View source for Takao Saito

{{Short description|Japanese manga and gekiga artist (1936–2021)}}
{{for multi|the Japanese cinematographer|Takao Saito (cinematographer)|the Japanese politician|Saitō Takao (politician)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Takao Saito
| image              = Takao Saito Gaimu.jpg
| alt                = 
| caption            = Saito in 2017
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1936|11|03}}
| birth_place        = [[Wakayama Prefecture]], Japan
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2021|9|24|1936|11|03}}
| death_place        = 
| other_names        = 
| occupation         = [[Mangaka|Manga artist]]
| years_active       = 1955–2021
| known_for          = ''[[Golgo 13]]''
| awards             = {{Unbulleted list
|[[Shogakukan Manga Award]] (1976, 2005)
|[[Japan Cartoonists Association Award]] (2002)
|[[Medals of Honor (Japan)|Medal with Purple Ribbon]] (2003)
|[[Order of the Rising Sun#4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette|Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette]] (2010)
|[[Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize]] (2019)
}}
}}

{{nihongo|'''Takao Saito'''|{{ruby-ja|齊藤 隆夫|さいとう・たかを}}|Saitō Takao|November 3, 1936 – September 24, 2021<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ja:「ゴルゴ13」漫画家のさいとう・たかをさん死去　84歳　連載は継続 |url=https://mainichi.jp/articles/20210929/k00/00m/040/089000c |website=[[Mainichi Shimbun]] |access-date=September 29, 2021 |language=ja |date=September 29, 2021}}</ref>|lead=yes}} was a Japanese [[mangaka|manga artist]],<ref>Onoda Power, Natsu. ''God of Comics: Osamu Tezuka and the Creation of Post–World War II Manga''. [[University Press of Mississippi]], 2009. p. 96. Great Comics Artists. {{ISBN|978-1-60473-221-4}}.</ref> although he rejected the term and considered his work [[gekiga]].<ref name="FT">{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Leo|url=https://www.ft.com/content/734f95c0-7260-11e5-a129-3fcc4f641d98|title=Interview: 'Golgo 13' creator Takao Saito|date=2015-10-16|publisher=[[Financial Times]]|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref> He was best known for ''[[Golgo 13]]'', which has been serialized in ''[[Big Comic]]'' since 1968, making it the oldest manga still in publication.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-11-16/golgo-13-author-saito-discusses-manga-hypothetical-ending |title=Golgo 13 Author Saito Discusses Manga's Hypothetical Ending |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=2013-11-16|access-date=2015-04-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2013-11-13/artists-celebrate-45-years-of-golgo-13|title=Artists Celebrate 45 Years of Golgo 13|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2013-11-13|access-date=2015-04-08}}</ref> ''Golgo 13'' holds the [[Guinness World Record]] for "Most volumes published for a single manga series" and, in accordance with Saito's wishes, it continues to be serialized following his death from [[pancreatic cancer]] in September 2021. Saito won several awards in his 66-year career, including the [[Shogakukan Manga Award]] twice, and received the [[Medals of Honor (Japan)|Medal with Purple Ribbon]] and [[Order of the Rising Sun]] from the Japanese government for his contributions to the arts.

==Early life and career==
Born in Nishiwasa city (now [[Wakayama, Wakayama|Wakayama]] city), Saito's family moved to [[Osaka]] soon after and opened a barbershop.<ref name="crunchydeath">{{cite web |last=Harding |first=Daryl |title=Golgo 13 Manga Creator Takao Saito Passes Away Aged 84 |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/09/28/golgo-13-manga-creator-takao-saito-passes-away-aged-84 |website=[[Crunchyroll]] |access-date=September 29, 2021 |date=September 29, 2021}}</ref> He did not know he was born in Nishiwasa until he was 43 years old.<ref name="wakayama">{{cite web|url=http://www.sankei.com/region/news/180120/rgn1801200028-n1.html|title=「故郷に認められ本当にうれしい」 さいとう・たかをさんに和歌山県文化賞授与|date=2018-01-20|publisher=[[Sankei Shimbun]]|access-date=2018-02-02}}</ref> After his father left the family to become a photographer, his mother raised Saito and his four siblings alone while working as a hairdresser.<ref name="crunchydeath"/> After graduating from junior high school in 1950, Saito worked at the family barbershop and took it over in 1952.<ref name="crunchydeath"/>

