Art Director Jizo Yamamoto passed away on August 19 due to stomach cancer. He worked on many Ghibli and other animation works.

It was announced on SNS that Nizo Yamamoto, who was active as an art director, passed away due to stomach cancer on August 19, 2023. He was 70 years old. (Photo from the official website of Nizo Yamamoto's studio, Kaeisha.

On his official X, his eldest son, Takao Yamamoto, posted a comment.


"To all of you who took care of me in my lifetime and to my fans, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. The spirit of Fizo Yamamoto will continue to dwell in the sky of Laputa, in the air-raid shelter of Grave of the Fireflies, in the forest of Princess Mononoke, in the streets of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and in the sea of 100 Famous Views of Gotō.
He also said, "A few days before his death, he was in the air.

Until a few days before his death, he had been working on a manga about the folk tale of his hometown, Goto, called "Futatsugiga Castle," and had completed a 120-page draft with one page left to go before it was finished. He said. It is said that he was devoted to his search until the very end.

Fizo Yamamoto was born on June 27, 1953. He began creating art for animated films when he was a student at a vocational school. He first worked as an art director on the TV animation "Mirai Shonen Conan" directed by Hayao Miyazaki. He later participated in "Lupin III: Cagliostro's Castle" and the movie "Jarinko Chie" before joining Studio Ghibli. He has worked as art director for many Ghibli films, including "Laputa: Castle in the Sky," "Grave of the Fireflies," and "Princess Mononoke." He has also participated in many of Japan's most famous films, including "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" as art director and "Weather Boy" as a ceiling painter for the weather shrine.

He also demonstrated his versatility as a director by directing his first animated TV animation, "Miyori no Mori" (The Forest of Miyori).

We pray for his soul rest in peace.

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