'Tsurikichi Sanpei'.
Takao Yaguchi is a mangaka from the area of Saruhannai in the Akita prefecture. In 1976, he was awarded the Grand Prize at the 5th Japan Cartoonists Awards for the work entitled 'Matagi'. He is is specialized in mangas with ecological themes, such as 'Yasei Densetsu' ('Legends of Wild Nature') and his famous 1980s fishing manga 'Tsurikichi Sanpei' ('Fisherman Sanpei'), which has also been adapted into an anime series. Other serials by Yaguchi are 'Ooi!! Yamabiko', 'Furusato', 'Habatake Taroumaru', and 'Shin Oraga-mura'. His literary works include 'Boku no Sensei wa Yama to Kawa' ('My Teachers are Mountains and Rivers'), in which he talks about the mysteries of nature.