Takao Yaguchi (1939–2020) was a Japanese manga artist. Born in Akita Prefecture, he worked as a bank employee before moving to Tokyo at the age of thirty to pursue a career in manga. His long-running series “Tsurikichi Sanpei” (Fisherman Sanpei) follows a gifted young angler confronting challenging fish and fishing environments across Japan and beyond. Through detailed depictions of rivers, forests, wildlife, and rural communities, the series helped popularize recreational fishing in Japan during the 1970s. Yaguchi received the Kodansha Publishing Culture Award for “Tsurikichi Sanpei” and “Maboroshi no Kaija Bachihebi,” and the Japan Cartoonists Association Award for “Matagi,” a work portraying hunters living within the demanding natural environment of northern Japan.
