Japanese Cartoonist known for his popular Ginga (Silver Fang) manga series. He won the 1987 Shogakukan Manga Award.
He published his first manga, Genkotsu Boy, in 1974.
His Ginga manga featured a canine hero and inspired a popular anime production.
He grew up in the village of Higashinaruse in Japan's Akita Prefecture.
He and Eiichiro Oda both had successful careers as Japanese manga artists.
