Big Jou

He is a comic book author. He started to get interested in comics and even started drawing at grade-school age, his favourite artists were Fukui Eiichi (福井英一) and Tezuka Osamu. During high school his talent was discovered and he drew Bakudan-kun (バクダン君) and went to Tokyo, where he studied manga but came back later to his parents home. It wasn't until 1971 that he gave his major debut with Kugishi Sabuyan (釘師サブやん) and returned to Tokyo. His most important work is Ippon Bocho Mantarou, which was serialised for five years in Monthly Shounen Magazine and subsequently made into an animated two part original video series.