Tohji is a rapper born in London, United Kingdom. He moved to Japan at a young age, and is based in Tokyo.
Musashino Art University: 71 people
Tohji is a rapper born in London, United Kingdom. He moved to Japan at a young age, and is based in Tokyo.
Kouji Miura (三浦 糀, Miura Kōji; born 28 March 1995) is a Japanese manga artist best known as the creator of the Blue Box…
Kouji Miura (三浦 糀, Miura Kōji; born 28 March 1995) is a Japanese manga artist best known as the creator of the Blue Box and I Love You, My Teacher manga series. She won a special honorable mention for new artists at the 90th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Awards in 2013, and a second honorable mention at the 91st Weekly Shōnen Magazine Awards that same year. In 2017, her one-shot of I Love You, My Teacher won the Magazine Pocket One-Shot Award. Her one-shot Parasol Alliance won the Garyokin Pro Drawing King Award in 2019, and Blue Box won the Global Prize at the 2021 Next Manga Awards. She has used Satoshi Yūki and Amami as pseudonyms during her manga career.
Paru Itagaki (板垣 巴留, Itagaki Paru; born September 9, 1993) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the creator…
Paru Itagaki (板垣 巴留, Itagaki Paru; born September 9, 1993) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the creator of the manga series Beastars, for which she has won numerous awards. She is the daughter of manga artist Keisuke Itagaki.
Kei Aoyama (青山 景, Aoyama Kei; September 26, 1979 – October 2011) was a Japanese manga artist. He graduated from the…
Kei Aoyama (青山 景, Aoyama Kei; September 26, 1979 – October 2011) was a Japanese manga artist. He graduated from the Department of Visual Communication Design at Musashino Art University. He made his professional debut in 2003 with the one-shot "Chaban Geki", winning Monthly Ikki magazine's Ikiman award for rookie artists. On October 9, 2011, an employee of Aoyama's publisher Kodansha called the police because they had not been able to contact him for several days. The police broke into Aoyama's Tokyo apartment and found him dead in a suicide by hanging. Two days later on October 11, 2011, Kodansha published the last completed chapter of his manga series Yoiko no Mokushiroku in Evening magazine. On February 23, 2012, Shogakukan released a collection of Aoyama's early works titled The Dog Race: Aoyama Kei Shoki Sakuhin-shū (THE DOG RACE 青山景初期作品集). The volume contains eight one-shots, including Aoyama's university graduation project and several previously unreleased manga.
Hideo Jōjō (Japanese: 城定 秀夫, Hepburn: Jōjō Hideo; born September 2, 1975) is a Japanese film director and scriptwriter.
Keita Takahashi (高橋 慶太, Takahashi Keita; born 1975) is a Japanese game developer and artist. He is best known for…
Keita Takahashi (高橋 慶太, Takahashi Keita; born 1975) is a Japanese game developer and artist. He is best known for creating the Katamari game franchise and working as director and lead designer on Katamari Damacy as well as its sequel, We Love Katamari. The original game was a surprise hit and soon garnered a cult following. After leaving Namco, Takahashi co-founded the indie game studio Uvula in 2010 with his wife Asuka Sakai.
Project Itoh (伊藤 計劃, Itō Keikaku), real name Satoshi Itō (伊藤 聡, Itō Satoshi; October 14, 1974 – March 20, 2009), was a…
Project Itoh (伊藤 計劃, Itō Keikaku), real name Satoshi Itō (伊藤 聡, Itō Satoshi; October 14, 1974 – March 20, 2009), was a Japanese science fiction writer and essayist.
Shūhō Satō (佐藤 秀峰, Satō Shūhō; born December 8, 1973 in Ikeda, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He won the…
Shūhō Satō (佐藤 秀峰, Satō Shūhō; born December 8, 1973 in Ikeda, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He won the Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Award for his work Say Hello to Black Jack. His assistants have included his wife, manga artist Tomomi Satō, as well as Masasumi Kakizaki (one year before his debut), Takahisa Shiratori, Itsunari Fujii, Eiji Nomura, Takashi Yoshida, and Kōjirō Umezawa.
