Kazuo Oga

Kazuo Oga (男鹿和雄, Oga Kazuo, born 29 February 1952, in Akita Prefecture, Japan) is an art director and background artist for many Madhouse Studio and Studio Ghibli anime films. Oga has worked with major directors Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Osamu Dezaki. He also published two artbooks and directed a short animated film.

Works (selection)

Director

The Night of Taneyamagahara (種山ヶ原の夜, Taneyamagahara no Yoru), 2006

Art director

Unico (ユニコ, Yuniko), 1979
Tomorrow's Joe 2 (あしたのジョー2, Ashita no Jō Tsū), 1980
Barefoot Gen (はだしのゲン, Hadashi no Gen), 1983
Toki no Tabibito: Time Stranger (時空の旅人 -Time Stranger-), 1986
Wicked City (妖獣都市, Yōjū Toshi), 1987
My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ, Tonari no Totoro), 1988
Girls in Summer Clothes (夏服の少女たち, Natsufuku no Shōjo-tachi), 1988
Only Yesterday (おもひでぽろぽろ, Omohide Poro Poro), 1991
Pom Poko (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ, Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko), 1994
Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫, Mononoke-hime), 1997
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語, Kaguya-hime no Monogatari), 2013

Assistant background art director

Treasure Island (宝島, Takarajima), 1978
Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie (スペースアドベンチャーコブラ, Supēsu Adobenchā Kobura), 1982

Background art

Panda! Go, Panda! and the Rainy-Day Circus (パンダコパンダ雨降りサーカスの巻, Panda Kopanda: Amefuri Sākasu no Maki), 1973
Adventures of Ganba (ガンバの冒険, Ganba no Bōken), 1975
Nobody's Boy: Remi (家なき子, Ie Naki Ko), 1977
Makoto-chan (まことちゃん), 1980
Harmagedon: Genma Wars (幻魔大戦 ‒ハルマゲドン‒, Genma Taisen: Harumagedon), 1983
Unico in the Island of Magic (ユニコ魔法の島へ, Yuniko: Mahō no Shima e), 1983
Lensman (SF 新世紀レンズマン, SF Shinseiki Lensman), 1984
The Dagger of Kamui (カムイの剣, Kamui no Ken), 1985
Barefoot Gen 2 (はだしのゲン2, Hadashi no Gen 2), 1986
Hoero! Bun Bun (ほえろブンブン, Hoero! Bun Bun), 1987
Bride of Deimos (悪魔の花嫁蘭の組曲, Akuma no Hanayome: Ran no Kumikyoku), 1988
Demon City Shinjuku (魔界都市新宿, Makai Toshi: Shinjuku), 1988
Goku: Midnight Eye (Midnight Eye ゴクウ, Midnight Eye Gokū), 1989
Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便, Majo no Takkyūbin), 1989
Urusei Yatsura: Always My Darling (うる星やつらいつだってマイ・ダーリン, Urusei Yatsura: Itsudatte Mai Dārin), 1991
Porco Rosso (紅の豚, Kurenai no Buta), 1992
Ninja Scroll (獣兵衛忍風帖, Jūbē Ninpūchō), 1993
On Your Mark (オン・ユア・マーク, On Yua Māku), 1995
Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば, Mimi o Sumaseba), 1995
Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture (るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚- 維新志士への鎮魂歌, Rurouni Kenshin: Ishin Shishi e no Chinkonka), 1997
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (吸血鬼ハンターD ブラッドラスト, Banpaia Hantā Dī: Buraddorasuto), 2000
Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), 2001
InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time (映画犬夜叉時代を越える想い, Eiga Inuyasha: Toki o Koeru Omoi), 2001
The Cat Returns (猫の恩返し, Neko no Ongaeshi), 2002
Fantastic Children (ファンタジックチルドレン, Fantajikku Chirudoren), 2004
Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城, Hauru no Ugoku Shiro), 2004
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女, Toki o Kakeru Shōjo), 2006
Tales from Earthsea (ゲド戦記, Gedo Senki), 2006
Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (?), 2007
Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ, Gake no Ue no Ponyo), 2008
Kawa no Hikari (川の光, Kawa no Hikari), 2009
Summer Wars (サマーウォーズ, Samā Wōzu), 2009
The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ, Kari-gurashi no Arietti), 2010
A Letter to Momo (ももへの手紙, Momo e no Tegami), 2012
Mary and the Witch's Flower (メアリと魔女の花, Meari to Majo no Hana), 2017
The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか, Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka), 2023

Art books

Kazuo Oga Art Collection (Oga Kazuo Gashuu). Tokuma Shoten, 1996. ISBN 4-19-860526-2
Kazuo Oga Art Collection II (Oga Kazuo Gashuu II). Tokuma Shoten, 2005. ISBN 4-19-862074-1

Exhibition

The Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tokyo, Japan sponsored an exhibition called Kazuo Oga – The Man Who Drew Totoro's Forest from July 21, 2007 through September 30, 2007.^[1] A documentary about this exhibition Oga Kazuo Exhibition: Ghibli No Eshokunin – The One Who Painted Totoro's Forest (ジブリの絵職人　男鹿和雄展　トトロの森を描いた人) was released on DVD and Blu-ray.