Toyoharu Yoshida, better known as Ippei Kuri, was a Japanese manga artist and the third president of animation production company Tatsunoko Production.
11 Facts About Ippei Kuri
1.
2.
Ippei Kuri was born Toyoharu Yoshida on January 1,1940, in Kyoto.
3.
Ippei Kuri attended Kyoto Municipal Rakuyo High School, but left in 1958 before graduating to join his older brother Kenji in Tokyo to work as a manga artist.
4.
Ippei Kuri worked as an assistant for his older brother Tatsuo, who was already a successful illustrator and manga artist.
5.
From 1960 to 1961, Ippei Kuri worked on Mach Sanshiro with creator Minoru Kume.
6.
In 1962, Ippei Kuri co-founded the animation production company Tatsunoko Production with his brothers, Kenji and Tatsuo.
7.
Ippei Kuri was appointed the managing director of Tatsunoko Production subsidiary Anime Friend in 1977.
8.
In 1987, due to his brother Kenji's retirement, Ippei Kuri became the president of Tatsunoko Production.
9.
When Tatsunoko Production became a subsidiary of the major toy manufacturer Takara on July 1,2005, Ippei Kuri stepped down as president.
10.
At the 10th Animation Kobe event in October 2005, Ippei Kuri was awarded the special award for lifetime contributions to anime as a general producer at Tatsunoko Production.
11.
Ippei Kuri served as a guest professor at the Kyoto University of Arts and Crafts.