Jiro Taniguchi, the creator of such manga as The Times of Botchan and Kodoku no Gourmet, passed away on Saturday.
Taniguchi’s admirers include acclaimed film director Guillermo del Toro, and Taniguchi collaborated with another award-winning artist, Moebius, on the manga Icaro (Icare).
After working at a Western clothing wholesaler in Kyoto, he moved to Tokyo to pursue his aspirations of becoming a manga creator.
Overseas, Taniguchi’s works received an Ignatz Award nomination in 2010 and several Eisner Award nominations from 2007 to 2010.