Kazuo Koike

Kazuo Koike 小池 一夫
Born	(1936-05-08) 8 May 1936 Daisen, Akita Prefecture
Nationality	Japanese
Area(s)	Writer
Notable works	Lone Wolf and Cub Lady Snowblood (manga)
Awards	Hall of Fame Eisner Award (2004)

Template:Japanese name Kazuo Koike (小池 一夫, Koike Kazuo, born May 8, 1936 in Daisen, Akita Prefecture) is a prolific Japanese manga writer (gensakusha), novelist and entrepreneur.

Career

Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.

Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of Lone Wolf and Cub.

Another series written by Koike, Crying Freeman, which was illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director Christophe Gans.

Kazuo Koike started the Gekika Sonjuku, a college course meant to teach people how to be a manga artist.

In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga. He has also written mahjong manga, as he himself is a former professional mahjong player.

In the early 2000s, he wrote a Wolverine story for Marvel.

In 2011, Koike announced his intention to write a magical girl manga series titled Maho Shojo Mimitsuki Mimi no QED.

Graduates of Koike's Gekika Sonjuku

• Rumiko Takahashi - manga artist: Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, InuYasha etc.
• Akira Sakuma - game designer, freelance writer: Momotaro Densetsu series
• Hideyuki Kikuchi - horror writer: Vampire Hunter D
• Tetsuo Hara - manga artist: Fist of the North Star
• Yuji Horii - game designer, freelance writer: Dragon Quest series
• Keisuke Itagaki - manga artist: Baki the Grappler
• Naoki Yamamoto - manga artist: Dance till Tomorrow
• Takayuki Yamaguchi - manga artist: Apocalypse Zero and Shigurui.

Bibliography

• Lone Wolf and Cub, with artist Goseki Kojima, 1970–1976
• Hulk: The Manga, with artist Yoshihiro Morifuji, 11/24/1970 – 6/1/1971
• Lady Snowblood (manga), with artist Kazuo Kamimura, 1972–1973
• Samurai Executioner, with artist Goseki Kojima, 1972–1976
• The script to the film Lady Snowblood, 1973
• Adolescent Zoo, with artist Hiromi Yamasaki, 1978–1981
• Path of the Assassin, with artist Goseki Kojima, 1978–1984
• Hanappe Bazooka, with artist Go Nagai, June 7, 1979 – January 7, 1982
• Wounded Man, with artist Ryoichi Ikegami, 1983-1986
• Mad Bull 34, with artist Noriyoshi Inoue, 1985–1991
• Crying Freeman, with artist Ryoichi Ikegami, 1986–1988
• Kawaite Sourou, with artist Goseki Kojima, 1995-1999
• X-Men Unlimited #50, 2003
• Kajō, with artist Hideki Mori, 2003–2006
• New Lone Wolf and Cub (Shin Kozure Okami), with artist Hideki Miri Mori, 2003-2006
• Yume Genji Tsurugi no Saimon, with artist Natsuki Sumeragi, 2006–?
• Shura Yukihime Gaiden, with artist Ryoichi Ikegami, 2009-?
• Oda Nobunaga, with artist Goseki Kojima, ?-?
• Offered, with artist Ryoichi Ikegami, ?-?
• Color of Rage, with artist Seisaku Kano, ?-?
• Goyokiba, with artist Takeshi Kanda, ?-?

Awards

• 2004: Won the Hall of Fame Eisner Award

References

• Kazuo Koike at the Grand Comics Database

External links

• Kazuo Koike at IMDb
• Kazuo Koike at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
• Macias, Patrick (June 2008). Archived 2006-05-08 at the Wayback Machine. Manga Hell! Archived via the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 3, 2013.