Having always been known as a skilled artist, Saito drew in his spare time and created his first manga ''Baron Air'' in 1955.<ref name="wakayama"/><ref name="crunchydeath"/> After having him spend a year rewriting it, rental-manga magazine publisher Hinomaru Bunko released it in 1956. That same year, Saito quit the family business to focus on manga, an act that angered his mother so much, that she never picked up one of his works for the rest of her life.<ref name="crunchydeath"/> Under the guidance of manga artist Masami Kuroda, he moved to Tokyo in 1958. In 1959, Saito co-founded the {{nihongo|Gekiga Kōbō|劇画工房|}} in Tokyo with seven other artists, including [[Yoshihiro Tatsumi]] and [[Masahiko Matsumoto]], in order to spread [[gekiga]].<ref name="museum">{{cite web |url=http://www.cartoonmuseum.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/50109-gekiga-alternative-manga-from-japan|title=Gekiga: Alternative Manga from Japan|publisher=[[The Cartoon Museum]]|access-date=2020-10-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312100110/https://www.cartoonmuseum.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/50109-gekiga-alternative-manga-from-japan|archive-date=2015-03-12}}</ref> Since April 1960, he has run Saito Production, a company with currently 19 employees.

Saito entered the mainstream manga industry in 1963 with ''[[List of James Bond comics#Japanese|007]]'', an adaptation of [[Ian Fleming]]'s ''[[James Bond]]'' novels for [[Shogakukan]]'s ''[[Boy's Life (Japanese magazine)|Boy's Life]]'' magazine.<ref name="crunchydeath"/> He started ''[[Golgo 13]]'' in Shogakukan's ''[[Big Comic]]'' magazine in 1968 and serialized it continuously until his death. With the publication of volume 201 in July 2021, it was certified as holding the ''[[Guinness World Record]]'' for "Most volumes published for a single manga series."<ref>{{cite web|title=「ゴルゴ13」がギネス世界記録に認定、ちばてつやや高橋留美子らもお祝い|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/435998|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]] |language=Japanese|date=July 18, 2021|access-date=September 29, 2021}}</ref> In 2013, Saito said "The manga has continued so long that it is no longer the property of the author; it belongs to the readers."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-11-16/golgo-13-author-saito-discusses-manga-hypothetical-ending|title=Golgo 13 Author Saito Discusses Manga's Hypothetical Ending|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2013-11-16|access-date=2015-04-08}}</ref> It has been adapted into two live-action films, one animated film, an [[OVA]], an [[anime]] TV series, and several video games. In 1971 Saito also started to give courses in drawing manga.

Saito illustrated an adaptation of [[Shōtarō Ikenami]]'s ''[[Onihei Hankachō]]'' novel series that has been continuously serialized in Leed Publishing's ''Comic Ran'' magazine since 1993, although a mistake by the editorial department resulted in the September 2019 issue becoming the first in 25 years to not include a chapter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-08-07/onihei-manga-skips-current-chapter-due-to-story-issues/.149798|title=Onihei Manga Skips Current Chapter Due to Story Issues|date=2019-08-07 |access-date=2020-10-01 |publisher=[[Anime News Network]]}}</ref> He initially created it based on scripts by Sentarō Kubota (volumes 1–40), then on scripts by Kusumi Ohara from volume 40 until 53, when Ohara was joined by Kaori Moriyama.

