Yoshitaka Amano
Born in 1952 in Shizuoka, Japan, Yoshitaka Amano (天野 喜孝) was hired at the age of fifteen by Tatsunoko Productions, where he was involved in character design for the animated television program Gatchaman (aired in America as Battle of the Planets and G-Force) among other projects. His career in publishing began with Twilight Worlds in 1981. In 1983 he was presented with the Seiun Award for Art, which he went on to win for three subsequent years. In 1987 he did the character design for the first Final Fantasy video game, winning him widespread acclaim. In 1990 he branched out into new artistic realms, doing stage design for Tamasaburo Bando's production of Nayotake and other plays, and designing a stained-glass window for the Yosei Musuem. In 1995, a deepening interest in art led him to begin making lithographs at a studio in Paris. In 1996, he began doing lithographs at a studio in New York and has since held solo exhibitions in galleries all over Japan. In 1997 he held his first solo exhibition in New York. His most recent works include the Ganime animated films for Toei Animation and the books Worlds of Amano and Amano: The Collected Art of Vampire Hunter D.