Tetsuya Ishida (石田 徹也, Ishida Tetsuya, June 16, 1973 – May 23, 2005) was a contemporary Japanese painter known for his…
Tetsuya Ishida (石田 徹也, Ishida Tetsuya, June 16, 1973 – May 23, 2005) was a contemporary Japanese painter known for his surrealist portrayal of late-20th and early-21st century Japanese city life. His works typically depict hyperrealistic boys and men whose bodies are integrated into everyday appliances, industrial machinery, civic architecture, and animal forms. Ishida's paintings address the themes of isolation, consumerism, academic & professional workplace anxieties, and urban banality. Ishida quickly ascended the ranks of Japan's contemporary art scene after several of his paintings were exhibited at multiple galleries in the cultural hub of Ginza, and his works were featured in Christie's first ever auction on East Asian avant-garde art (alongside the works of a young Takashi Murakami) in 1998. As a member of Japan's "Lost Generation" (1991–2001), Ishida was a firsthand witness to the country's economic decline that began in the 1990s and extended into the 2000s. Subsequently, the angst that characterized his age group affected his perceptions of Japan's near-future where he viewed it as a bleak, urbanized atmosphere dominated by technocratic occupations that drain the life from its recent university graduate and middle-aged salarymen employees. With mental illness as a crucial attribute of his work, Ishida's conflicted views of Japan's outlook took a toll on his personal life and has been considered a contributing factor in his death after he was struck by a train in 2005.
Atsuko Hiyajo (Japanese: 比屋定 篤子, Hepburn: Hiyajō Atsuko; born 24 December 1971) is a Japanese singer and radio…
Atsuko Hiyajo (Japanese: 比屋定 篤子, Hepburn: Hiyajō Atsuko; born 24 December 1971) is a Japanese singer and radio personality. Born in Naha, she performed for a band while at Musashino Art University, as well as her own concerts in Tokyo. Making her major label debut in 1997, she released several albums and singles with Epic Records Japan and Sony Music Entertainment Japan in the 1990s and 2000s. Following her return to Okinawa, she began working as an independent musician, collaborating with Ryusenkei and other musicians, and served as the Wednesday host for RBC iRadio's At BBS . One of her songs, "Maware Maware", received renewed popularity from the city pop boom of the 2010s.
Hiroki Endo (遠藤 浩輝, Endō Hiroki; born November 3, 1970 in Akita Prefecture) is a Japanese manga artist. He graduated…
Hiroki Endo (遠藤 浩輝, Endō Hiroki; born November 3, 1970 in Akita Prefecture) is a Japanese manga artist. He graduated from Musashino Art University. He is most known for his science-fiction series Eden: It's an Endless World!, which has been translated into English by Dark Horse.
Shinsuke Sato (佐藤 信介, Satō Shinsuke; born September 16, 1970) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He has…
Shinsuke Sato (佐藤 信介, Satō Shinsuke; born September 16, 1970) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He has directed several live-action film adaptations of manga and anime, including The Princess Blade (2001), Gantz (2011), I Am a Hero (2016), Bleach (2018), Inuyashiki (2018), Kingdom (2019) and its sequels.
Jiro Matsumoto (Japanese: 松本次郎, Hepburn: Matsumoto Jiro) is a Japanese manga artist most known for his work on Freesia.…
Jiro Matsumoto (Japanese: 松本次郎, Hepburn: Matsumoto Jiro) is a Japanese manga artist most known for his work on Freesia. Much of his manga is explicit in nature, frequently containing copious amounts of sex and violence. Matsumoto's work Becchin & Mandara was released in English August 2011 as Velveteen & Mandala by North American publisher Vertical Inc. Other works by Matsumoto include Uncivilized Planet, Keep on Vibrating, Wendy, Avant-Pop Mars, Little Feet, A Revolutionist in the Afternoon and Tropical Citron
Tomoki Kyoda (京田 知己, Kyōda Tomoki) (born 1970) is a Japanese animation director and animator born in Osaka, Japan.…
Tomoki Kyoda (京田 知己, Kyōda Tomoki) (born 1970) is a Japanese animation director and animator born in Osaka, Japan. Formerly a graphic designer, he nurtured the dream of becoming an animator from childhood. After doing various works supervising drawing continuity, he joined the Bones anime RahXephon as assistant director and later directed RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio, his first film. He then went on to become head director of Eureka Seven, also under studio Bones. He collaborated with Gainax and Studio Khara in producing the new tetralogy of Neon Genesis Evangelion films as a storyboard artist on the first film, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. He revived the Eureka Seven franchise with the announcement of a brand new theatrical feature. He is a member of the 15-person steering committee of the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) labor group.
