The official website of the Kaieisha art studio announced on Monday that art director Nizou Yamamoto died due to stomach cancer on August 19. He was 70.

Yamamoto was born in June 1953 in Fukue-shi, Nagasaki prefecture. After studying architecture, he began his career by joining the subcontracting studio Ad Cosmo in 1974. In 1978, he began working with Hayao Miyazaki as an art director for Mirai Shounen Conan (Future Boy Conan), Meitantei Holmes (Sherlock Hound), and worked on the background art for Lupin III: Cagliostro no Shiro (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro).

He then followed Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli and served as an art director and background art for Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa (Castle in the Sky), Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies), Mimi wo Sumaseba (Whisper of the Heart), Omoide Poroporo (Only Yersterday), Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke), and Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away).

Yamamoto's other works outside of Studio Ghibli include art director for Fantastic Children and Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) and background art for Perfect Blue, Spriggan, and Uchuu Show e Youkoso (Welcome to the Space Show).

In 2007, he directed the television special Miyori no Mori (Miyori's Forest) at Nippon Animation. His last credited work was painting design for Makoto Shinkai's Tenki no Ko (Weathering with You).

Source: Comic Natalie