN OF GOD was born.

The Jesus of History

I believe the Jesus of history was a man of incredible courage. Creating this book, I fell in love with him again—the maverick hungry for justice. The poet caring for the most neglected people on earth. To follow his way is one of radical transformation through love. It’s something worth telling.

New Pathways

I hope that THE REIGN OF GOD opens new pathways for you, Christian or not, and delivers a visually compelling story that helps you see the story of Jesus and Christian origins in a new light.