Seiichi Hishikawa (菱川 勢一, Hishikawa Seiichi; born in 1969 in Tokyo) is a Japanese film maker, art director, and…
Seiichi Hishikawa (菱川 勢一, Hishikawa Seiichi; born in 1969 in Tokyo) is a Japanese film maker, art director, and photographer who began his career in the music industry. He entered CBS/Sony Group in the General Affairs section, General Affairs division, and eventually moved on to the Sony Corporation. PR/Advertising division, overseeing a great number of events at the Ginza Sony Building etc. as an assistant producer. This was also the time that he began producing exhibitions for creators of contemporary art as well as artists. In 1991, Hishikawa moved to New York and moved from music to film, as an editing engineer as well as a cinematographer, gaining experience in media including TV and movies. After returning to Japan, he gained experience as a freelance set director, cinematographer, and theatre director before establishing Drawing and Manual, a company that does graphic design and film. That same year, he hosted a motion graphics exhibition at the Axis Gallery in Roppongi, leading the motion graphics movement and attracting a total of 45,000 visitors despite being self-hosted. Known as the founder of that movement, Hishikawa established his own design studio in 2003, Standard Series, Inc. Expanding on the cinema, web, and graphic design work he has done up until now, the company also provides brand design and design consultation services. In 2009, Hishikawa joined Drawing and Manual again, and he accepted a position to teach in the Department of Science of Design, Musashino Art University. He achieved the triple crown in 2011 after taking top honors in the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival for directing the NTT Docomo commercial “Xylophone.”
Aya Goda (Goda Aya in Japanese family name-given name order) is a Japanese writer, and an artist. She has lived in…
Aya Goda (Goda Aya in Japanese family name-given name order) is a Japanese writer, and an artist. She has lived in Japan since 1998. Aya's first book Tao: On the Road and on the Run in Outlaw China was awarded the Noma Prize for Non-Fiction from Kodansha in 1995. The English version of the novel was selected as one of the 50 books touted as the "most worth talking about" World Book Day 2009. Aya was born in Hokkaido, northern Japan. She traveled in West China, then she was a student of Musashino Art University, Tokyo in August 1988, and met Chinese artist Cao Yong in Kashi, Xinjiang. Cao Yong held his first one-man show in Beijing in February 1989. The exhibit was an instant success, and the event was covered by major international news agencies. However, this art show alarmed the Chinese authorities. But Cao Yong and Aya managed to escape. They set off on a perilous eight-month journey as fugitives. Finally, the couple married and got an espousal visa, escaped to Japan in October 1989. "TAO" recounts this eight-month journey in China in 1989. In Japan, Cao Yong and Aya had worked and lived as one until Cao Yong left for the US in 1994. Aya also left for the US after publishing "TAO" as Cao Yong's farewell gift to Japan in 1995. She did her best and went back to Japan in March, 1998.
Yuichi Yokoyama (横山裕一, Yokoyama Yūichi, born April 3, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator and painter.…
Yuichi Yokoyama (横山裕一, Yokoyama Yūichi, born April 3, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator and painter. Trained in oil painting, Yokoyama transitioned from fine art to manga in the mid-1990s, seeking a more suitable medium to explore concepts of time, space, and motion, and had his breakthrough as an artist in the 2000s. His works are characterized by abstract environments, mechanical repetition, minimal dialogue, and immersive use of onomatopoeia, challenging traditional manga conventions and described as "neo manga". Internationally acclaimed, Yokoyama's work has been published and exhibited, among others, in France, the United States and South Korea.