[[JManga]] released digital English versions of several of Saito's series, including ''Onihei Hankachō'', ''[[Barom-1]]'', ''[[Japan Sinks]]'' and ''Doll: The Hotel Detective''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/07/31/jmanga-adds-samurai-mystery-manga-onihei-the-devilish-breau-chief|title=JManga Adds Samurai Mystery Manga "Onihei, the Devilish Bureau Chief" |publisher=[[Crunchyroll]]|date=2012-07-31|access-date=2020-10-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/04/05-1/jmanga-debuts-professional-swordsmen-of-the-edo-era-manga|title=JManga Debuts "Professional Swordsmen of The Edo Era" Manga |publisher=[[Crunchyroll]]|date=2012-04-05|access-date=2020-10-02}}</ref>

Saito said he suffered [[retinal detachment]] at the age of 28 and was diagnosed as [[diabetic]] at 48.<ref>{{cite web|title=【追悼】さいとう・たかをさん「私の頭の中にだけ眠る『最終回のアイデア』」最後に語った"ゴルゴのプロ意識"|url=https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/49004?page=2|website=[[Bungeishunjū]]|language=Japanese|access-date=September 29, 2021}}</ref> He was a close friend of fellow manga artist [[Shotaro Ishinomori]].

Saito died of [[pancreatic cancer]] at 84 on September 24, 2021.<ref name="death">{{cite web |last=Hodgkins |first=Crystalyn |title=Golgo 13 Author Takao Saito Passes Away at 84 |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-09-29/golgo-13-author-takao-saito-passes-away-at-84/.177952 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |date=September 29, 2021 |access-date=September 29, 2021}}</ref> His death was announced five days later by Shogakukan, along with his wish that ''Golgo 13'' continue on without him. The Saito Production group of manga creators continues its publication with the assistance of the ''Big Comic'' editorial department.<ref name="death"/> Leed Publishing later announced that ''Onihei Hankachō'' will also continue per Saito's wishes.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hodgkins |first=Crystalyn |title=Takao Saito's Onihei Crime Reports in Edo Manga Continues |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-10-30/takao-saito-onihei-crime-reports-in-edo-manga-continues/.179026 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |date=October 30, 2021 |access-date=October 30, 2021}}</ref>

==Leed Publishing==
<!-- Courtesy note per [[WP:RSECT]]: [[Leed Publishing]] redirects here -->
Saito was a [[Director (business)|director]] at {{nihongo|Leed Publishing|株式会社リイド社}}, a publishing company spun-off from his Saito Production.<ref name="Thompson">{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2012-03-01|title=Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Golgo 13|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2012-03-01|access-date=2018-02-02}}</ref> It was founded in November 1974 and Saito's older brother was its president and CEO until his death in 2016. Following his brother's death, his brother's eldest son took over.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.shinbunka.co.jp/news2016/06/160610-02.htm|script-title=ja:【訃報】斉藤發司氏（さいとう・はつじ＝リイド社創業者、代表取締役社長）|publisher=Shinbunka|language=ja|date=2016-06-10|access-date=2018-02-02}}</ref> In addition to many other products, Leed jointly publishes the ''Golgo 13'' ''[[tankōbon]]'' volumes with [[Shogakukan]].

==Awards and accolades==
[[File:Saito-pro building.jpg|thumb|upright|Saito Production headquarters in [[Nakano, Tokyo]], 2021]]
In 1976, Saito won the 21st [[Shogakukan Manga Award]] in the General category for ''Golgo 13''.<ref name="ShogakukanAwards">{{cite web|url=https://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/shogakukan-mangasho-archives|script-title=ja:小学館漫画賞 過去受賞作|publisher=[[Shogakukan Manga Award]]|access-date=2020-04-04|language=ja |date=October 25, 2018 }}</ref>

In 2002, he and ''Golgo 13'' won the Grand Prize at the [[Japan Cartoonists Association Award]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/japancartoonist.php|title=Japanese Cartoonists' Association Awards|publisher=hahnlibrary.net|access-date=2018-02-07}}</ref>

In 2003, the Japanese government gave Saito the [[Medals of Honor (Japan)|Medal with Purple Ribbon]] for his contributions to the arts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14450320|title='Golgo 13' manga series author Takao Saito dies at 84 of cancer|publisher=[[The Asahi Shimbun]]|date=2021-09-29|access-date=2022-02-20}}</ref>

