Birthplace: Okuchi, Kagoshima

Takehiko Inoue became the first recipient of the Cultural Prize at the Asia Cosmopolitan Awards in 2012.

Takehiko Inoue made his debut in 1988, when 'Purple Kaede' (楓パープル) appeared in Weekly Shounen Jump magazine. It won the 35th annual Tezuka Award.

Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk, about a basketball team from Shohoku High School. It was published in Weekly Shounen Jump from 1990 to 1996 and has sold over 157 million copies worldwide. In 1995, it received the 40th annual Shogakukan Manga Award for shounen manga and in 2007 was declared Japan's favorite manga.

Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond won him the Kodansha Manga Award for General manga in 2000 and the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award in 2002.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Twitter: @inouetake