Katsuhito Ishii (石井 克人, Ishii Katsuhito; born 31 December 1966) is a Japanese film director best known for directing…
Katsuhito Ishii (石井 克人, Ishii Katsuhito; born 31 December 1966) is a Japanese film director best known for directing The Taste of Tea (2004), Funky Forest (2005), and Smuggler (2011).
Rieko Saibara (西原 理恵子, Saibara Rieko; born 1 November 1964) is a Japanese manga artist. She made her professional debut…
Rieko Saibara (西原 理恵子, Saibara Rieko; born 1 November 1964) is a Japanese manga artist. She made her professional debut in 1988 with Chikuro Yochien, serialized in Weekly Young Sunday. In 1989, she graduated from the Department of Visual Communication Design at Musashino Art University. Saibara has received numerous awards throughout her career, including the 43rd Bungeishunjū Manga Award in 1997 for Bokunchi; the Excellence Award at the 8th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2004 for Mainichi Kaasan; the Short Story Award at the 9th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prizes in 2005 for Mainichi Kaasan and Jōkyō Monogatari; the President of the House of Councilors Award at the 40th Japan Cartoonist Awards in 2011 for Mainichi Kaasan; and the 6th Best Mother Award for Literature in 2020. She is friends with fellow manga artist Nobuyuki Fukumoto. When she appeared on "Big Comic Superior Presents: The 6th Saibara Rieko's Life Art Skill Showdown", she revealed that she had known him for 20 years, and wrote that he has been "a handsome, serious, gentle-mannered and lovely man ever since then", but he was ignored by female manga artists because of his unpopular status.
Towa Tei (鄭 東和, Tei Tōwa; born September 7, 1964) is a Japanese artist, record producer, and DJ. Born in Yokohama…
Towa Tei (鄭 東和, Tei Tōwa; born September 7, 1964) is a Japanese artist, record producer, and DJ. Born in Yokohama, Japan, Towa was a member of Deee-Lite, from the US label Elektra Records in 1990, notable for their international hit single, "Groove Is In the Heart". He made his solo debut with the album Future Listening! in 1994. He has since relocated from New York to rural Nagano Prefecture in Japan. Towa's second studio album, Sound Museum (1997), became his highest charting effort at number 17 on the Oricon charts. Its single, "GBI (German Bold Italic)" featuring Kylie Minogue and Haruomi Hosono, reached number 50 and 63 in Australia and the United Kingdom, respectively. He saw continued success with 1999's Last Century Modern as its single, "Let Me Know" featuring Chara, peaked at number 34 in Japan, his highest entry. Towa has collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yukihiro Takahashi, Akiko Yano, Ringo Sheena, and Arto Lindsay, among others. His concept party, "Hotel H", started in 2009 as a social spot for music industry people in Tokyo.
Miyuki Kobayashi (小林深雪, Kobayashi Miyuki; born 10 March in Saitama Prefecture) is a Japanese novelist and scenario…
Miyuki Kobayashi (小林深雪, Kobayashi Miyuki; born 10 March in Saitama Prefecture) is a Japanese novelist and scenario writer for manga. She graduated from Musashino Art University. She wrote the scenarios for Delicious! and Kitchen Princess. In 2006, she won the Kodansha Manga Award in the children's manga category for Kitchen Princess.
Masaya Nakagawa (中川 雅也, Nakagawa Masaya; born November 4, 1963), known professionally as Lily Franky (リリー・フランキー, Rirī…
Masaya Nakagawa (中川 雅也, Nakagawa Masaya; born November 4, 1963), known professionally as Lily Franky (リリー・フランキー, Rirī Furankī), is a Japanese illustrator, writer, and actor. He has appeared in more than 40 films since 2001.
Satoshi Kon (今 敏, Kon Satoshi; October 12, 1963 – August 24, 2010) was a Japanese film director, animator, screenwriter…
Satoshi Kon (今 敏, Kon Satoshi; October 12, 1963 – August 24, 2010) was a Japanese film director, animator, screenwriter and manga artist from Sapporo, Hokkaido, and a member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA). He was a graduate of the Graphic Design department of the Musashino Art University. He is best known for his acclaimed anime films Perfect Blue (1997), Millennium Actress (2001), Tokyo Godfathers (2003), and Paprika (2006), and the TV series Paranoia Agent (2004). In 2010, Kon died of pancreatic cancer at age 46.
