Yuji Nunokawa Death, Obituary – We are writing to inform you that Yuji Nunokawa, a former Chairman and Supreme Adviser of Pierrot, has passed away. As we do this, our hearts are heavy with sorrow. The death of Mr. Nunokawa occurred on December 25. He was 75. He will be sorely missed for all that he contributed in terms of leadership, commitment, and excitement. Our thoughts are with the whole Studio Pierrot personnel as well as the family of Mr. Nunokawa. Please accept our prayers, love, and sympathies. On December 26th, the announcement was made public on the studio’s official Twitter account.
When the statement was made public in both Japanese and English, it read as follows: “We are writing to let you know that Yuji Nunokawa, a former Chairman and Supreme Adviser of Pierrot, passed away. As we do this, our hearts are heavy with sorrow. The death of Mr. Nunokawa occurred on December 25. He was 75. He will be sorely missed for all that he contributed in terms of leadership, commitment, and enthusiasm.” Only those who were especially close to him and his immediate family will be permitted entry to the funeral home. Nunokawa will have a memorial service at Studio Pierrot at some point in the future.
Nunokawa graduated from the Japan Design School in 1967, and he went on to work for Mushi Production, Studio Jack, and Tatsunoko Production as an animator and technical director. Nunokawa was born in Sakata, a city that is part of the Yamagata Prefecture. While working at Tatsunoko Production, he contributed to the creation of Time Bokan, Casshan, and The Funny Judo Champion. Nunokawa later founded Studio Pierrot in 1979, which he oversaw as its chair and major advisor in addition to his other duties. Prior to that, he had worked as an animator and animation director. He was given a prize in 2019 by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs in honor of his work with Studio Pierrot. This award normally does not go to those who work in the anime or manga industries because it honors “those who have accomplished extraordinary accomplishment in artistic and cultural activities.”