Tatsuo Yoshida

吉田竜夫

Tatsuo Yoshida an anime pioneer who founded anime studio Tatsunoko Productions. Born in 1932, Yoshida grew up in the hardship of war-torn Japan. A self-taught artist, his first job was as working for local newspapers in Kyoto. After finding success as a manga artist in Tokyo, including winning the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1972 for Minashigo Hutch, in 1962 he founded Tatsunoko with his two younger brothers, Kenji (who took over Tatsuo's position as producer after he died) and Toyoharu (a.k.a. Kuri Ippei). The studio's name has a double Japanese meaning of "Tatsu's child" and…