Kōji Ishikawa (石川 浩二, Ishikawa Kōji; pen name: いしかわ こうじ, born October 4, 1963) is a Japanese children's book author and…
Kōji Ishikawa (石川 浩二, Ishikawa Kōji; pen name: いしかわ こうじ, born October 4, 1963) is a Japanese children's book author and illustrator. His work includes advertisements, magazine illustration, web, character design and book design. In recent years he has made children's books. He lives in Tokyo with his wife and two children.
Rei Naito (内藤 礼, Naito Rei; born 1961) is a Japanese artist. Naito's work intersects with minimalism, conceptual art…
Rei Naito (内藤 礼, Naito Rei; born 1961) is a Japanese artist. Naito's work intersects with minimalism, conceptual art, and environmental art, exploring the ways in which human existence is shaped, felt, and made evident amidst its natural surroundings. Using organic and found materials and creating immersive environments that interact with sound, light, and atmosphere, Naito's practice takes a strong interest in the intimate, ambient, and often transient encounters that arise between individuals and artworks. Naito represented Japan at the 47th Venice Biennale (1997) and exhibited her installation work One Place on Earth (Chijōni hitsotsu no basho o) in the Japan Pavilion, filling the whole of the interior with the immersive piece. Naito is also known for her collaboration with architect Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA on the Teshima Art Museum, where her work Matrix, the single artwork on display, utilizes organic forms to accentuate the porosity between phases of the natural world. In recent years, Naito has also created smaller-scale sculptural works that derive from human forms, alongside her extant abstraction-based installation practice. Matrix (2010), along with Being Given (2001), are her two permanent installation works, both located within the Seto Island Sea. Smaller scale sculptural works reimagine mundane objects by collaborating and altering exhibition spaces and ambient environments. These works include pillow for the dead (1998) exhibited in the Tokyo National Museum, as well as The joys were greater (2015) shown in Gallery Koyanagi. Her work has been widely exhibited and held in collections at numerous institutions across the globe including the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, the New Museum, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama, the National Gallery Singapore, and the Museum für Moderne Kunst.
Akira Kobayashi (小林 章, born 1960) is a Japanese font designer living in Germany. As type director for Monotype, he…
Akira Kobayashi (小林 章, born 1960) is a Japanese font designer living in Germany. As type director for Monotype, he oversees typeface design and reprints of classic typefaces such as Optima. He has also served as a judge in several international typeface contests. He previously worked at Shaken (写研), and later designed the European characters for Hiragino Mincho and AXIS Font. He is a leading figure in designing Western typefaces in Japan, and has co-developed fonts with Hermann Zapf and Adrian Frutiger. Kobayashi grew up in Japan and has written a Japanese-language book about Western fonts, titled "西文字体" ("Western font"). His work has been profiled in Communication Arts magazine. Print Magazine featured him in an interview, as did Sony Design.
Michiyo Akaishi (赤石 路代, Akaishi Michiyo; born October 11, 1959 in Urawa) is a Japanese manga artist. She graduated from…
Michiyo Akaishi (赤石 路代, Akaishi Michiyo; born October 11, 1959 in Urawa) is a Japanese manga artist. She graduated from Saitama Prefectural Dai-Ichi Girls High School. Akaishi then attended Musashino Art University where she graduated with a degree in commercial plastic model design. In 1979, she won first place in the Shogakukan Shinjin Comic Award contest. Akaishi's debut story, "Marshmallow Tea wa Hitori de", appeared in the January 1980 issue of Bessatsu Shōjo Comic. Her story "One More Jump" won the 1994 Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga. She was one of the judges for the 53rd Shogakukan Manga Awards in 2008.
