Person: Mori Yasuji

Mori Yasuji was born January 28, 1925 and died September 5, 1992.

Influenced by American animated shorts, and despite a degree in architecture from the National University of Fine Arts in Tokyo, Yasuji Mori decided that he wanted to be an animator. He joined Nihon Douga in 1948, which was renamed as Nichidou Eiga in 1952, then acquired by Toei in 1956 and renamed Toei Douga. During his years at Toei Douga as a senior animator, Mori was partially responsible for creating and refining the Toei Douga style and therefore a major influence on anime. According to Isao Takahata (Takahata worked under Mori at Toei Douga), Mori's influence on the world of Japanese animation was "incalculable."

Mori was also a famous illustrator of children's books. Mori was responsible for one of the major animation styles within Toei Animation. In The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon Mori was the first to be credited as animation director in Japan, although Akira Daikubara had the same post on The Tale of the White Serpent but was not credited as that. As a senior animator he formed many of the great animators of the next generation (including, but not limited to, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Yasuo Ootsuka, and Yoichi Kotabe). He later left Toei Animation to work with Nippon Animation.