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Template:Nihongo (June 11, 1886 – October 11, 1948) was a Japanese illustrator, cartoonist, and writer.
Biography
Okamoto Ippei was the second son of the Confucian scholar Katei Okamoto. He studied Western-style painting at Tokyo School of the Arts under the instruction of Japanese painter Fujishima Takeji.[1] He started working as a scenery painter for Teikoku Theater in 1910. After getting married, he set up in Kyobashi with his family.[2]
Okamoto traveled to Europe and the United States and brought to Japan several comics. In 1912, he started to draw manga for the newspaper Asahi Shinbun.[1]
During the World War II, he moved to Hamamatsu and Gifu. He opened a school called Ippei Juku, where he was teacher of cartoonists Hidezo Kondo and Yukio Matsuura.[2]
Style
Okamoto became popular as a manga artist in the Taisho era due to his style that combined manga with refined writing.[2] He included features of film in his comics.[3] Manga artist Osamu Tezuka mentioned Okamoto as one of his main influences.[3]
Personal life
Okamoto Ippei met Kanoko Okamoto when she sent him a poem that fed his interest. They met in the fall of 1909.[4] In 1910, he married Kanoko Okamoto. He used to train younger drawers and after retiring, he helped his wife in her work as a novelist.[2]