Yukinori Yanagi (柳幸典, Yanagi Yukinori; born 1959) is a contemporary Japanese artist. Yukinori Yanagi is a contemporary…
Yukinori Yanagi (柳幸典, Yanagi Yukinori; born 1959) is a contemporary Japanese artist. Yukinori Yanagi is a contemporary Japanese artist who has addressed themes of national and transnational sovereignty, globalization and borders, as well as Japan’s imperial history and nationalism. He is considered one of the first postwar Japanese artists that is openly critical of Japanese society and governmental policy. Many of Yanagi’s artworks consists of large-scale, site-specific installations that engage with movement and symbols of nationalism. Yukinori Yanagi achieved a major international breakthrough in 1993 when he was awarded the Aperto Award at the 45th Venice Biennale.Following this recognition, his work entered major international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and Tate Modern (London). In 2000, he was among the first foreign artists invited to exhibit at the Whitney Biennial, alongside Cai Guo-Qiang. He is widely recognized for his role in regional revitalization, most notably for the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum. This long-term project began in 1995and culminated in the 2008 opening of a permanent art complex created by revamping a long-defunct copper refinery on the island of Inujima, which has become an integral location of the Setouchi International Art Triennale. His global profile remains prominent through recent contributions to major biennials including the Busan Biennale 2016 in Busan, South Korea, the 21st Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2018), and the Ad-Diriyah Biennale in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia (2021), as well as significant solo exhibitions including ICARUS at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, Italy (2025) and El Mare Pacificum at Estación MAZ in Guadalajara, Mexico (2026). Following the completion of the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum, Yanagi established the collaborative team YANAGI + ART BASE. Working alongside architects and designers, he has focused on revitalizing industrial ruins and abandoned structures. His primary ongoing initiative is ART BASE MOMOSHIMA, a non-profit art project established in 2012. His current work continues to expand into the study of international history and territories from a sea perspective, including the Anjwa Island Project / Floating Museum in South Korea, where he continues to explore the reclamation of neglected landscapes through site-specific art.
Jun Suemi (末弥純 Suemi Jun, born 1959) is a Japanese illustrator, born in Ōita, Ōita, Japan.
Ken Kiyoyuki Okuyama (奥山 清行, Okuyama Kiyoyuki; born 1959) is a Japanese industrial designer. He is the owner of the Ken…
Ken Kiyoyuki Okuyama (奥山 清行, Okuyama Kiyoyuki; born 1959) is a Japanese industrial designer. He is the owner of the Ken Okuyama Design company. Okuyama formerly worked for Pininfarina, designing and supervising projects such as the Enzo Ferrari and Ferrari P4/5.
Kenya Hara (原 研哉, Hara Ken'ya; born 1958) is a Japanese graphic designer, curator and writer from Okayama prefecture…
Kenya Hara (原 研哉, Hara Ken'ya; born 1958) is a Japanese graphic designer, curator and writer from Okayama prefecture, Japan. He is a graduate of the Musashino Art University. Hara joined Nippon Design Center after graduating from master's program at Musashino Art University in 1983. He is employed by the Musashino Art University as a professor and taught Communication Design and Design Theory in Science on the Design Faculty since April 2003. Hara is one of the leading designers in Japan and his books Designing Design and White are recognized as important in the fields of design theory and aesthetics. Hara has been the art director of Muji since 2001 and designed the opening and closing ceremony programs of the 1998 Winter Olympics. In 2008, Hara partnered with fashion label Kenzo for the launch of its men's fragrance Kenzo Power. He designed the official posters for EXPO 2005 Aichi, created the signage system for the Umeda Hospital, the visual identification for the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum, worked on a new design for the Matsuya department store in Ginza, and participated in other design projects. In 2021, Hara partnered with Xiaomi, designing a new logo for the company, which was unveiled on 31 March 2021. Hara and his company converted the previous square logo into a combination of a square and a circle. He earned $300,000 from the project.
Akimi Yoshida (吉田 秋生, Yoshida Akimi; born August 12, 1956) is a Japanese manga artist.
Takaaki Enoki (榎木 孝明, Enoki Takaaki; born January 5, 1956) is a Japanese actor and artist from Isa District, Kagoshima.…
Takaaki Enoki (榎木 孝明, Enoki Takaaki; born January 5, 1956) is a Japanese actor and artist from Isa District, Kagoshima. He is known for his role as private detective Mitsuhiko Asami in the Asami Mitsuhiko Series. He attended Musashino Art University but left before graduating and joined the Shiki Theatre Company. In 1990, Enoki landed the lead role in Heaven and Earth in place of Ken Watanabe, who had to pull out due to illness. He is also known as an ink painter and his museum opened in 2003.(Located in Kokonoe, Ōita.)
