Yōichirō Morikawa (森川 陽一郎, Morikawa Yōichirō; born 14 August 1979, Fukui, Fukui) is a Japanese Independent film…Yōichirō Morikawa (森川 陽一郎, Morikawa Yōichirō; born 14 August 1979, Fukui, Fukui) is a Japanese Independent film director, screenwriter, actor and calligrapher. He gained media attention when he was arrested and charged on suspicion of paying a 17-year-old girl for sexual services in March 2006.
Yoshinaga Fujita (藤田 宜永, Fujita Yoshinaga; 12 April 1950 – 30 January 2020) was a Japanese novelist and screenwriter.…Yoshinaga Fujita (藤田 宜永, Fujita Yoshinaga; 12 April 1950 – 30 January 2020) was a Japanese novelist and screenwriter. He was known for his works in the crime novel, adventure novel and romance novel genres.
Yoshishige Yoshida (吉田 喜重, Yoshida Yoshishige; 16 February 1933 – 8 December 2022), also known as Kijū Yoshida, was a…Yoshishige Yoshida (吉田 喜重, Yoshida Yoshishige; 16 February 1933 – 8 December 2022), also known as Kijū Yoshida, was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.
Setsuko Tsumura (津村節子, Tsumura Setsuko; born 5 June 1928) is a Japanese novelist. She is a 1965 recipient of the…Setsuko Tsumura (津村節子, Tsumura Setsuko; born 5 June 1928) is a Japanese novelist. She is a 1965 recipient of the Akutagawa Prize.
Yōji Kuri (久里洋二, Kuri Yōji; April 9, 1928 – November 24, 2024) was a Japanese cartoonist and independent filmmaker. An…Yōji Kuri (久里洋二, Kuri Yōji; April 9, 1928 – November 24, 2024) was a Japanese cartoonist and independent filmmaker. An influential figure in Japanese independent animation, he was the unofficial leader and most prolific of the "Animation Association of Three" (アニメーション三人の会, Animēshon Sannin no Kai) collective who kick-started the renaissance of modern-styled, independently made, adult-aimed animation in early 1960s Japan. He is known internationally for the very black comedy of his films, with the typically naïve style of his cartooning often belying the surreal, obscene and disturbing situations they depict (though he has worked in a variety of styles and mediums, including pixilation); this made them a favourite among the fervently counter-cultural audiences, which included such filmmakers as René Laloux, of the first few years of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and in a 1967 publication he was considered to be "the most significant" and "the only Japanese animator whose work is known in the West" (which is to disregard the Toei Animation features and Astro Boy series that were first seen in the West around the same time that Kuri's first several films were and mentioned in passing in the same publication, though these were not known as works of an individual and characteristic filmmaker and often had their Japanese origin played down). He is also known in Japan for his comics, a collection of which earned him the 1958 Bungeishunjū Manga Award. Though he was retired from filmmaking, he continued to illustrate and teach animation at Laputa Art Animation School (アート・アニメーションのちいさな学校, Āto Animēshon no Chiisana Gakkō). Kuri died on November 24, 2024, at the age of 96. His death was announced in the following month, on December 15.
Satoshi Kako (かこさとし, Kako Satoshi) (31 March 1926 – 2 May 2018) was a Japanese author and illustrator of children's…Satoshi Kako (かこさとし, Kako Satoshi) (31 March 1926 – 2 May 2018) was a Japanese author and illustrator of children's books.
Tsutomu Mizukami (水上勉, Mizukami Tsutomu; 8 March 1919 – 8 September 2004), also known as Tsutomu Minakami, was a…Tsutomu Mizukami (水上勉, Mizukami Tsutomu; 8 March 1919 – 8 September 2004), also known as Tsutomu Minakami, was a Japanese writer of novels, biographies, and plays. Mizukami's major works include The Temple of the Wild Geese, Kiga kaikyō and Bamboo Dolls of Echizen. His writings earned him, among other awards, the Tanizaki Prize and the Naoki Prize.
Chihiro Iwasaki (いわさき ちひろ (岩崎 知弘), Iwasaki Chihiro; 15 December 1918 – 8 August 1974) was a Japanese artist and…Chihiro Iwasaki (いわさき ちひろ (岩崎 知弘), Iwasaki Chihiro; 15 December 1918 – 8 August 1974) was a Japanese artist and illustrator best known for her water-colored illustrations of flowers and children, the theme of which was "peace and happiness for children".
Jun Takami (高見 順, Takami Jun; 30 January 1907 – 17 August 1965) was the pen-name of a Japanese novelist and poet active…Jun Takami (高見 順, Takami Jun; 30 January 1907 – 17 August 1965) was the pen-name of a Japanese novelist and poet active in Shōwa era Japan. His real name was Takami Yoshio.
Shigeharu Nakano (中野 重治, Nakano Shigeharu; 25 January 1902 – 24 August 1979) was a Japanese writer and Japanese…Shigeharu Nakano (中野 重治, Nakano Shigeharu; 25 January 1902 – 24 August 1979) was a Japanese writer and Japanese Communist Party (JCP) politician. Nakano was born in Maruoka, now part of Sakai, Fukui. In 1914, he enrolled in middle school in Fukui, Fukui, and attended high school in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa and Kanazawa, Ishikawa. In 1924, he entered the German literature department of the University of Tokyo. In 1931, he joined the Japanese Communist Party, for which he was arrested in 1934. Immediately after World War II, he rejoined the party and played a leading role in founding the JCP-affiliated literary society New Japanese Literature Association (Shin Nihon Bungakkai). In 1947, Nakano began a three-year term as elected representative to the government. In 1958, he was elected to the party's Central Committee, but in 1964 was expelled due to political conflicts. Nakano was one of the most prominent figures in the proletarian literary movement that dominated the Japanese literary field from mid 1920's to early 1930's. His autobiographical novels include Nami no aima (Between the Waves, 1930), Muragimo (In the Depths of the Heart, 1954), and Kō otsu hei tei (ABCD, 1965-1969). Nakano received the 1959 Yomiuri Prize for Nashi no hana. Following his arrest, he published a novella titled Shōsetsuka no kakenu shōsetsuka (The Novelist Who Can't Write a Novel, 1977) in which he offers glimpses of the authoritarian concerns surrounding deletion marks in writing. Three more of his other works, translated by Brett de Bary, include Mura no ie (The House in the Village, 1979), Goshaku no sake (Five Cups of Sake), and Hagi no monkakiya (The Crest-painter of Hagi).
Natsume Akatsuki (暁なつめ, Akatsuki Natsume) is a Japanese light novel author and manga writer. He is best known as the…Natsume Akatsuki (暁なつめ, Akatsuki Natsume) is a Japanese light novel author and manga writer. He is best known as the creator of the KonoSuba series.