Born January, 1925 in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Graduated from School of Engineering in 1945, I started my career working at the designing room of a munitions firm. Later, after having worked as a press reporter for a newspaper, I produced the opening of “Tetsuwan Atom” (Astro Boy). Thereafter, I became a free-lance and founded KINO PRODUCTION Co., Ltd. in July, 1965. I have produced and written a substantial number of films and books. As a lecturer at a school of design I taught young animators. I gradiated from Keio University in 2014.

Hobby: Igo, Travel and Karate.

Other commitments:

As a cartoonist for about 7 years, from 1952 through 1959, I drew comic strips for a number of children’s magazines. Some of those manga include “Nichiren Shonin”(Saint Nichiren), “Inazuma-kun”(Mr. Thunderbolt), “Jiraiya-kozo”(Mine Boy), “Ashigara Kinta”(Kinta of Ashigara Mt.), etc. From ca. 1967, I drew Gekiga, or serial dramatic pictures, for the magazines of young adults, such as “Futen Okoma” (Vagabond Okoma, the Gal), etc. I worked hard as a cartoonist-cum-animator in those days. As to the prizes that I won, they are the one for a year- round long run of commercial films in 1961, and 1st award of Dentsu Prize for “Milky Koshinkyoku”(Milky March).