Fusako Kuramochi (くらもち ふさこ, Kuramochi Fusako; real name 倉持房子 Kuramochi Fusako, born 14 May 1955 in Shibuya, Tokyo) is a…
Fusako Kuramochi (くらもち ふさこ, Kuramochi Fusako; real name 倉持房子 Kuramochi Fusako, born 14 May 1955 in Shibuya, Tokyo) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist. While still in high school, she made her professional debut with Megane-chan no Hitorigoto, published in the Autumn 1972 issue of Bessatsu Margaret. She won the magazine's gold medal for amateur manga artists. Afterwards, Kuramochi studied Japanese painting at Musashino Art University, but left before graduation to pursue her career full-time. Her manga Tennen Kokekkō received the 1996 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo manga, and was adapted as a live-action movie in 2007. Her series A-Girl was adapted as an anime OVA in 1993. Her manga Hana ni Somu won the Grand Prize category of the 21st Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2017.
Joji Nagashima (born 1955; 永島譲二) is a Japanese automobile designer for BMW. He is best known for the exterior designs…
Joji Nagashima (born 1955; 永島譲二) is a Japanese automobile designer for BMW. He is best known for the exterior designs of the E90 versions of the BMW 3 Series, the E39 version of the BMW 5 Series, and the Z3 Roadster. As of November 2007, he held 22 patents in car design.
Nishida Shun'ei (西田 俊英; born April 20, 1953, in Ise city, Mie prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese Nihonga painter who…
Nishida Shun'ei (西田 俊英; born April 20, 1953, in Ise city, Mie prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese Nihonga painter who specializes in portraits, and later fantastical landscapes, and is an emeritus professor of Japanese painting at Hiroshima City University and Musashino Art University, which he retired from in 2024. He received the 2016 Japan Art Academy award for Japanese painting. As of 2026, he is the chair of the Japan Art Institute.
Yukihiro Takahashi (Japanese: 高橋 幸宏, Hepburn: Takahashi Yukihiro; June 6, 1952 – January 11, 2023) was a Japanese…
Yukihiro Takahashi (Japanese: 高橋 幸宏, Hepburn: Takahashi Yukihiro; June 6, 1952 – January 11, 2023) was a Japanese musician, singer, record producer, fashion designer, and actor, who was best known internationally as the drummer, lead vocalist, & co-composer of Yellow Magic Orchestra, as the former drummer of the Sadistic Mika Band, and as the drummer and backing vocalist of the Sadistics. He was also a member of the groups: the Beatniks (with Keiichi Suzuki), Sketch Show (with Haruomi Hosono), & Metafive (with Towa Tei etc.).
Ryū Murakami (村上 龍, Murakami Ryū; born February 19, 1952) is a Japanese novelist, essayist and filmmaker. His novels…
Ryū Murakami (村上 龍, Murakami Ryū; born February 19, 1952) is a Japanese novelist, essayist and filmmaker. His novels explore human nature through themes of disillusion, drug use, surrealism, murder and war, set against the dark backdrop of Japan. His best known novels are Almost Transparent Blue, Audition, Coin Locker Babies, and In the Miso Soup.
Shiro Nakamura (中村 史郎, Nakamura Shirō; born 17 October 1950) is a former Japanese car designer and company executive.…
Shiro Nakamura (中村 史郎, Nakamura Shirō; born 17 October 1950) is a former Japanese car designer and company executive. Nakamura served as Senior Vice President of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. From 2006, Nakamura had been Nissan's Chief Creative Officer. He was Chief Creative Officer of Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun. Nakamura retired in 2017. Known as a hands-on creative, he goes by the nickname "Fingers".
Sumika Yamamoto (山本 鈴美香, Yamamoto Sumika) is a Japanese manga artist known for her manga series Ace o Nerae!.
Aguri Uchida (内田 あぐり, Uchida Aguri; born 1949) is a Japanese painter in the Nihonga style of watercolour painting.