In 2005, ''Golgo 13'' was one of two winners of the Special Judges Award at the 50th Shogakukan Manga Awards.<ref name="ShogakukanAwards"/>

In 2009, Saito was among the 158 manga artists invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of both Shogakukan's ''[[Weekly Shōnen Sunday]]'' magazine and [[Kodansha]]'s ''[[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]'' at the [[Tokyo Imperial Hotel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-03-19/158-manga-creators-mark-shonen-sunday-mag-50th-year|title=158 Manga Creators Mark Shonen Sunday, Mag's 50th Year|date=2009-03-19|access-date=2009-03-21|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://gigazine.net/index.php?%2Fnews%2Fcomments%2F20090317_sun_maga_50th%2F|script-title=ja:週刊少年サンデー・週刊少年マガジン50周年記念大同窓会、名だたる漫画家たちによるコメントムービー|date=2009-03-17|publisher=gigazine.net|access-date=2009-03-21|language=ja|archive-date=March 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322023319/http://gigazine.net/index.php?%2Fnews%2Fcomments%2F20090317_sun_maga_50th%2F|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2010, the Japanese government gave Saito the [[Order of the Rising Sun]], [[Order of the Rising Sun#4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette|4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-04-28/golgo-13-saito-sunset-on-3rd-st.s-saigan-win-medals|title=Golgo 13's Saito, Sunset on 3rd St.'s Saigan Win Medals|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2010-04-28|access-date=2015-04-08}}</ref>

In 2013, over 300 people attended an event at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel to celebrate 45 years of ''Golgo 13'', including Deputy Prime Minister of Japan [[Tarō Asō]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/style/AJ201312020004|title=Manga 'Golgo 13' celebrates 45 years of continuous publication|last=Atsushi|first=Ohara|date=2 December 2013|publisher=[[Asahi Shimbun]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024033726/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/style/AJ201312020004|archive-date=24 October 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=19 October 2016}}</ref>

In 2017, Saito received the Iwate Hometown Special Manga Award at the 7th Iwate Manga Awards for having a residence in [[Hanamaki, Iwate]] and including a character from the prefecture in ''Golgo 13''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iwanichi.co.jp/2017/11/26/106633/|script-title=ja:岩手の魅力、漫画で 大賞コン入賞２１作品表彰 さいとう氏に特別賞|date=2017-11-26|publisher=Iwate Nichinichi Shimbun|access-date=2020-04-04 |language=ja}}</ref>

In January 2018, he received the Wakayama Prefecture Cultural Award from his birth prefecture.<ref name="wakayama"/>

In 2019, Saito was honored by the [[Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly]] for his contributions to the arts as a meritorious resident of Tokyo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sankei.com/politics/news/191001/plt1910010055-n1.html|script-title=ja:名誉都民にさいとう・たかをさんら３人|date=2019-10-01|publisher=[[Sankei Shimbun]]|access-date=2020-04-04|language=ja}}</ref> That year he was also awarded the Special Prize from the [[Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize]] committee for his contributions to manga over the decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-04-21/jitterbug-the-forties-golgo-13-takao-saito-win-tezuka-osamu-cultural-prizes/.145970|title=Jitterbug The Forties, Golgo 13's Takao Saito Win Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2019-04-21|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref>

On October 6, 2021, the Japanese government decided to confer the [[List of Japanese court ranks, positions and hereditary titles#Sixth Rank|Senior Sixth Rank]] to Saito posthumously.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.wbs.co.jp/165402|script-title=ja:漫画家さいとうたかをさんに正六位|date=2021-10-26|publisher=Wakayama Broadcasting System|access-date=2022-02-13|language=ja}}</ref>

