While a junior at Waseda University, Shunji Sonoyama founded the Waseda University Cartoon Society. In 1958, after graduation, he started his career as a professional cartoonist with 'Ganbare Gonbe', a humor strip. At his own expense, Sonoyama published 'Kokkyo no Futari', a collection of gag cartoons, in 1963. His most famous adult strip 'Gyatoruzu' appeared in 1965, followed by 'Hajimeningen Gon' in 1966. Among Sonoyama's other creations are 'Hana no Kakaricho' and 'Sasurai no Gambler', both from 1969. In Shunji Sonoyama's view, primitive men were more human than modern people. His strips tried to rediscover the human elements lost in the mechanized society.