Inue Takehiko

 

Takehiko Inoue (井上 雄彦 Inoue Takehiko?; Ōkuchi, born January 12, 1967) is a Japanese cartoonist.

It is mainly known for the Slam Dunk and Vagabond series, which are two of the best-selling manga in history. Many of his works feature basketball, in fact Inoue himself is a big fan of the sport. In 2012 he was awarded the first Cultural Prize at the Asia Cosmopolitan Awards .

Inoue was born in Isa and from an early age he loved to draw. During elementary and middle school, Inoue joined kendo and basketball clubs, becoming captain of the latter. In her third year at Kagoshima Prefectural Oguchi High School, Inoue took a summer course at an art preparatory school with the intention of enrolling in an art university, but as these were too expensive she ended up attending Kumamoto University near his hometown. His presentation in Weekly Shōnen Jump attracted the attention of editorial editor Taizo Nakamura and, at the age of 20, Inoue dropped out of school to move to Tokyo and pursue a career as a manga artist.