==Saito Takao Award==
The Saito Takao Gekiga Cultural Foundation established the {{nihongo|Saito Takao Award|さいとう・たかを賞|Saitō Takao Shō}} in 2017 for "outstanding works" created using the division of labor system Saito employed of separating the writing and illustrating of manga.<ref>{{cite web|title=新たなマンガ賞「さいとう・たかを賞」創設、BCにさいとうのインタビュー掲載|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/231989|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|language=Japanese|date=2017-06-09 |access-date=2021-09-29}}</ref> First awarded in January 2018, it is given to the scenario writer, illustrating artist, and editor/editorial department of the winning manga. The prize given is called the "Golgo 13 Trophy," and winners in the writer and artist categories also receive 500,000 yen (about US$4,530). Only professional manga editors can submit nominations. Nominated manga must target adult readers and be completely original works, not adaptations.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hodgkins |first=Crystalyn |date=2017-06-11 |title=Golgo 13's Takao Saito Launches New Manga Award |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-06-11/golgo-13-takao-saito-launches-new-manga-award/.117319 |access-date=2018-02-02 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |publisher=}}</ref> In addition to Takao Saito (until his death), [[Ryoichi Ikegami]], [[Jūzō Yamasaki]] and writer Masaru Sato have served on every final selection committee. [[Takashi Nagasaki]] has been on each committee following his winning the first year under the pen name Richard Woo. Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Japan]], the fourth Saito Takao Awards presented a Special Award to [[Buronson]] for his 48 years in manga and announced that works nominated for that year would instead be treated as nominees for the following year.<ref name="award2020">{{cite web|title=さいとう・たかを賞で武論尊に特別賞「優しい叱咤と捉え、まだ前へ進もうと思います」|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/408170|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|language=Japanese|date=2020-12-10 |access-date=2021-09-29}}</ref>

===Recipients===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Writer
!Illustrator
!Editor(s)
! {{Abbr|Ref.|References}}
|-
|2018 || ''Abracadabra ~Ryōki Hanzai Tokusōshitsu~'' || [[Takashi Nagasaki|Richard Woo]] || [[Seimu Yoshizaki]] || Nakayama, Hirai (''[[Big Comic Original]]'')|| <ref>{{cite web|title=さいとう・たかを、自身の名冠した賞の授賞式で「分業制作がマンガの本流になる」|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/265014|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|language=Japanese|date=2018-01-12 |access-date=2021-09-29}}</ref>
|-
|2019 || ''[[Issak (manga)|Issak]]'' || Shinji Makari || Double-S || Hitoshi Arai || <ref>{{cite web|title=さいとう・たかを賞授賞式で「イサック」制作陣が喜び語る「我々は4人のチーム」|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/315783|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|language=Japanese|date=2019-01-11 |access-date=2021-09-29}}</ref>
|-
|2020 || ''Reiri'' || [[Hitoshi Iwaaki]] || Daisuke Muroi || Takafumi Sawa || <ref>{{cite web|title=さいとう・たかを賞受賞に岩明均「『レイリ』は僕が一兵卒だったから生まれた」|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/363546|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|language=Japanese|date=2020-01-17 |access-date=2021-09-29}}</ref>
|-
|2021 || style="background:#EFEFEF;" align="center" colspan="4" | ''Not awarded due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]]; [[Buronson]] was awarded a "Special Award".'' || <ref name="award2020"/>
|-
|2022 || ''[[Shrink (manga)|Shrink ~Seishinkai Yowai~]]'' || Jin Nanami || Tsukiko || Naohiro Yamasato || <ref>{{cite web|title=「Shrink～精神科医ヨワイ～」が第5回さいとう・たかを賞を受賞|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/457029|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|language=Japanese|date=2021-12-10 |access-date=2022-01-19}}</ref>
|-
|2023 || ''Kēki no Kirenai Hikō Shōnen-tachi'' || Koji Miyaguchi || Suzuki Masakazu || Tomoaki Iwasaka || <ref>{{cite web|title=「ケーキの切れない非行少年たち」が第6回さいとう・たかを賞を受賞|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/504375|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|language=Japanese|date=2022-12-09 |access-date=2023-02-04}}</ref>
|-
|2024 || ''Abura'' || Number 8 || Sakuzo Baku || Sho Kobayashi, Shinpei Wada || <ref>{{cite web|title=第7回さいとう・たかを賞は「ABURA」、新選組の内部抗争・油小路事件描く時代劇|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/552298|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|language=Japanese|date=2023-12-08 |access-date=2024-01-13}}</ref>
|-
| 2025 || ''[[Shimazaki in the Land of Peace]]'' || Gouten Hamada || Takashi Seshimo || Kouji Tabuchi, Yuuji Hara || <ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:「平和の国の島崎へ」が第8回さいとう・たかを受賞|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/603094|website=[[Comic Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|access-date=December 10, 2024|language=ja|date=December 10, 2024}}</ref> 
|}

