is a Japanese manga artist

Mangaka

is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...

.

He was born in Niihama, Ehime

Niihama, Ehime

is a city located in the eastern part of Ehime, Japan. It has the third largest population in Ehime, behind the prefectural capital of Matsuyama and the recently expanded city of Imabari.Niihama was founded on November 3, 1937...

. After graduating from high school on March 1955, he started working at a factory in Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

 making car parts but quit after only ten months. He studied manga via a mail-offered course and wrote to various manga magazines. In 1958 came his first commercially printed work Fukumenhakushi (覆面博士) and he began his career as a manga artist.

He is best known for Nippon Keibaden that detailed the history of Japan's horse racing industry and its horses. He is also known for beautiful amazon-like heroines who are never daunted by the hardship they endure. Since 1970, he has written a series of works titled Sasori, lit. scorpion, which is the name for a female inmate and heroine. Director Shunya Ito

Shunya Ito

is a Japanese film director famed for starting the Sasori series of 1970s exploitation films based on Toru Shinohara's manga and starring Meiko Kaji. Itō worked for Toei Company for most of his career...

 started a series of ten films starring Meiko Kaji based on the manga. However, Ito withdrew from the project after three, and Kaji four films. Many of his works have been turned into movies since 1972.

List of works

• Fukumenhakushi (覆面博士)
• Mehyo Mako (女豹マコ)
• Ningen Konchuki (人間昆虫記)
• Zubeko Tantei Ran (ズベ公探偵ラン)
• Nippon Keibaden (にっぽん競馬伝)
• Teinen Shokun (定年諸君)
• Toko (陶子)
• Kariudobachi (狩人蜂)
• Sasori (さそり)
• Kauchi Zankyoden Shamo (河内残侠伝軍鶏)
• Yadokari (やどかり)
• Onna Toji Sayaka (女刀師サヤカ)
• Garando (がらんどう)
• O-ka no Onna (O課の女)
• Yakochu (夜光虫)
• Wanibunsho / 82-bunsho (ワニ分署 / 82分署)
• Keiji Anko (刑事あんこう)
• Shokuchuka (食虫花)
• Hikuidori (火喰鳥)
• Ginsasa (銀笹)
• Suna (砂)
• Onna Shiokinin ZEBRA (女仕置き人ZEBRA)