Jūgatsu Toi (戸井 十月, Toi Jūgatsu; 12 October 1948 – 28 July 2013) was a Japanese travel writer and visual producer. He…
Jūgatsu Toi (戸井 十月, Toi Jūgatsu; 12 October 1948 – 28 July 2013) was a Japanese travel writer and visual producer. He became a travel writer after his activity as an illustrator and reporter.
Soji Shimada (島田 荘司, Shimada Sōji; born October 12, 1948) is a Japanese mystery writer. He was born in Fukuyama City…
Soji Shimada (島田 荘司, Shimada Sōji; born October 12, 1948) is a Japanese mystery writer. He was born in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.
Tamio Kageyama (景山 民夫, Kageyama Tamio; March 20, 1947 in Tokyo, Japan – January 27, 1998) was a Japanese writer. The…
Tamio Kageyama (景山 民夫, Kageyama Tamio; March 20, 1947 in Tokyo, Japan – January 27, 1998) was a Japanese writer. The former television script writer and essayist won the 99th Naoki Prize in 1988 for his novel Coo: Tooi Umi Kara Kita Coo. The novel was later adapted into an animated film. Kageyama also contributed to the films Sakana kara daiokishin!! (1992), Saraba itoshiki hito yo (1987), and Hoshikuzu kodai no densetsu (1985), and appeared as a judge on the TV series Iron Chef. Kageyama died at the age of 50 following a house fire at his residence.
Yuko Shimizu (清水 侑子, Shimizu Yūko; born 1 November 1946) is a Japanese designer who created Hello Kitty.
Kimiko Itō or Kimiko Itoh (伊藤 君子, Itō Kimiko; born July 11, 1946) is a Japanese jazz singer. She was born on the island…
Kimiko Itō or Kimiko Itoh (伊藤 君子, Itō Kimiko; born July 11, 1946) is a Japanese jazz singer. She was born on the island of Shikoku in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Musashino Art University with a degree in oil painting, she studied under Yasushi Sawada. In 1982, she made her debut with her first jazz album, "Birdland". In 1989, she released the album "フォロー・ミー(FOLLOW ME)" simultaneously in Japan and the United States. It ranked 16th in the Radio & Records Contemporary Jazz charts. Swing Journal (スイングジャーナル) voted Kimiko Number 1 female vocalist in 1988–1996. In 2004, her cover of the song "River of Crystals" from her album "Follow Me" was featured in the Mamoru Oshii-directed film Ghost in the Shell: Innocence.
Akira Nakao (中尾 彬, Nakao Akira; August 11, 1942 – May 16, 2024) was a Japanese actor, television personality, and…
Akira Nakao (中尾 彬, Nakao Akira; August 11, 1942 – May 16, 2024) was a Japanese actor, television personality, and artist from Kisarazu, Chiba. He was represented by the Furutachi Project agency.
Morio Matsui (松井 守男, Matsui Morio; 1942 – 30 May 2022) was a Japanese artist who lived and worked in Corsica, France…
Morio Matsui (松井 守男, Matsui Morio; 1942 – 30 May 2022) was a Japanese artist who lived and worked in Corsica, France from 1998 until his death.
Tiger Tateishi (タイガー立石) (December 20, 1941 - April 17, 1998), pen name of Kōichi Tateishi (Tateishi Kōichi (立石紘一) was a…
Tiger Tateishi (タイガー立石) (December 20, 1941 - April 17, 1998), pen name of Kōichi Tateishi (Tateishi Kōichi (立石紘一) was a Japanese painter, mangaka, picture book artist, and ceramic artist.
Kazuo Kamimura (上村 一夫, Kamimura Kazuo; March 7, 1940 in Yokosuka – January 11, 1986) was a Japanese manga artist born…
Kazuo Kamimura (上村 一夫, Kamimura Kazuo; March 7, 1940 in Yokosuka – January 11, 1986) was a Japanese manga artist born in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. He was best known as the illustrator of Lady Snowblood, which was adapted into film in 1973. Hitoshi Iwaaki, a manga artist was his assistant. He has been called "the ukiyo-e master of Shōwa-era manga." Kamimura died on January 11, 1986, at age 45, of a pharynx tumor.