==Selected works==
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2021}}
* {{nihongo|''Baron Air''|空気男爵||1955}}
* {{nihongo|''Typhoon Goro''|台風五郎||1958}}
* {{nihongo|''Devil King''|デビルキング||1964}}
* ''[[List of James Bond comics#Japanese|007]]'' (1964–1967)
* {{nihongo|''Muyonosuke''|無用ノ介||1967}}
* {{nihongo|''[[Golgo 13]]''|ゴルゴ13||1968–present}}
* {{nihongo|''[[Kage Gari]]''|影狩り||1969}}
* {{nihongo|''[[Barom-1]]''|バロム・1||1970}}
* ''[[Japan Sinks]]'' (1970) (manga adaptation)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jmanga.com/japan-sinks/1|title=Japan Sinks|publisher=JManga|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516062449/http://www.jmanga.com/japan-sinks/1|archive-date=16 May 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=19 October 2016}}</ref> 
* {{nihongo|''Master Thief Sugar''|怪盗シュガー|Kaitō Shugā|1972}}, which was adapted into the unreleased NES video game ''Secret Ties''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lostlevels.org/200408/|title=Spotlight: Secret Ties|last=Cifaldi|first=Frank|date=August 2004|website=Lostlevels.org|publisher=Lost Levels|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403220733/http://lostlevels.org/200408/|archive-date=3 April 2016|url-status=live|access-date=19 October 2016}}</ref>
* {{nihongo|''Hawking''|ホーキング||1974}}
* {{nihongo|''[[Survival (manga)|Survival]]''|サバイバル||1976–1980}}
* {{nihongo|''Doll: The Hotel Detective''|ホテル探偵DOLL||1980}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jmanga.com/doll-the-hotel-detective/1|title=Doll the Hotel Detective|publisher=JManga|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515055017/http://www.jmanga.com/doll-the-hotel-detective/1|archive-date=15 May 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=19 October 2016}}</ref>
* {{nihongo|''Kumotori Zanpei''|雲盗り暫平||1983–1988}}
* {{nihongo|''[[Onihei Hankachō]]''|鬼平犯科帳||1993–present}} (manga adaptation)
* {{nihongo|''Breakdown''|ブレイクダウン||1995}}
* {{nihongo|''[[Kenkaku Shōbai|Professional Swordsmen of the Edo Era]]''|剣客商売|Kenkyaku Shōbai|1998–1999}} (manga adaptation)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jmanga.com/professional-swordsmen-of-the-edo-era/1|title=Professional Swordsmen of the Edo Era|publisher=JManga|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515202626/http://www.jmanga.com/professional-swordsmen-of-the-edo-era/1|archive-date=15 May 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=2020-10-01}}</ref> 
* {{nihongo|''Shikake Jin Fujieda Baian''|仕掛人 藤枝梅安||2002–2016}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Takao Saito (manga artist)}}
*[https://www.saito-pro.co.jp/ Saito Pro official website] {{in lang|ja}}
*[http://www.leed.co.jp/ Leed Publishing official website] {{in lang|ja}}
*{{anime News Network|people|8737}}
*{{IMDb name|1278275}}

{{Golgo 13}}
{{Shogakukan Manga Award - General}}
{{Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saito, Takao}}
[[Category:Takao Saito| ]]
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Japan]]
[[Category:Manga artists from Wakayama Prefecture]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon]]
[[Category:Gekiga creators]]