Ooishi, Ikuo

Born in 1902, in Nihonbashi, Tokyo and died on December 4, 1944 (some say he was born in 1901). His given name was Toraji. His father was a ceramics overglaze painter. Oishi learned to draw at Seiki Kuroda's private school and then worked as a title-card designer at Shochiku Kamata Studio. After he presented his first animation Futatsu no Taiyou (二つの太陽, The Two Suns, 1929) under the name of Iku Oishi, he began producing animations in earnest and established an independent business in 1930 named Oishi Senga Seisakusho. The name Oishi Senga Seisakusho was changed to Oishi Kosaisha two years later, and in 1933 was absorbed into Photo Chemical Laboratory (P.C.L), the predecessor of Toho, when it began to engage in animation films. Ugokie Kori no Tatehiki (1933), which is considered Oishi's masterpiece, was produced by the P.C.L.'s Manga Division. Anticipating reactions to the Film Law (1939) that required proficiency tests, The Cinematography Reader (映画撮影学読本) (Vol.1 and 2, 1940-41) was issued and Oishi was in charge of writing "Section 15: The Techniques of Cartoons." Unfortunately, Oishi died at sea during the war while on a southern expedition. However, it is known that he nurtured many artists from his days at Oishi Senga Seisakusho through to his time working at Toho. Many of them, such as Shoji Ichino at Toei Doga, Hiromasa Suzuki (Iwao Ashida) at Ashida Mangaeiga Seisakusho, and manga artist Soji Ushio, went on to succeed after the war ended. (Source: Japanese Animated Film Classics)