Search results
Nizo Yamamoto (山本 二三, Yamamoto Nizō, 27 June 1953 – 19 August 2023) was a Japanese art director. He began his career working on Future Boy Conan, but also worked on numerous films, most notably Studio Ghibli films such as Castle in the Sky, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away. Additionally, he worked on ...
- Overview
- Career
(山本二三 Yamamoto Nizō) was born on June 27, 1953, in Fukue-shi (a town within Gotou City [Gotou-shi]), in Nagasaki Prefecture, and is one of the most well-known anime art directors and background artists in Japan.
He is especially famous for his work on several of the Studio Ghibli films directed or produced by Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata including Castle in the Sky (1986), Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), Whisper of the Heart (1995), Princess Mononoke (1997), and Spirited Away (2001).
His filmography both before and since his time at Ghibli includes titles such as Conan: The Boy in Future (1978), the NHK World Masterpiece Theater TV series Anne of Green Gables (1979), The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Chie the Brat (1981), Sherlock Hound (1984), Little Nemo - Adventures in Slumberland (1989), and more recently The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) and Welcome to the Space Show (宇宙ショーへようこそ Uchuu Shou e Youkoso?) (2010). In 2007 Yamamoto directed (as well as handled storyboards and backgrounds) his first film, the Fuji TV special Miyori's Forest (ミヨリの森 Miyori no Mori?).
Yamamoto had decided to enter the anime industry after seeing the 1974 NHK TV series Heidi, Girl of the Alps and landed his first job at Ad Cosmo the same year. By 1978 he was working at Nippon Animation - with the people responsible for Heidi - first with Miyazaki on Future Boy Conan, and the following year with Takahata on Anne. Yamamoto was invited to join Studio Ghibli at its inception in 1985 to work on Castle in the Sky.
Yamamoto left Studio Ghibli after the completion of production on Spirited Away and continues to work as a freelance artist at the company he founded and directs, Kaieisha. An exhibition covering the more than 30 years of his anime background work was held in in 2012 at the Museum of Art in Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku.
See the Nizō Yamamoto (books) page for a list of books or articles illustrated by, written by, or about Yamamoto.
Nizô Yamamoto was born on 27 June 1953 in Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. He was an art director, known for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) and Princess Mononoke (1997). He died on 19 August 2023 in Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
- Nizô Yamamoto
- August 19, 2023
- June 27, 1953
People also ask
Who is Nizo Yamamoto?
How old was Nizo Yamamoto when he died?
How did Yamamoto become an art director?
Why is Yamamoto called Niz Gumo?
Feb 5, 2024 · 1 – Happy accidents. It was a shock when the news broke, last summer, that Nizo Yamamoto had passed away. At just 70, he felt too young. So many lived longer in his group, the Ghibli people — the artists who spent decades with Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Yamamoto was an art director, which has a specific meaning in Japanese animation.
Aug 21, 2023 · Acclaimed anime art director Nizo Yamamoto passed away due to stomach cancer on Saturday, August 19. He was 70. A service will be held on August 27 at 11:00 a.m. in Hanno City in Saitama...
Aug 23, 2023 · Nizo Yamamoto, Longtime Studio Ghibli Art Director And Background Artist, Dies At 70. By Jamie Lang | 08/23/2023 6:07 am | 4. Japanese art director and background painter Nizo Yamamoto died...
Aug 21, 2023 · Japanese animation art director Nizo Yamamoto, renowned for his background illustrations for numerous Studio Ghibli and other films, died of stomach cancer Saturday at his home, his family said. He was 70.
