Yasuji Murata

Tarō-san no kisha (1929)

Yasuji Murata (村田安司 Murata Yasuji, 24 January 1896 – 2 November 1966) was a pioneering animator who helped develop the art of anime in Japan. Studying the animation techniques of Sanae Yamamoto,^[1] Murata produced dozens of mostly educational films at the Yokohama Cinema studio featuring such characters as Momotarō and Norakuro. Along with Noburō Ōfuji, he was renowned as a master of cutout animation.^[2] Among his students were such animators as Yoshitarō Kataoka.

Selected filmography

• Dōbutsu Orinpikku taikai, 1928 [Animal Olympics]
• Tarō-san no kisha, 1929 [Taro's Train]
• Saru Masamune, 1930 [The Monkey Masamune]
• Oira no yakyū, 1930
• Sora no Momotarō, 1931
• Norakuro gochō, 1934

References

1. Sharp, Jasper (September 23, 2004). "Pioneers of Japanese Animation (Part 1)". Midnight Eye. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
2. Official booklet, The Roots of Japanese Anime, DVD, Zakka Films, 2009.

External links

• Yasuji Murata at the Internet Movie Database
• Murata Yasuji at the Japanese Movie Database (Japanese)